Interesting Article That Hits All Too Close Too Home

[Serpentine]

7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making You Miserable (http://www.cracked.com/article_15231_7-reasons-21st-century-making-you-miserable.html)

That site's actually pretty interesting overall, too. I recommend, for example, "# Real-life Soldiers Who Make Rambo Look Like A Wuss" or whatever it's called. Caution: Foul language and some adult topics, on the site as a whole.

[Recaiden]

7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making You Miserable (http://www.cracked.com/article_15231_7-reasons-21st-century-making-you-miserable.html)

That site's actually pretty interesting overall, too. I recommend, for example, "# Real-life Soldiers Who Make Rambo Look Like A Wuss" or whatever it's called. Caution: Foul language and some adult topics, on the site as a whole.

It was an interesting article. The, % things You think Will Make you Happy was pretty interesting as well.

[Player_Zero]

Those articles are just random 'off the top of the head' drivel if you ask me.

[Felixaar]

...Interesting is definitely the word, yup. I agree to most parts and some of the insight is amazing, but I don't like how much he criticises the internet. It's like criticising a spanner - no one is going to stop using it, how would we turn bolts?

[Serpentine]

Those articles are just random 'off the top of the head' drivel if you ask me.What, are you just following me around and criticising everything I link? :smallconfused: Meh, this site tends to have more source referencing than most sites of this type.

Flix: It's on the internet :smalltongue: He's pretty much just listing interesting studies that've been done, that indicate trends and stuff, not all-out condemnation *shrug* Yell at the scientists, not him (although these writers do get things wrong on occasion...).

[afroakuma]

I've found some fun stuff there... the one about 5 Things You Want (That Will Make You Miserable) hit home painfully on the one that applies.

[Player_Zero]

What, are you just following me around and criticising everything I link? :smallconfused: Meh, this site tends to have more source referencing than most sites of this type.


I'm expressing an opinion which differs from your own. I can't even recall you posting any other articles. But then, I suppose I also can't recall what month it is most of the time.

[Thanatos 51-50]

But then, I suppose I also can't recall what month it is most of the time.

As of time of this posting, its March.

[Canadian]

What a boatload of crap. Technology has nothing to do with how happy we are. There are many countries around the world where the level of technology is about the same as it was in North America in the 1950's. They are for the most part miserable.

There are a few nations like Canada, United States, and Switzerland that enjoyed a level of economic prosperity after World War 2 that no other nations on earth have seen. I think a booming economy and great distance from the damage of war are to blame for a happy older generation.

I meet people who have immigrated here from lower tech countries and they all say the same thing. They are much happier here. If things were so great back home they never would have left.

There were a lot of other things that made life less enjoyable for the older generation. Segregation, sexism, racism, homophobia, the draft, Korean War, Vietnam War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Cold War Paranoia.

Sure if you were a white male in the older generation you had it good. I'd be happy if I was an old white guy. If you were black in the 1950's it was bad news. They regularly lynched people in the south until the late 1970's.

Things are much better now.

[Ego Slayer]

Now I'm even more depressed because some nobody on the internet said I'm actually useless and friendless. :smallsigh: :smallannoyed:

[Toastkart]

What a boatload of crap. Technology has nothing to do with how happy we are. There are many countries around the world where the level of technology is about the same as it was in North America in the 1950's. They are for the most part miserable.

There are a few nations like Canada, United States, and Switzerland that enjoyed a level of economic prosperity after World War 2 that no other nations on earth have seen. I think a booming economy and great distance from the damage of war are to blame for a happy older generation.


Things are much better now.

Yes, some things are better, but something uniquely human has been lost. Let me lay it out for you in terms of the dominant psychological problems.

Late 1700s, early 1800s - Industrial Revolution
1800s - Victorian repression/ suppression of emotion and sexuality
Late 1800s - further industrial development, especially electricity. Hysteria, an outbreak of suppressed and repressed humanity
1910s, 1920s - wwI, end of modernity, transition to post-modernity
1930s, 1940s - ww2, schizophrenia which is first treated by irreversible lobotomy and later by psychotropic drugs. Schizophrenia can be considered an alternate perception of reality that is responded to with forced incarceration and treatment against the persons' will.
1950s - return to 'normalcy'. further repression/ suppression. fragmentation of life through suburbanization. Anxiety leads to a medicated society.
1960s - alienation. civil rights, women's, and other social movements
1970s - apathy
1980s, 1990s - depression
early 2000s - add, adhd, a lack of motivation to pay attention to the world around you
mid to late 2000s - autism, asperger, a total emotional disconnect with other people.


Obviously this is just a quick and dirty assessment, especially where schizophrenia is concerned, considering how much of an umbrella term it was in the early 1900s that included a lot of unknown at the time disorders. You can get the idea, though. And no, I'm not advocating turning back the clock. I'm advocating awareness of what's going on and brainstorming on what societal changes need to be made.

[Player_Zero]

Tangentially related to the original linked article in a way, I found this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFKHaFJzUb4)funny.

[randman22222]

Tangentially related to the original linked article in a way, I found this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFKHaFJzUb4)funny.

That was good laughs. :smallbiggrin:

[Rutskarn]

Eh, I kind of thought this article had some interesting insights.

Not all of it is 100% accurate, and not all of it is 100% applicable to everyone, but it was still something to ponder.

[Maxymiuk]

Late 1700s, early 1800s - Industrial Revolution
1800s - Victorian repression/ suppression of emotion and sexuality
Late 1800s - further industrial development, especially electricity. Hysteria, an outbreak of suppressed and repressed humanity
1910s, 1920s - wwI, end of modernity, transition to post-modernity
1930s, 1940s - ww2, schizophrenia which is first treated by irreversible lobotomy and later by psychotropic drugs. Schizophrenia can be considered an alternate perception of reality that is responded to with forced incarceration and treatment against the persons' will.
1950s - return to 'normalcy'. further repression/ suppression. fragmentation of life through suburbanization. Anxiety leads to a medicated society.
1960s - alienation. civil rights, women's, and other social movements
1970s - apathy
1980s, 1990s - depression
early 2000s - add, adhd, a lack of motivation to pay attention to the world around you
mid to late 2000s - autism, asperger, a total emotional disconnect with other people.


Um... you know, it's a fair assumption that most of the problems you describe always existed. They just weren't recognized as such, but rather as the fault of insanity, demonic possession, laziness, stupidity, poverty... It wasn't until the fields of psychology and sociology kicked off, that people started saying "damn, our society is booped up!".

[Kaelaroth]

It was.. OK. I hoped for somethat that wasn't abundantly obvious, though - even though this guy did phrase it somewhat better than I would have. 'Sides, real life sucks just as much as teh internetz.

[Narmoth]

I just have to ad:


http://cdn-www.cracked.com/articleimages/wong/2-8-08/imvu-mnemosyne23.gif

[Castel]

Well, It was interesting, even if it had its silly points.

I didn't like how he thought of internet relationships as some sort of menial thing:
"Sure, you emotionally support them, comfort them after a breakup, maybe even talk them out of a suicide." But even though you did all that, you are still worthless.:smallannoyed:

And thanks to the latest meme from Dominic Deegan Snarking, I couldn't stop laughing at "Outrage Machine". :smallbiggrin:

That is an outrage someone will pay for!

[snoopy13a]

That guy doesn't have to spend time on the internet. He can hang out at the local bar during happy hour or at the local coffee shop. He can join volunteer organizations. He could sign up for an adult sports league like softball, bowling, or golf. There's no reason he has to spend his free time on myspace or facebook.

If he wants real life interactions then go out and do them. Otherwise, don't complain about them.

[Pyrian]

What, are you just following me around and criticising everything I link? :smallconfused:It's nothing personal, he's pretty much just like that.


Now I'm even more depressed because some nobody on the internet said I'm actually useless and friendless. :smallsigh: :smallannoyed::smallbiggrin:

[averagejoe]

The article is not, for the most part, well written or thought out. It dances around an issue that's been running through my mind of late, however. The sheer lack of interaction of people with their world has, of late, confounded and frustrated me. Even when doing something social it seems that people my age have invented all sorts of ingenious contrivances to effectively cut people off from one another in all but the most superficial ways. There are a lot of factors, and blaming them all on the internet is silly, but I often find it depressing how much the people around me seem to want to cut themselves off from the world.

Also, dude has anger issues. His friend didn't want to eat his chili so he sends him a dead rat? Wow.

[Trog]

I though that the second paragraph in number five was highly amusing. Then again perhaps I am too easily amused. Still, you gotta admit "swear word" + the suffix "waffle" makes for some amusing combinations. :smallbiggrin:

I agree with the issue of text not having that nice non-verbal communication level to it. On the other hand real life doesn't have smileys. :smalltongue:

[Ego Slayer]

I didn't like how he thought of internet relationships as some sort of menial thing: But even though you did all that, you are still worthless.:smallannoyed:
Yeah, that's the point here that really gets me. If that's not "useful" then what would he consider useful? Positive influence (socially) is positive influence regardless of what medium it's obtained through.


There can be huge differences between the online and in-person experience, but the influence people can have over each other is no less real. Of course this can still put the... eh, "validity" (can't think of a word!) of the emotional impact into question. Would an online friend have the same influences over you (and you over them) in an in-person friendship as they do online. Now you're probably all like "arghblargh don't insult the emotional aspect of my friendships ROAR!!"... I'm not, but how could you know some of these things unless you've met the person? I've met quite a few of you now, so I have some personal experience here. It's amazing what you can miss. There's good and bad in that... and the good can put the person in a whole different perspective. For me its one reason having 98% of my friends online has really started to depress me because of the good I know I'm missing out on, which could just be as simple as being able to SEE who you're talking to.



Wait, so what was I talking about?

Oh, right... this guy doesn't know what he's talking about. Mostly. :smallbiggrin:

[Cubey]

Stereotypical "internetz make you alienated!" drivel. Also, offensively conformist. God forbid you look around the 'net for people with shared interest, you're supposed to deal with folk around the place you live (even if you hate them and/or have nothing in common with them) and you will LIKE it!

Not smart and not well-written. Like most cracked.com lists, really. That site is good for a laugh but nothing more.

[Toastkart]

Um... you know, it's a fair assumption that most of the problems you describe always existed. They just weren't recognized as such, but rather as the fault of insanity, demonic possession, laziness, stupidity, poverty... It wasn't until the fields of psychology and sociology kicked off, that people started saying "damn, our society is booped up!".

I have no doubt that most, if not all, of these disorders have always existed. I even stated that there are a number of disorders that were considered schizophrenia before they were properly diagnosed. What I'm talking about here is dominant trends.

[Grey Paladin]

BAWWWWWWWWWWWWW THINGS WERE BETTER WHEN I WAS YOUNG THIS GENERATION IS GOING TO HELL
is what I've read.

[Boo]

Interesting in its own right, but not something I would ever take to heart. Until you've had cabin fever, you'll never know true loneliness.

[TigerHunter]

I find it humorous that not a single person has actually addressed the claims made in the article, but instead opted for a knee-jerk "they're washed up old fogies who think change is bad!" reaction.

[Boo]

You want me to talk? Sure, why not.

Well, regarding the segment on friends vs. internet friends, I have to say that I have more friends in real life than on the internet. I can understand that it relates to some persons, but not myself.

Annoying people are everywhere in the world, including the internet. In fact, I think there are more annoyances on the internet than real life. Yes, we can avoid them, but we generally won't for the sake of wanting to participate in a fun/social activity. The same can be said for real life. We tolerate our annoying friends/neighbors/family so we can get on with our life and do what we want/need to.

Txtin liek dis is a bd wy 2 tlk, but when you use whole sentences you can express yourself more easily. Yes, you do have to be careful when saying certain things on the internet since they can always have a second meaning to others, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It just means you should be more careful when writing or reading.

Regarding loneliness, it all depends on the person. Some are satisfied with their life, while others need more than a computer screen telling them someone said hi.

I agree with the criticism part (mostly, but not entirely).

Outrage is also bad, but this article does what it's saying. It blows things so out of proportion that it will twist the views of its readers so they agree with it, and bad-mouth people that don't.

[Alteran]

On the other hand real life doesn't have smileys. :smalltongue:

Real life has faces. :smallwink:

[Grey Paladin]

I find it humorous that not a single person has actually addressed the claims made in the article, but instead opted for a knee-jerk "they're washed up old fogies who think change is bad!" reaction.

I'd type an answer, but you wouldn't understand me anyway: 40% of every email is lost and actual words only form 7% of communication- that leaves my post at 2.8%, and then you'd get, what, this?


type

[averagejoe]

I find it humorous that not a single person has actually addressed the claims made in the article, but instead opted for a knee-jerk "they're washed up old fogies who think change is bad!" reaction.

Why do people always say I'm not a real person. :smallfrown:

[TigerHunter]

I'd type an answer, but you wouldn't understand me anyway: 40% of every email is lost and actual words only form 7% of communication- that leaves my post at 2.8%, and then you'd get, what, this?
Congratulations! You have successfully missed the point! Please check in at the front desk to claim your prize.


Why do people always say I'm not a real person. :smallfrown:
It seemed to me that you were agreeing with most of what the article said.

[Innis Cabal]

Why do people always say I'm not a real person. :smallfrown:

Because we all know you through the internet and clearly we can't form any real connection with you through it.

[averagejoe]

It seemed to me that you were agreeing with most of what the article said.

Ah, then I was unclear. I agree with some of the conclusions he reaches, but he is largely right for the wrong reasons, and the issue is more complex than he presents it. There are very important influences besides the internet that keep people from one another.

[Boo]

The point is that no one should take this article to heart, since it's not applicable to everyone. It'd be lucky to apply to 0.5% of the world population.

[PhoeKun]

Why do people always say I'm not a real person. :smallfrown:

Because you're just another face in the crowd, an average joe. And sometimes, it's all too easy to forget you're there... :smalltongue:

In regards to the article, I feel its point is overblown. The average person has always sucked at communicating, and a large number of ideas are profoundly stupid. We just get to hear more of them than we used to because it's easier to give all these thoughts a voice.

Now, is there a problem of people closing themselves off from having to physically communicate? Yes. Is it making us more miserable as a society than we used to be? Eh... I'd say not. People really don't change that much, generation to generation.

[Renegade Paladin]

Well, It was interesting, even if it had its silly points.

I didn't like how he thought of internet relationships as some sort of menial thing: But even though you did all that, you are still worthless.:smallannoyed:
Not worthless. Worth less. They're different things. And it's a valid point; if people don't rely on you as much, then you are, in fact, worth less to them.

[averagejoe]

Because you're just another face in the crowd, an average joe. And sometimes, it's all too easy to forget you're there... :smalltongue:

Oh, right. I forgot. :smallbiggrin:

[Reinboom]

I can think of a significant strike against this article immediately..
and that video communication, youtube, VoIP, and Ventrilo are mostly all hugely popular.

[Felixaar]

Flix: It's on the internet :smalltongue: He's pretty much just listing interesting studies that've been done, that indicate trends and stuff, not all-out condemnation *shrug* Yell at the scientists, not him (although these writers do get things wrong on occasion...).

Thank you, I will :smalltongue: *finds a scientist and yells at him/her*

And I know it's not entirely like that, but the undercurrent is still there.

[Kaihaku]

#1. We don't have enough annoying strangers in our lives.

Sort of. That is, the title is off but the point is dead on. There are plenty of annoying strangers but there's plenty of room to shut them out. Lots of opportunity not to push past comfort zones and get to know someone beyond the thing that annoys us. Who needs grace when you can completely shut someone out without them even realizing it?

I wouldn't blame this solely on technology but it certainly has a major role in it.

#2. We don't have enough annoying friends, either.

The word 'friend' gets thrown around a lot online, usually it seems to mean someone who a person has shared interests with and spends time with... But I think that's still an acquaintance, a friend is someone you can trust with personal things (and no, I don't just mean someone you can vent to safely because you think you'll never meet them) and who is willing to make sacrifices on your behalf. Of course, each of us has our own definition of friend so maybe that's just mine.

#3. Texting is a ****ty way to communicate.

Misunderstanding tones in that way has caused a lot of the serious online conflict I've seen. Still trying to figure out how to avoid that, it's hard not to make assumptions on the tone people are using and asking for clarification is usually more annoying than helpful.

#4. Online company only makes us lonelier.

I would agree that it happens but not that it's a rule. If all you get is online company, sure, but I don't think a balance of online and offline socializing is bad.

#5. We don't get criticized enough.

Amen.


I've been insulted lots, but I've been criticized very little. And don't ever confuse the two. An insult is just someone who hates you making a noise to indicate their hatred. A barking dog. Criticism is someone trying to help you, by telling you something about yourself that you were a little too comfortable not knowing.

It's true. We have a lot of control online; over who we appear to be, what company we choose to have, and what we choose to hear.

It works both ways though, people feel free to go on insult sprees that they normally wouldn't in real life, because of the sense of anonymity. False sense of anonymity, really.

#6. We're victims of the Outrage Machine.

Eh. I agree about the negativity but I think there's a massive amount of positive that the author ignores. No more 'one mass media' is a good thing in my mind, even if it's going to take some getting use to. Reasonable points of view might not get as much coverage, but when have they ever? I'd say more so now then ever.

#7. We feel worthless, because we actually are worth less.

Love the title. It's true in regards to technology.

Not so taken by the message, there can be accomplishments online. I think it's important to have a balance though, if all I do is sit online then of course I'm not going to be feeling so chipper.

[Trog]

Real life has faces. :smallwink:

But... But... they aren't the right color! And most would involve painful breath holding until the proper GitP smiley shade was achieved. :smalltongue:

[Serpentine]

Note: The list is "Ways Technology Is Making You Miserable", not "Ways Technology is Effecting You Life, Positively or Negatively". It's kinda outright stating that it's going to be selective in its content :smallsigh:

Good analysis, Kaihaku :smallsmile:

[PhoeKun]

Note: The list is "Ways Technology Is Making You Miserable", not "Ways Technology is Effecting You Life, Positively or Negatively". It's kinda outright stating that it's going to be selective in its content :smallsigh:

But technology isn't making me miserable. The very premise of the article is overblown. There are very legitimate issues with communication and avoidance of physical interaction that really does need to be looked at, but that's not what the list is about.

If there's a flaw, saying "it's supposed to be that way" doesn't make the flaw go away...

[averagejoe]

Note: The list is "Ways Technology Is Making You Miserable", not "Ways Technology is Effecting You Life, Positively or Negatively". It's kinda outright stating that it's going to be selective in its content :smallsigh:

Good analysis, Kaihaku :smallsmile:

That's kind of related to what I was saying. I don't think it's technology that's making us miserable, though, but I do think some people would be happier if they tried to connect with people more. That goes far beyond technology, though. What saddens me is when they can't connect face to face.

Edit: Then again, people are notoriously bad at being happy, in a way that goes beyond interpersonal relationships. It wouldn't be so bad, but I tell people how to be happy and they never seem to believe me. :smallsigh:

[Felixaar]

Why do people always say I'm not a real person. :smallfrown:

Yeah! Joe is too a real person!

Cause if not, who the hell was that guy and why did he let me stay in his apartment...

[Zeb The Troll]

I find it telling that I can not view the article at work because the site has been blocked for being categorized as "Tasteless". I will have to read later but know that between this categorization and the rest of this thread, I'm likely not to give it much credence.

[Deckmaster]

I agreed with just about everything in that article, mostly because I'm the kind of pathetic loser he's talking about. No, I'm not Emo and I don't cut myself, but IRL, the only people I socialize with are my family. I've pretty much done and experienced everything he's talking about.

Now I'm depressed. :smallfrown: