Selfies - actually a form of population control ?

[caver]

There's a book I bought years ago called Over the Edge, Death in Grand Canyon. The author researched all the deaths from when it became a national park. Before I got this book I got Death in Yellowstone. That one starts off with a grisly tale that happened in the 80's or 90's? of a guys dog runs off into a scalding hot thermal pool and without thinking he runs in after it. Geez...talk about getting your attention. It also goes through thee history.

 

[toukow]

i'm of an older boomer generation, so guess i'm missing out on a lot of stuff like selfies
imho from my limited perspective, selfies merely reflect a self indulgent narcissism via the compulsive need for social media coverage.

Couldn't agree more, and bought this shirt to commemorate the phenomena. Sad thing is 'young people today' (just putting on my geezer hat!) have been raised with it, and have no self-awareness on the matter. This includes privacy issues as well. Toukow

 

[Industrial Toys]

With digital media, it's tempting for me to want to take pictures of my various activitities. Otherwise, I feel like the experience is gone forever, and what has one done with ones life? A little bit of immortality if you like. Or like they say here, no picture, never happened!

 

[BukitCase]

IT, I do that too; partly because I might/might NOT remember how I did something, and need to do another one

But I just read several pages of that wiki link, and came to the conclusion that Darwin's still going strong. I now believe that the TRUE reason smart phones were invented was to improve the gene pool... Steve

 

[Industrial Toys]

Not sure about that. A human brain needs to be used. When you have a brain in the phone, and dont use yours anymore, it is a problem.

I was watching some old Fleetwood Mac videos yesterday, and as I was observing the individual artists, I realized that was in a time, when there was no such thing as wireless phones. Yet they managed to live and prosper. They were not in constant contact and communiction with others.

 

[BukitCase]

I'm not sure you caught my meaning - I was referring to the number of people that were injured or killed by taking DANGEROUS selfies - quite a number of idiots that won't be "contributing" to the human gene pool any more... Steve

 

[Industrial Toys]

No, I get ya. I am just suggesting that the phones might not just kill people using them outright, but cause a real dumbing down of humans in the long run. And this technology is new. I shudder, thinjking about a hundred years of this.

 

[BukitCase]

Yeah, I agree - I think that's definitely a factor, but I've seen instances that pointed that way back in the '60's - my junior year in high school algebra class I got kicked out of class for showing my teacher how to use a 10 FOOT long slide rule, after he botched it a couple times - I've thought ever since that tenure was a BAD idea.

To this day, rather than "lose it" I'll work out math problems in my head in between the scans of traffic, all mirrors, etc. - My kids, and now grandkids, all know that if they don't pay attention when I'm showing 'em something then the answer to their next "can I" is gonna be "yeah, right"... Steve

 

[3930dave]

Doesn't explicitly state Selfie Taken, but seriously.......

US driver in 'Bird Box blindfold' crashes in Utah - BBC News

.... it does seem to be getting worse.....

Rgds, D.

 

[jjp8182]

No, I get ya. I am just suggesting that the phones might not just kill people using them outright, but cause a real dumbing down of humans in the long run. And this technology is new. I shudder, thinjking about a hundred years of this.

That future has pretty much already been portrayed in the movie Idiocracy.

When that movies was made ("way back" in 2006) it was intended to be a lowbrow comedy, but as the years have passed it's unfortunately started to seem more like a prophecy..... particularly when combined with the growth of large scale group-think, and loss of actual individuality (where disagreements are naturally going to occur due to differing perspectives, and it's accepted as such).

 

[3930dave]

Woman falls from car on M25 filming Snapchat video - BBC News

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Two edged sword ?

Asynchronous video interviews: The tools you need to succeed - BBC Worklife

Ok..... I'm still poking at a few things with a sharp stick...... But, at the same time I try and stay aware of skill-trends that I don't currently have......

Maybe the kids (and others) are onto something with all this vid poseur stuff.........

Rgds, D.

 

[John0829]

Couldn't agree more, and bought this shirt to commemorate the phenomena. Sad thing is 'young people today' (just putting on my geezer hat!) have been raised with it, and have no self-awareness on the matter. This includes privacy issues as well. Toukow

The way I see it and I could be wrong is that all these people want to be or think they will be the next on-line "celebrity" which is only made worse by social media whose only purpose is to collect and make money on someones personal info. Most of which I for one think should not be shared, I have some in my family doing it that have paid the price of bank accounts, credit cards being hacked and personal information used to do all sorts if thing. I tell them to get off those platforms but all I hear is (insert whinny voice here) "I can't, I have xxx many followers that would miss me". Yeah, like the person selling your information. The thing I say to any and all when the subject of social media and selfies or anything similar is: Social media, a cesspool of "questionable" human behavior.

 

[3930dave]

You can use a hammer to build a house, or kill somebody....... the tool itself isn't usually the problem.

Some of the uses for these platforms have been benign, or mostly positive. TBN is a good example of like-minded gearheads (and others) productively exchanging info. Some people use social platforms to actually help people in need..... I'm thinking of the tragic crash out West here that killed and maimed a bus-load of junior hockey players... in close to zero-time, a _______-ton of money was raised.

At their worst, I've picked on Selfies specifically as a good example of artificially twisted reality.

As staggering as the direct negative $ costs are for some people, IMO the larger impact has been (quite intentionally) mental health.

Sr. Tech execs who have stepped away, and can speak freely now have been quite clear about hiring top experts to help design the mental "stickiness" and addictive aspects of these platforms. Many of those same execs (lived in the belly of the beast) have done a good job of communicating to their own families how messed up this is and have worked hard at keeping them clear of what they helped create.

IMO, the mental health experts that helped design these platforms behaved more like Arms Dealers than medical professionals...... their industry will be picking up the pieces of this mess for a long time. Like many forms of addiction, some people get totally obsessed, other people pay absolutely no attention.

Pavlov would have loved it..... how many people can resist picking up their phone, when the bell goes off.......

I took special note of a comment in the bbc article on the recent 19 y/o (IIRC) Polish woman who just won the Grand Slam.... she often leaves her phone off for days at a time. That's almost as unheard of today, as a 19 y/o GS winner....

Rgds, D.

 

[/pine]

You can use a hammer to build a house, or kill somebody....... the tool itself isn't usually the problem.

Some of the uses for these platforms have been benign, or mostly positive. TBN is a good example of like-minded gearheads (and others) productively exchanging info. Some people use social platforms to actually help people in need..... I'm thinking of the tragic crash out West here that killed and maimed a bus-load of junior hockey players... in close to zero-time, a _______-ton of money was raised.

At their worst, I've picked on Selfies specifically as a good example of artificially twisted reality.

As staggering as the direct negative $ costs are for some people, IMO the larger impact has been (quite intentionally) mental health.

Sr. Tech execs who have stepped away, and can speak freely now have been quite clear about hiring top experts to help design the mental "stickiness" and addictive aspects of these platforms. Many of those same execs (lived in the belly of the beast) have done a good job of communicating to their own families how messed up this is and have worked hard at keeping them clear of what they helped create.

IMO, the mental health experts that helped design these platforms behaved more like Arms Dealers than medical professionals...... their industry will be picking up the pieces of this mess for a long time. Like many forms of addiction, some people get totally obsessed, other people pay absolutely no attention.

Pavlov would have loved it..... how many people can resist picking up their phone, when the bell goes off.......

I took special note of a comment in the bbc article on the recent 19 y/o (IIRC) Polish woman who just won the Grand Slam.... she often leaves her phone off for days at a time. That's almost as unheard of today, as a 19 y/o GS winner....

Rgds, D.

Gee...! I wonder how many peeps the name Pavlov rings a bell for...!

 

[3930dave]

Gee...! I wonder how many peeps the name Pavlov rings a bell for...!

I'd explain him to the kids (and others) as the most important 'Net Influencer they've never heard of......

Close enough, w/o boring them with history.....

Rgds, D.

 

[Frankenkubota]

You can use a hammer to build a house, or kill somebody....... the tool itself isn't usually the problem.

Some of the uses for these platforms have been benign, or mostly positive. TBN is a good example of like-minded gearheads (and others) productively exchanging info. Some people use social platforms to actually help people in need..... I'm thinking of the tragic crash out West here that killed and maimed a bus-load of junior hockey players... in close to zero-time, a _______-ton of money was raised.

At their worst, I've picked on Selfies specifically as a good example of artificially twisted reality.

As staggering as the direct negative $ costs are for some people, IMO the larger impact has been (quite intentionally) mental health.

Sr. Tech execs who have stepped away, and can speak freely now have been quite clear about hiring top experts to help design the mental "stickiness" and addictive aspects of these platforms. Many of those same execs (lived in the belly of the beast) have done a good job of communicating to their own families how messed up this is and have worked hard at keeping them clear of what they helped create.

IMO, the mental health experts that helped design these platforms behaved more like Arms Dealers than medical professionals...... their industry will be picking up the pieces of this mess for a long time. Like many forms of addiction, some people get totally obsessed, other people pay absolutely no attention.

Pavlov would have loved it..... how many people can resist picking up their phone, when the bell goes off.......

I took special note of a comment in the bbc article on the recent 19 y/o (IIRC) Polish woman who just won the Grand Slam.... she often leaves her phone off for days at a time. That's almost as unheard of today, as a 19 y/o GS winner....

Rgds, D.

Well said! You got me drooling!

At least 10 years ago I was watching the business channel and a shrink came on to talk about the Facebook movement.

I have personally never knowing been on facebook. Each to his own.

The shrink said Facebook was more addictive than alcohol, nicotine, cocain , heroin etc etc.

I had $2K sitting in a dormant roth ira. Bought Facebook that day, made a boatload of money and recently lost it all on Boeing.

The urge to communicate is literally overwhelming for many people, 1 gender in particular.

I could go on and on but it's rooted in our biology.

Someone recently said something about getting free shipping and quick delivery from Amazon and all of the sudden everything takes a long time and he wondered if they were doing it on purpose. I bet they are!

Of course I can't prove it but I'd bet some serious money Amazon has a whole team of folks that understand what really motivates folks and leverages that.

They play the consumer like a fiddle and the consumer just goes along cause it's all so convenient!

I'm at an age where I can look back at the changes in american culture and just think.....Somethings different.

 

[corysorndorff]

Interesting discussion. Will read an article and come back.

 

[redman135]

People have grown up in such total safety these days that they never learned to assess risk. Kids need to break an arm as a kid if the parents are to avoid going to their childrens funeral later.

 

[3930dave]

People have grown up in such total safety these days that they never learned to assess risk. Kids need to break an arm as a kid if the parents are to avoid going to their childrens funeral later.

Independent analytical thinking....... important related issue you raise........

My generation of kids was kicked outdoors to play, and make up our own games. I've seen comments Today about kids being so over-programmed with structured activity time, that when a group of them are left on their own, they just sit there and do nothing..... they are so used to being Told What To Do.....

About 10 years back, I took on a 1 year contract at a big-tech company. Worked there a # of weeks, and bumped into a buddy I used to work with a few years before. We both like to jog, so when our scheds would align, we'd go jogging at lunch. Not racing or competing, we covered plenty of random topics running that hydro (powerline) cut near work.

We both agreed that some of the most important life-lessons we learned as teens was getting into scrapes (nothing really criminal or that serious....) with our friends, then figuring out how make Things Right on our own. Today..... things just seem to go to a serious stage, helicopter parents arrive, then lawsuits start.

Lack of Personal Accountability...... good point in terms of where some of these fatalities and injuries arise from.....

Heard it on the radio while driving a little while ago...... somebody's teenager did something less than arrestable, but serious enough for his parents to make him put a sign out front of their house saying Free, and put ALL of his possessions from his room out there. Teaching Consequences for Actions.... who are these Crazy Parents today ?

Rgds, D.