4 ms·

Maybe a solution is to spend more time with grandparents, so that they have something more than just technology to keep them company.

chronic20001 7mo ago
[flagged]
- behringer 7mo ago
  I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"\ He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time\ You see my new job's a hassle and the kids have the flu\ But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad\ It's been sure nice talking to you"\ And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me\ He'd grown up just like me\ My boy was just like me
p2detar 7mo ago
Yes, but no. From personal experience, even around grandchildren, TikTok/FB have precedence. It’s getting sickening and we need to educate our parents about the harm that "the algorithm" causes. I just ask myself whether we are even in the position to do so. edit: typo
joe_mamba 7mo ago
I'd love to. The issue is grandparents are in a town with no jobs ruled by a corrupt government that only steals and embezzles money and provides no benefits to local taxpayers. There's a reason youth migrate away to live with roommates in overpriced big metro areas. That's where all the white collar jobs are created for college educated people. And everyone in the last 20+ years has been groomed to go to college and take white collar jobs, plus deindustrialization and offshoring of manufacturing jobs meaning there's not much in-between well paying white collar jobs and dead-end neo-slavery food delivery jobs. Maybe I'll be a plumber one day and move back to my grandparent place if Claude takes my job, who knows.
analog8374 7mo ago
I know a lot of old bored retired people. They need something physical and social. Like softball or something. But compatible with their decripitude. I hook them up with each other. There are parties. Still working on the softball part. Ideas are welcome
- rationalist 7mo ago
  > I hook them up with each other. There are parties. OnlyGrandparents.com? (I looked it up, the domain name was registered six days ago!)
  - rrr_oh_man 7mo ago
    OnlyGrans.com is available for only $50k
    - Wistar 7mo ago
      That’s worth about $5
  - alwa 7mo ago
    If anybody wants to do something with instagran.org, I know somebody who would be willing to part with it for a good cause…
    - rationalist 7mo ago
      Sounds like it's worth a good Cease and Desist from Instagram.
      - deleted 7mo ago
        [deleted]
- behringer 7mo ago
  bulletball
toomuchtodo 7mo ago
If someone would like to and is willing to make the time, that’s fine, but you don’t owe them this if they are not a good person or worth spending time with imho. Connection and community is earned, not a given. My lived experience is there are some good old people you strive to make time with, some who are fine but I wouldn’t go out of my way to make time for, and some who are just terrible people who are going to die alone because of who they are. Your life experience and decisioning process about how and with whom to spend precious, non renewable time may differ. Don’t set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.
- serial_dev 7mo ago
  It’s all fine, but in that case also do not worry about this hypothetical old person spending time the way they like to.
  - toomuchtodo 7mo ago
    Certainly, how they spend their time is their choice, concepts of free will and all that.
foobarchu 7mo ago
Doesn't always help. My mother (of grandparent age but coincidentally had 5 kids who didn't want to procreate) stares at her phone 95% of the time when I visit. I'll be telling a story and she's on Facebook, doesn't even look up. She's even been called out in it by my sibling who lives with them, to no avail. Luckily she doesn't fall for right wing propaganda all over the Internet, but she sure does fall for every single piece of Trump rage bait out there.
AngryData 7mo ago
As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.
- eYrKEC2 7mo ago
  In our household, the worst offenders of phones at the dinner tables are the grandparents. It's as gross as 2 knuckles deep in your nose.
gedy 7mo ago
Sure, but I've seen since the 70s old folks just staring at TV all day, so it's not just a mobile phenomenon either.
- HerbManic 7mo ago
  Very true, phone addiction is that taken to a new level but the same underlaying issues remain.
- nanobuilds 7mo ago
  The mobile is much than TV because of the enforcement loop and algorithm turning that attention into scams, ai generated slop, and harmful content that is more and more difficult to identify. With tv I suppose you can change the channel, with reels, the next 20 reels might continue to show you similar things or follow folks on other platforms as well.

chronic20001 7mo ago

[flagged]

behringer 7mo ago
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"\ He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time\ You see my new job's a hassle and the kids have the flu\ But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad\ It's been sure nice talking to you"\ And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me\ He'd grown up just like me\ My boy was just like me

p2detar 7mo ago

Yes, but no. From personal experience, even around grandchildren, TikTok/FB have precedence. It’s getting sickening and we need to educate our parents about the harm that "the algorithm" causes. I just ask myself whether we are even in the position to do so. edit: typo

joe_mamba 7mo ago

I'd love to. The issue is grandparents are in a town with no jobs ruled by a corrupt government that only steals and embezzles money and provides no benefits to local taxpayers. There's a reason youth migrate away to live with roommates in overpriced big metro areas. That's where all the white collar jobs are created for college educated people. And everyone in the last 20+ years has been groomed to go to college and take white collar jobs, plus deindustrialization and offshoring of manufacturing jobs meaning there's not much in-between well paying white collar jobs and dead-end neo-slavery food delivery jobs. Maybe I'll be a plumber one day and move back to my grandparent place if Claude takes my job, who knows.

analog8374 7mo ago

I know a lot of old bored retired people. They need something physical and social. Like softball or something. But compatible with their decripitude. I hook them up with each other. There are parties. Still working on the softball part. Ideas are welcome

rationalist 7mo ago
> I hook them up with each other. There are parties. OnlyGrandparents.com? (I looked it up, the domain name was registered six days ago!)
- rrr_oh_man 7mo ago
  OnlyGrans.com is available for only $50k
  - Wistar 7mo ago
    That’s worth about $5
- alwa 7mo ago
  If anybody wants to do something with instagran.org, I know somebody who would be willing to part with it for a good cause…
  - rationalist 7mo ago
    Sounds like it's worth a good Cease and Desist from Instagram.
    - deleted 7mo ago
      [deleted]
behringer 7mo ago
bulletball

toomuchtodo 7mo ago

If someone would like to and is willing to make the time, that’s fine, but you don’t owe them this if they are not a good person or worth spending time with imho. Connection and community is earned, not a given. My lived experience is there are some good old people you strive to make time with, some who are fine but I wouldn’t go out of my way to make time for, and some who are just terrible people who are going to die alone because of who they are. Your life experience and decisioning process about how and with whom to spend precious, non renewable time may differ. Don’t set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.

serial_dev 7mo ago
It’s all fine, but in that case also do not worry about this hypothetical old person spending time the way they like to.
- toomuchtodo 7mo ago
  Certainly, how they spend their time is their choice, concepts of free will and all that.

foobarchu 7mo ago

Doesn't always help. My mother (of grandparent age but coincidentally had 5 kids who didn't want to procreate) stares at her phone 95% of the time when I visit. I'll be telling a story and she's on Facebook, doesn't even look up. She's even been called out in it by my sibling who lives with them, to no avail. Luckily she doesn't fall for right wing propaganda all over the Internet, but she sure does fall for every single piece of Trump rage bait out there.

AngryData 7mo ago

As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

eYrKEC2 7mo ago
In our household, the worst offenders of phones at the dinner tables are the grandparents. It's as gross as 2 knuckles deep in your nose.

gedy 7mo ago

Sure, but I've seen since the 70s old folks just staring at TV all day, so it's not just a mobile phenomenon either.

HerbManic 7mo ago
Very true, phone addiction is that taken to a new level but the same underlaying issues remain.
nanobuilds 7mo ago
The mobile is much than TV because of the enforcement loop and algorithm turning that attention into scams, ai generated slop, and harmful content that is more and more difficult to identify. With tv I suppose you can change the channel, with reels, the next 20 reels might continue to show you similar things or follow folks on other platforms as well.