This is why I detest modern technology....

[JacinLarkwell]

I'm not a huge fan of social media. I love my tv, I love my internet shopping, and I like my roleplays and BYC. I don't have tumblr, twitter, tinder, Instagram, tiktoc, Pinterest and rarely go on FB (usually to buy birds or sell them).

I feel crappy enough most days, I don't need strangers making it feel worse

 

[cmom]

I bought a vest to wear under my jacket/coat so I can carry the phone with me hands free when outside working in the yard. I typically listen to audiobooks or recorded radio programs that are on my smartphone. I use my Bluetooth work headphones while working outside, on the lawn mower, chipping wood, etc...

I have thought about doing that with my smartphone but I do listen to radio. I have a small AM/FM radio I carry around. I hate ear bud and do wear hearing aids so I use a headset. DH bought me a real nice headset last year.

 

[Solanacae]

Feel free to rant any time, my friend. I'll listen. I agree with you on most of this. But will say that I see just as many men texting while driving. Up here, it's often guys driving work trucks. I'm sure it's work related, but on these windy foothill roads, it's bad juju.

I get grumpy about tech, too. I try to look at it as a tool. Young people often don't know how to manage it yet. It frustrates me, too. I am a high school teacher. I teach juniors and seniors. I let them keep their phones and tell them to "manage their tech." We have talks about when it's appropriate to use their phones and when it's not. Many really haven't thought about it.

I also try to put myself in their shoes. Would I want to text my friends ALL THE TIME when I was 17? Heck yes, I would. Would I rather do that than talk to my family? Sure, sometimes. I'm trying to look at the big picture and think about the long term. I have no idea where things are headed. These are uncharted waters. It'll be interesting to witness, and it may not be pretty. But humanity is relatively unchanged, so I don't think it means the end of the world like some people I know do. I could be wrong, of course....

But I appreciate your POV and your openness.

I remember passing notes in class to my friends all the time when I was in junior high. I see texting as the updated equivalent of that.
I resisted getting a cell phone because I liked being somewhat inaccessible when I wanted to be. When I was midway through college (living at home to save money), my mom told me I needed to get a phone because she was tired of being my secretary and having people call he multiple times trying to get ahold of me but I’d been at school all day.
There are a lot of nice things that a cell phone and all of the concurrent technology that has blossomed alongside it can offer. There are a lot of downsides to it, and I’m very wary about it. It’s always a balancing act, isn’t it?

 

[gtaus]

I feel crappy enough most days, I don't need strangers making it feel worse

Sorry to hear that. Hope visiting BYC forums makes you feel better.

 

[gtaus]

I hate ear bud and do wear hearing aids so I use a headset. DH bought me a real nice headset last year.

I did not have much luck with the ear buds, either. They kept falling out of my ears and that was an issue while I was working with my hands. My Bluetooth work headset is great for ear protection, and does not fall off. So I use them all the time even when I am not working with noisy machines. I don't know exactly how long the batteries last, but I charge up my headphones maybe every 3 weeks. Maybe 30 hours?

Here is what I bought: 3M WorkTunes Connect Hearing Protector with Bluetooth Technology, 24 dB NRR, Ear protection for Mowing, Snowblowing, Construction, Work Shops

If I ever have to get a new pair of work headphones, I think I would pay the extra money and get one with Bluetooth and AM/FM radio built in the headset. I can still jack a patch cord from a small AM/FM radio output into this headset input if I want to listen to the radio. But mainly I just listen to Audiobooks or recorded radio programs.

If you spend a lot of time wearing work headphones for ear protection, or even for just listening pleasure, then your ears are worth a good headset that fits properly and does not fall off.

 

[DickMidnight]

social media is a product of the “look at me” generation.

everyone loves themselves so damn much these days and their facebook, instagram, and whatever else accounts allow them a platform to show everyone else just how much they love themselves

i haven’t had any form of social media in years. i find it banal and disingenuous. i only belong to a few forums so i can gain knowledge on my hobbies.

however, turning a blind eye to all modern technology is to refuse to adapt, and by extension, to die. the financial tools made available by technology are way too powerful not to be taken advantage of. and i’m not talking about mobile check deposits. that’s child’s play.

the problem isn’t the tech. it’s the people, and it always has been. given the world at their fingertips, people will always use it incorrectly and focus on all of the wrong things. they use technology to be blissfully distracted, instead of to work for them.

 

[Cynthia12]

Sad, but true. Families are being destroyed. My opinion.

 

[gtaus]

the problem isn’t the tech. it’s the people, and it always has been. given the world at their fingertips, people will always use it incorrectly and focus on all of the wrong things. they use technology to be blissfully distracted, instead of to work for them.

That was some good ranting. Last comment on your post reminds me of the promise of early TV and how it would be great educational programming to the public. Turns out people want to watch Real Housewives rather than a documentary on WWII.

I am a big fan of YouTube. But I usually watch DIY repair videos on YouTube and not some cute cat playing the piano. I just got done watching about 20 minutes of YouTube videos on how to repair my snow blower electric starter. So tomorrow I'll be tearing it apart and hope to repair it. If not repairable, at least I also learned how to replace it.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Sorry to hear that. Hope visiting BYC forums makes you feel better.

Oh it does, big time. Half the reason I'm on here as much as I am

 

[BigBlueHen53]

A lot of adults complain about young people having their heads in their phones at social gatherings instead of interacting with the other young people. Just for the record, i'm an old people. But I'm going to let y'all in on a little secret. Chances are, those young people ARE interacting with each other! They may be listening to the same music, playing the same games, and/or texting each other about how lame the adults are, how boring the gathering is, or how soon they can leave and what they are going to do afterward. Come on kids, amiright?