Old people are always complaining about how the kids these days are always looking at their phones and not interacting with the real world
What makes the real world better than cyberspace
In irl life you are limited by the people around you. You may or may not like those people. On the internet it is a lot easier to find people who share your interests. There is no reason to be limited to friends only in your local geographical area.
Yes.
You can see their reactions (if you’re texting or SDMBing) or even just the physical presence, the tiny inflections, the shift of the body.
Of course, good video chat (good camera, good bitrate) is a good substitute, but not yey.
For any discussion, debates…hell yes.
They are strong advantages to both and mild disadvantages to both. The main point is, I think, don’t put all of your concentration in one. Unless, you are housebound or super phobic about talking to people face to face. The internet is gr.eat for housebound people but try to have both if you can
I get tired of online interaction after a while, or more accurately, I get jonesing for real-world interaction.
There’s simply something about having a round (or five) of beers with three or four friends. Whether it’s accompanied by serious conversation or dick jokes, there’s a certain esprit de corps that comes from being able to see the person across the table, hear the inflection in his or her voice, or touch someone on the shoulder for attention or emphasis, that’s missing over the internet.
And, paradoxically, I find myself less guarded and more genuine in person. On the SDMB, for example, I want on some level for you all to think I’m smart, interesting, funny, and socially conscious, and my interactions are filtered and informed by that desire. In person, especially with close friends, that’s less the case.
Cyberspace is a problem when your attention is so focused on it you start crashing into stuff or falling into holes because you’re texting while walking. Or worse, because you’re texting while driving.
Like a lot of things, cyberspace and the real world have their upsides and downsides. Context matters.
This ((())) is just pitiful compared to the real thing. Of course unwanted online hugging can be ignored.
Real life is better, precisely because it keeps you from becoming too narrowly defined. Real life creates more opportunity to experience new perspectives, and the opportunity to learn as your friend grow and change.
I think it’s like reading a book, versus actually experiencing something. Books are great and can teach you a lot. But it will never be as rich as a real life experience.
^ This right here. In the real world no one says shit like this.
Relationships are fuller.
Using all your senses is always better.
I actually like on line chatting more than up close and in view. All you have to do is add an appropriate emoticon and you are set.
I think being on the phone when you’re out with other people in a social setting is rude most of the time. If you’re checking in with the person in the group who can’t make it or if you’re calling your sister to settle a bar bet (I get a lot of those calls), it’s within the context of the gathering. Not rude. Out with a friend who’s clearly trying to talk to you? Rude. Are you bored in a family setting? We’ve all been there. Suck it up and pay attention to the people in the room. We’ve all had to do things we didn’t like.
On the other hand, being able to text my friend during the day helps keep me sane and focused when dealing with people irl at work. Like the guy who comes in to tell you he just sent you an email and what it says. Or The Leaner who isn’t busy and comes in to chat. Or the guy who believes the Axe commercials. Or his cousin, Patchouli Skunk. Or their other cousin who believes that deodorant gives you alzheimers. Or the lady who believes that all conversations must be held at the same decibel level as an approaching 747. Or that guy who stands too close.
I keep up with some people on facebook. People that I used to work with or go to school with. We’re old friends or casual acquaintances or people who met through a specific hobby. If it weren’t for that sort of interaction, we wouldn’t interact at all. My best friend in high school? I’m really glad we’re in touch, but I don’t think we could sustain a full blown conversation for more than 30 minutes unless we were talking about high school. We’re not the same anymore. I like the photos of a former co-worker and her dog. Cause I don’t have to listen to her non-stop chatter on and on and on and on…
No one way is better than the other. A smart cookie learns to adapt to which way is best for each situation.
A lot of the old people who complained about that died 10-15 years ago and the new old people are playing Candy Crush on their iPhone while they babysit their grand kids. Of course there are still plenty of old people complaining about phones, but really times have changed quite a bit.
One of the best things about “interacting” on the Internet is that it helps you avoid odious real world interactions. I order so much stuff from Amazon.com that 20 years ago I would’ve seemed like a shut in. To people with an older mindset, it might seem like I have some sensitivity or aversion to doing normal every day “real world” tasks.
On the contrary, I could very easily run into Walmart or Target for a few things. It’s just that now that I’m out of the habit, things like driving 20 minutes, parking, walking around a store with freakish people and waiting in line for 5 minutes all seem like a complete waste of my time. Maybe none of that sounds awful, but the alternative is to spend 5 minutes on Amazon.com, spend nothing on shipping, and have it in 48 hours. Likewise, any time the Internet lets me provide service to myself instead of talking to some underpaid under-trained idiot at a call center is pure life enhancing bliss.
I know that’s not the kind of interaction PSXer is talking about, but I think comparing real world and online interactions should be comprehensive. Online interaction that lets me avoid the crappy parts of real life leaves me with more time to enjoy the types of interaction that don’t work as well online for me, like socializing.
Fuck yeah.
Exhibit A: online dating.
I think the complaint is interacting with a phone and not with the people they are with. That represents anywhere from an inability to be in the moment to just plain rudeness.
It is not a matter of being better, it is a matter of excluding one for the other. It is good to get out there. It is also good to keep up with people you are unlikely to be with in real life.
Using technology to interact with people all over the world, explore new ideas and learn new things is great, no question about it. But it’s perplexing to me how the question of “is it better than the real world” even arises. It’s part of the real world, but only one tiny, very limited part of it, with very limited scope and richness of experience. You may as well ask, “would it be better to be a brain suspended in a jar, with a few communication links to the outside world, than to actually be alive?”
No, it would not.
A word about smartphones, if I may, since the OP mentioned it. I have personally observed people – good people, with good social skills – turn into insufferable, rude, oblivious morons under the influence of the smartphone. I have seen these people everywhere; I’ve seen them in restaurants where world-class chefs were displaying their skills in preparing and presenting successive dishes in elaborate tasting menus, each of which was a work of art, and these people were totally and completely oblivious to anything around them. Because they were engaged in the incredibly important task of emailing or tweeting vital messages like “hey, guess where I am right now?”. Or possibly engaged in replying to vital messages from others, saying “no, I have no idea where you are right now, but you wouldn’t believe where I am right now.” And then taking a selfie.
It is all I can do in these circumstances to restrain myself from taking the fucking thing and smashing it with a hammer, which I think I shall now start to carry around with me.
I have no problem with cyberspace. It provides entertainment for some, and huge advantages to folks like Blinker (R.I.P.)
But fundamentally everyone lives in the real world whether they like it or not. We all need food, water, breathable air, a home, clothing, protection against fire and other natural disasters, and so forth. If too many people spent all their waking hours watching internet porn or playing World of Warcraft, society wouldn’t be able to provide these necessities, to say nothing about luxuries.
Speaking of waking hours, too much time online disrupts a healthy sleep cycle.