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>How is that different from people spending time watching TV back in the 80s and 90s? Nothing new. You couldn't put your TV set in your pocket and take it out

by Funes- 7y ago

>How is that different from people spending time watching TV back in the 80s and 90s? Nothing new. You couldn't put your TV set in your pocket and take it out to watch a show whenever you liked in the 80s and 90s. Many people use their smartphones while driving, for example; that goes to show the clear difference in accessibility and what it entails. >But the behavior of wasting one's free time is pretty much unchanged. That's absolutely true. Nonetheless, I'm personally not okay with anyone exploiting that.

saiya-jin 7y ago
Well, yes... so? Yes it is more accessible. Yes its more interactive. Your narrative of evil corporations manipulating mankind into obedient consuming of entertainment is basic cheaping out on simple human flaws - we want to relax, we can be horribly inefficient and achieve nothing and still be OK with it. We are all like that to some extent, in certain times. Advertisement being pushed is just extension of marketing that has been around since TV. Its just industry adapting to new means, nothing more.
- Funes- 7y ago
  >Your narrative of evil corporations manipulating mankind into obedient consuming of entertainment Those are your words and your personal characterization of what I said, not mine. I see what you are trying to do. >Its just industry adapting to new means, nothing more. Are you implying that these practices, which can have awful consequences (distractions are the number one cause in car accidents[0], and they have skyrocketed as of late; I wonder why...) shouldn't concern anyone? That we shouldn't think critically about it even though it has been influencing our lives like nothing else before in the last decades? Look, I'm not trying to force anyone to stop using their smartphones; you can do whatever you want, of course. I'm just trying to voice my opinion on a matter that I believe to be of extreme importance. [0] https://www2.safetyserve.com/articles/distracted-driving-fact-sheet/ https://www2.safetyserve.com/articles/distracted-driving-fac...
ekianjo 7y ago
> Nonetheless, I'm personally not okay with anyone exploiting that. It goes both ways. People use apps to be entertained, share information and pictures because they want to. They download silly games to play during their commute. It's consensual. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything.
- Funes- 7y ago
  >Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything. You could say that about smoking as well; it wouldn't make it less addictive, though. The same applies to smartphone apps: they are deliberately addictive, and not transparent about it, unlike the tobacco industry--at least in Europe, which is where I live. I'll say this: everyone can go to hell in a handbasket if they want. However, the deep consequences all of this will have in the mid-to-long term will be devastating. That's my take on it.
  - ekianjo 7y ago
    > You could say that about smoking as well; it wouldn't make it less addictive, though At the end of the day it's not addictive enough that people can not decide to stop it by themselves. Smokers can get rid of their habits by using nicotine patches until they are ready to completely off, and smartphone users can do many other things instead of checking their smartphones if they so wish. Note that everything is addictive to some degree, that is precisely why people talk about "hobbies", "passions" and so on: music, sports, games, movies, and even work if you are really into something that is intellectually stimulating and rewarding. At the end of the day we all decide what addiction we prioritize versus others.

by Funes- 7y ago

saiya-jin 7y ago

Well, yes... so? Yes it is more accessible. Yes its more interactive. Your narrative of evil corporations manipulating mankind into obedient consuming of entertainment is basic cheaping out on simple human flaws - we want to relax, we can be horribly inefficient and achieve nothing and still be OK with it. We are all like that to some extent, in certain times. Advertisement being pushed is just extension of marketing that has been around since TV. Its just industry adapting to new means, nothing more.

Funes- 7y ago
>Your narrative of evil corporations manipulating mankind into obedient consuming of entertainment Those are your words and your personal characterization of what I said, not mine. I see what you are trying to do. >Its just industry adapting to new means, nothing more. Are you implying that these practices, which can have awful consequences (distractions are the number one cause in car accidents[0], and they have skyrocketed as of late; I wonder why...) shouldn't concern anyone? That we shouldn't think critically about it even though it has been influencing our lives like nothing else before in the last decades? Look, I'm not trying to force anyone to stop using their smartphones; you can do whatever you want, of course. I'm just trying to voice my opinion on a matter that I believe to be of extreme importance. [0] https://www2.safetyserve.com/articles/distracted-driving-fact-sheet/ https://www2.safetyserve.com/articles/distracted-driving-fac...

ekianjo 7y ago

> Nonetheless, I'm personally not okay with anyone exploiting that. It goes both ways. People use apps to be entertained, share information and pictures because they want to. They download silly games to play during their commute. It's consensual. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything.

Funes- 7y ago
>Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything. You could say that about smoking as well; it wouldn't make it less addictive, though. The same applies to smartphone apps: they are deliberately addictive, and not transparent about it, unlike the tobacco industry--at least in Europe, which is where I live. I'll say this: everyone can go to hell in a handbasket if they want. However, the deep consequences all of this will have in the mid-to-long term will be devastating. That's my take on it.
- ekianjo 7y ago
  > You could say that about smoking as well; it wouldn't make it less addictive, though At the end of the day it's not addictive enough that people can not decide to stop it by themselves. Smokers can get rid of their habits by using nicotine patches until they are ready to completely off, and smartphone users can do many other things instead of checking their smartphones if they so wish. Note that everything is addictive to some degree, that is precisely why people talk about "hobbies", "passions" and so on: music, sports, games, movies, and even work if you are really into something that is intellectually stimulating and rewarding. At the end of the day we all decide what addiction we prioritize versus others.