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Did you even read the article/listen to his bit on Conan? I'm a huge supporter of technology, but a lot of people overlook Louis's point, which is that constant

Did you even read the article/listen to his bit on Conan? I'm a huge supporter of technology, but a lot of people overlook Louis's point, which is that constant access to everything makes people over-reliant on constant stimulation, and that constant stimulation can actually decrease happiness and satisfaction with life. He himself has a modern cell phone, so obviously he sees the benefits. But he is also self-aware of the drawbacks, and does a good comedic job of demonstrating those.

s_q_b 13y ago
Yes, I think he has some great points. But those points are outweighed by: 1. The necessity of adapting to the lure of technology in order to successfully navigate the modern world. 2. The incalculable benefit such devices can provide if used correctly.
- psbp 13y ago
  His concern for his kid's isn't that they'll state a factual error when communicating with someone. It's that they'll avoid earnest communication altogether. There's one skill that definitely precludes the other, and the other doesn't involve having to fact check every sentence a person utters.
  - s_q_b 13y ago
    >the other doesn't involve having to fact check every sentence a person utters. No one is suggesting such a thing. The ability to maintain effective and skillful communication in a world of constant distraction will be essential in the coming decades. "Protecting" a child from such a smartphone will produce an adult ill equipped to cope with the advances of the future.
    - psbp 13y ago
      I'm not sure if I've ever had a valuable conversation where I thought that I should manifest and embrace distractions rather than just coping with them. Sure I can use my phone to embellish a conversation, but just like I didn't learn to ride a bike through my dad throwing me on a 10 speed and pointing me to the nearest hill, I don't think Louis wants to introduce a distraction that can sabotage his child's ability to establish effective communication skills.
    - jimbokun 13y ago
      "The ability to maintain effective and skillful communication in a world of constant distraction will be essential in the coming decades." No. The ability to avoid constant distraction will be one of the most critical skills. The ability to focus, to think through a problem, to write a substantial essay, to plan, to evaluate your goals, values and priorities in life. These skills will be critical to flourishing in the coming decades (as they have always been).
    - kabisote 13y ago
      That's like teaching your children how to adapt to a damaged environment instead of teaching them how to protect the environment.
- jimbokun 13y ago
  "1. The necessity of adapting to the lure of technology in order to successfully navigate the modern world." It's really not a difficult skill to master. When a child is emotionally and intellectually ready for unfettered cell phone/internet access, mastering how to make a post on Facebook (email-text-blog-instagram-hackernews-whatever) will not be a difficult skill to master. "2. The incalculable benefit such devices can provide if used correctly." Do you have the same opinion of television? There really were people who thought television would be chiefly used as a way to educate the masses. Television is just a medium like any other, mostly crap, with the occasional sublime or brilliant show. Same thing with your cell phone. Most of the content you access will be crap, occasionally finding something awesome or beautiful or brilliant. I'm a Dad, so I fully support Louis C.K.'s opinion that parents should filter the content and devices children access in a way that's age appropriate. Most adults have a hard time putting down their device and interacting with their environment. Teaching our kids this skill early in life is to their long term benefit.
  - mixmastamyk 13y ago
    Agreed. Somehow I managed to learn those time-wasting skills in my twenties and thirties, in a manner of minutes.
- FrankenPC 13y ago
  I'm not so sure about the necessity. It seems to me the phones manufacturers are trying to convince us of this necessity. The whole world operated just fine before smart phones. Well, there is one thing...In America we all are expected to work smarter and longer and never actually leave work. The smart phone readily facilitates that...lifestyle.
- Helianthus 13y ago
  Are they?

s_q_b 13y ago

Yes, I think he has some great points. But those points are outweighed by: 1. The necessity of adapting to the lure of technology in order to successfully navigate the modern world. 2. The incalculable benefit such devices can provide if used correctly.

psbp 13y ago
His concern for his kid's isn't that they'll state a factual error when communicating with someone. It's that they'll avoid earnest communication altogether. There's one skill that definitely precludes the other, and the other doesn't involve having to fact check every sentence a person utters.
- s_q_b 13y ago
  >the other doesn't involve having to fact check every sentence a person utters. No one is suggesting such a thing. The ability to maintain effective and skillful communication in a world of constant distraction will be essential in the coming decades. "Protecting" a child from such a smartphone will produce an adult ill equipped to cope with the advances of the future.
  - psbp 13y ago
    I'm not sure if I've ever had a valuable conversation where I thought that I should manifest and embrace distractions rather than just coping with them. Sure I can use my phone to embellish a conversation, but just like I didn't learn to ride a bike through my dad throwing me on a 10 speed and pointing me to the nearest hill, I don't think Louis wants to introduce a distraction that can sabotage his child's ability to establish effective communication skills.
  - jimbokun 13y ago
    "The ability to maintain effective and skillful communication in a world of constant distraction will be essential in the coming decades." No. The ability to avoid constant distraction will be one of the most critical skills. The ability to focus, to think through a problem, to write a substantial essay, to plan, to evaluate your goals, values and priorities in life. These skills will be critical to flourishing in the coming decades (as they have always been).
  - kabisote 13y ago
    That's like teaching your children how to adapt to a damaged environment instead of teaching them how to protect the environment.
jimbokun 13y ago
"1. The necessity of adapting to the lure of technology in order to successfully navigate the modern world." It's really not a difficult skill to master. When a child is emotionally and intellectually ready for unfettered cell phone/internet access, mastering how to make a post on Facebook (email-text-blog-instagram-hackernews-whatever) will not be a difficult skill to master. "2. The incalculable benefit such devices can provide if used correctly." Do you have the same opinion of television? There really were people who thought television would be chiefly used as a way to educate the masses. Television is just a medium like any other, mostly crap, with the occasional sublime or brilliant show. Same thing with your cell phone. Most of the content you access will be crap, occasionally finding something awesome or beautiful or brilliant. I'm a Dad, so I fully support Louis C.K.'s opinion that parents should filter the content and devices children access in a way that's age appropriate. Most adults have a hard time putting down their device and interacting with their environment. Teaching our kids this skill early in life is to their long term benefit.
- mixmastamyk 13y ago
  Agreed. Somehow I managed to learn those time-wasting skills in my twenties and thirties, in a manner of minutes.
FrankenPC 13y ago
I'm not so sure about the necessity. It seems to me the phones manufacturers are trying to convince us of this necessity. The whole world operated just fine before smart phones. Well, there is one thing...In America we all are expected to work smarter and longer and never actually leave work. The smart phone readily facilitates that...lifestyle.
Helianthus 13y ago
Are they?