Do you find that people have their faces stuck in their phones and tablets to the detriment of ignoring what's happening around them? I see people walking around and possibly running into things or people at restaurants ignoring each other while they are looking at who knows what. How about putting the electronic devices away and actually talking to each other?

Yes, I agree, I think that there are a lot of people out there who are losing their ability to socialize because it's a skill they really don't have to use. I think that there are some younger people who have grown up with cell phones and laptops that never even developed the ability to socialize in the first place.

 

I see it all the time, people will bump into you because they have their heads down looking at their phone. I kind of understand this though, I mean, the Internet is so interesting. I love it. It allows me to shop online (I love to shop), spy on my friends, spy on my not-friends. Just yesterday I learned that a couple I know got a divorce! They live together so you would never know that they are divorced, but thanks to the handy-dandy Internet... well. And YouTube is a marvel, I could spend days straight on that, so yeah, I get it that people are really involved with their tablets and phones.

 

I'm just curious @planetdoom have you ever gone without your phone? If so, how long? I admit, I feel naked without my phone. Sometimes I do turn it off, but I always keep it nearby.

I think I am definitely a culprit here. I am one of those people that always likes to have their face stuck in their phone. However, not if I am in company, like at a dinner party or whatever. I once went to a tenants and residents association Christmas dinner, and half the the people there had their faces in their phones at the dinner table! I think they were texting or WhatsApping each other as well. It did seem a bit rude, and seemed to exclude everyone else. I didn't go to that dinner the subsequent year!

I agree!!!! Everywhere you go people have their noses in their phones. Pokémon Go has even caused harm to some because players are not paying attention to where they are going. I enjoy having my phone but there is a time and place for everything. We must not lose the ability to talk to each other.

Edited May 17, 20186 yr by Queenie

Too true! Though I admit I have had a go at Pokemon Go myself! ;)

 

I find my smartphone great for easy communication, but it's so tempting to just pick it up and browse. I tend to check email, The Guardian newspaper app, and Rightmove. Also, if anything crops up in conversation I'm rushing to check it on Wikipedia.

I'm just curious @planetdoom have you ever gone without your phone? If so, how long? I admit, I feel naked without my phone. Sometimes I do turn it off, but I always keep it nearby.

 

Yes, I've gone out without my phone but only because I left it at home because I was rushing to go somewhere or the battery was dying so it was pointless to bring it with me. I'll confess that I also feel lost without my phone. I'm so used to having it with me that it's a hard habit to break. I'd probably go into withdrawals. :D

I was born in 1986, so I'm part of the generation that had this dual type of childhood where we started off without all this instant gratification access to the internet, and still relied heavily on playing with other kids or entertaining ourselves without video games/tv as much. Then by teen years, the internet and high speed connections were much more common and some kids even had cell phones and now we have smart phones and tablets and all sorts of fun stuff.

 

So, I had social skills. Depression and social anxiety reduced mine a bit for awhile, but I still can be polite and engage in conversation. But I've never been good at small talk, so I'm usually more quiet than anything else.

 

I do make it a point not to be on my phone while I'm out to eat with someone, or spending time with someone. It's ok to be on our phones as we pass time, but we have to be conscious about being addicted and relying on them so much that we forget to enjoy what's around us.

 

I let my son watch things and play games on an older generation iPad, but he also goes to daycare most of the day during the week and gets a lot of non-screen time activity and learning there, and I make sure to take him to the park or have him play in the backyard and other stuff so that he doesn't grow up glued to the screen.

I really think we have to have a place for social media. It is here to stay and has really saved time and stress in my life. However, I have been to the homes of friends where the kids are sitting on opposite ends of the sofa texting one another. Really??? This is a bit much. Then there is the texting and driving thing. That is a whole other conversation in itself.