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And yet 50 years ago, everyone on trains were staring mindlessly into their newspapers... [0] https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/800/1*U36hBj8i-C7JJJxS4

by djent 11y ago

And yet 50 years ago, everyone on trains were staring mindlessly into their newspapers... [0] https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/800/1*U36hBj8i-C7JJJxS4MP2HQ.jpeg https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/800/1*U36hBj8i-C7J...

fit2rule 11y ago
Surely there's an opportunity to break this barrier down .. local peer discovery, open lines of communication - if these features were 'normal' somehow, they'd be used. But people are just used to having a strict social wall imposed upon them on the trains .. it seems like an opportunity to me.
- djent 11y ago
  Why would people choose to speak to strangers when they can communicate electronically with their friends 24/7? The fact is that whether you're introverted or extroverted, phones now suit all your needs as both a device to keep you occupied and as a means of communication.
  - eropple 11y ago
    Because strangers are interesting and different and you can learn new things. Because strangers can become friends. Because that stranger is attractive and I'd like a date on Friday night. Our obsession with hiding ourselves in our little toys drives me absolutely bonkers. And I'm not blameless, I know I do it, too--most of us fall prey to the fact that hiding is so easy that we do so goddamn much of it.
skwirl 11y ago
Did people start reading newspapers in the middle of conversations with others? I don't think the analogy entirely holds.
- djent 11y ago
  I was not alive when newspapers were at their prime. I cannot answer that question definitively, but I will say that it is entirely possible, and does not take away from the analogy. Would you interrupt someone reading a newspaper to talk to them? How about if they were reading a book? Would it be okay to interrupt someone typing or scrolling on their phone to try to start a conversation with them?
- smacktoward 11y ago
  Occasionally, but because the newspaper was large enough to present a physical barrier between you and the person you were talking to -- large enough to hide your face! -- you didn't do it unless you wanted to send a very clear message that "this conversation is over."
- TeMPOraL 11y ago
  No, but newspapers also served as a clear sign of "I don't want to engage in casual conversation". Really, it's not like before smartphones people were actually talking with each other on the bus. Hell, in the fine era of 1990s, when people stopped reading so many newspapers but didn't have smartphones yet, no one talked with random people either - it's sort of a cultural norm in the west.
deleted 11y ago
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by djent 11y ago

fit2rule 11y ago

Surely there's an opportunity to break this barrier down .. local peer discovery, open lines of communication - if these features were 'normal' somehow, they'd be used. But people are just used to having a strict social wall imposed upon them on the trains .. it seems like an opportunity to me.

djent 11y ago
Why would people choose to speak to strangers when they can communicate electronically with their friends 24/7? The fact is that whether you're introverted or extroverted, phones now suit all your needs as both a device to keep you occupied and as a means of communication.
- eropple 11y ago
  Because strangers are interesting and different and you can learn new things. Because strangers can become friends. Because that stranger is attractive and I'd like a date on Friday night. Our obsession with hiding ourselves in our little toys drives me absolutely bonkers. And I'm not blameless, I know I do it, too--most of us fall prey to the fact that hiding is so easy that we do so goddamn much of it.

skwirl 11y ago

Did people start reading newspapers in the middle of conversations with others? I don't think the analogy entirely holds.

djent 11y ago
I was not alive when newspapers were at their prime. I cannot answer that question definitively, but I will say that it is entirely possible, and does not take away from the analogy. Would you interrupt someone reading a newspaper to talk to them? How about if they were reading a book? Would it be okay to interrupt someone typing or scrolling on their phone to try to start a conversation with them?
smacktoward 11y ago
Occasionally, but because the newspaper was large enough to present a physical barrier between you and the person you were talking to -- large enough to hide your face! -- you didn't do it unless you wanted to send a very clear message that "this conversation is over."
TeMPOraL 11y ago
No, but newspapers also served as a clear sign of "I don't want to engage in casual conversation". Really, it's not like before smartphones people were actually talking with each other on the bus. Hell, in the fine era of 1990s, when people stopped reading so many newspapers but didn't have smartphones yet, no one talked with random people either - it's sort of a cultural norm in the west.

deleted 11y ago

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