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Have Smartphones Destroyed Humanity?

ChrisV

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@ChrisV Seems like the issue there is people comparing themselves to others. That always leads to misery. Social media just makes it 10000% easier. One should only compare their current self to their previously selves. Never to others.
It does. But Social Media takes that problem and puts it on steroids. We see a sharp rise in depression since 2010, when the iPhone gained traction.
 
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Tourmaline

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Absolutely, and that depression is caused first and foremost by mindset, not the tool!
 

Garret S.

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My wife recently was being sad because she just saw the posts
of her friends on fb going to the beach and having their vacation,
while she is staying at home doing her master's manuscript.

I sent her a link of this article
"Finally, a cure for social media addiction"

Upon reading it she felt better and made a decision to unfollow all her friends and to stop using facebook regularly.
 

Envious

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It seems to be the all so common problem of abundance.

Most things in excess are terrible for you. Drugs, food, alcohol, sex etc.
Phones and the Internet are no different.

The issue is that teenagers and children haven't developed the self control to deal with such an addictive and socially acceptable thing like the smartphone.

The responsibility does really come down to the parents, not the government or the corporations as many would want you to believe.
 
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Lex Love

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Smart phones are a dramatic technology jump. Like all the technological jumps that preceded it, in it's early stages it has been misused and misunderstood . And we are still very much in the early stages. Most new technologies throughout history have had growing pains, folks inevitably fearing their effects on the family, community, country, world, then followed by a time of adjustment, education, and better use.

The written word, agriculture, the printing press, industrial revolution, electricity, telephones, and on and on. All of these major advancements (I'm assuming everyone here appreciates these innovations and would in fact consider them "advancements") came with initial issues, society relearning how to operate with their arrival, and eventual adjustments making them the great tools they are today.

Smart phones are phenomenal. History will look back on their invention as yet another great innovation that profoundly changed how we operate as people and the benefits and growth they ushered in.
 

MJ DeMarco

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I've changed the thread title from "destroyed a generation" to "destroyed humanity" ... I've been in Cabo for the last week and witnessed some smartphone insanity to the point a couple of children almost died a tragic death.

Will tell the story when I get back.
 

Santi M

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I've changed the thread title from "destroyed a generation" to "destroyed humanity" ... I've been in Cabo for the last week and witnessed some smartphone insanity to the point a couple of children almost died a tragic death.

Will tell the story when I get back.

I'm sorry but, where's Cabo? I'm not sure if its because the language but I don't know where is that place unless it is here in Spain
 
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AllenCrawley

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Brian Suh

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I've changed the thread title from "destroyed a generation" to "destroyed humanity" ... I've been in Cabo for the last week and witnessed some smartphone insanity to the point a couple of children almost died a tragic death.

Will tell the story when I get back.
Smart phones show humanity’s natural state is fear and avoiding life and staying mediocre. It simply exposes what is already there is that people don’t want to face reality and hard work
 

andrewsyc

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I don't know what to think...

Anyone else have the same experience? looking around at a stoplight and 50/50 the person passes the time with their head buried in their phone. I see 20-30% of people driving through an intersection (even when making turns) looking up only periodically while checking their phones.

Funny story.
About a year ago a girl was at a stoplight (staring down at her phone) and the light had been green for a couple of seconds while she remained stopped, I honked a she was a little slow. I have a stick shift and can drive hard I swerved around her and pass her and cut her off, then went the speed limit.
Oh man! her face! She went from checking her phone to just staring ahead and tailgating me. :rofl:
Her rage-o-meter was through the roof. Likely ruined her mood for a couple of hours and made mine, until I got to the gym at least.
At least I got her to stop focusing on her phone for the rest of her trip. :smile2:
 
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TheCj

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The issue is that teenagers and children haven't developed the self control to deal with such an addictive and socially acceptable thing like the smartphone.
I see the problem just as bad or worse in the parents/adults.

I don't know what to think...

Anyone else have the same experience? looking around at a stoplight and 50/50 the person passes the time with their head buried in their phone. I see 20-30% of people driving through an intersection (even when making turns) looking up only periodically while checking their phones.

Funny story.
About a year ago a girl was at a stoplight (staring down at her phone) and the light had been green for a couple of seconds while she remained stopped, I honked a she was a little slow. I have a stick shift and can drive hard I swerved around her and pass her and cut her off, then went the speed limit.
Oh man! her face! She went from checking her phone to just staring ahead and tailgating me. :rofl:
Her rage-o-meter was through the roof. Likely ruined her mood for a couple of hours and made mine, until I got to the gym at least.
At least I got her to stop focusing on her phone for the rest of her trip. :smile2:
I see more like 80-90% on the phone, driving in the city you'd think is a comedy spoof of a zombie movie since people are just staring at there phones everywhere. From walking to just standing, sitting everywhere is staring at the phone. Every time I drive in the city, I will see at least one person walk out into oncoming traffic because they are staring at a phone and rely on the driver to stop and honk.

Just yesterday I saw a guy completely sit through a green light and then when it was turning amber/red he blasted through. I was at the red watching the whole thing, ridiculousness. Driving is just insane these days.
 
D

Deleted69685

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I've changed the thread title from "destroyed a generation" to "destroyed humanity" ... I've been in Cabo for the last week and witnessed some smartphone insanity to the point a couple of children almost died a tragic death.

Will tell the story when I get back.

Yes looking forward to hearing about this but I can already imagine...

One thing my husband and I are very adamant on is NO PHONES around our children. They will not use them nor be exposed to them until they are sufficiently mentally and physically developed. I owe them that much as a parent. It is absolutely devastating to see kids as old as 2-3 years of age using a phone! Never even got a chance did they!
 

AmazingLarry

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I've started actively making an effort to stay off my phone as much as possible, specifically social media, forums, etc. It's amazing/scary how you just automatically pull your phone out without even thinking in situations where you have a few seconds of down time like waiting for the elevator or in line at the store. It basically becomes instinctual.

A month or two ago and noticed I was doing this and realized I had to break the habit. It hasn't been too hard for me because it's easy for my mind to stay active as I observe my surroundings, but I know it's pretty hard for some people. The addiction is real. I see the majority of people on the subway every day just mindlessly scrolling or watching youtube numbing their minds and it makes me sad for them. I think most people don't realize what they're doing.
 

BlackLynx

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When driving you can tell which people are texting in their cars. It really has become a problem and not one that is easy to solve because it's basically a dopamine addiction. The same addiction that hooks people to certain reward-based video games like World of Warcraft, the same addiction that has us checking our email box to check for new mails all the time. The same addiction that has us checking news compulsively.

You get delivered micro fragments of bliss. Like when you buy something new or get to open a present.

It's a subject close to my heart because I realized a while ago that it was a problem. So as a would-be fastlaner, I tried to solve it. I was developing a productivity program around this but after doing active market research talking to people I realized something vital. There's no market for it because people don't realise that it's a problem. And those that realise it is basically don't need any real help.

Now looking at it from another angle: in a world where everybody is constantly distracted, he who is able to focus can go far.

We're all susceptible to this and this is where building a habit ritual in the morning can pay enormous dividends.
 

Ulysses K

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There is a non profit created by legit silicon valley professionals (eg Tristan Harris - design ethicist at Google) that has an excellent website on how to get back self control - by changing smartphone settings.

Obviously, these people understand perfectly the addictive mechanisms of the devices they created.

https://humanetech.com/
 
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ChrisV

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I've changed the thread title from "destroyed a generation" to "destroyed humanity" ... I've been in Cabo for the last week and witnessed some smartphone insanity to the point a couple of children almost died a tragic death.

Will tell the story when I get back.
curious about this..
 

MJ DeMarco

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lunga ngcobo

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Great article... bit of a long read, but good.

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?



c42ed8709.jpg

I use my smartphone for imortant stuff like business calls and communicating with family. Others use them for social media and googling nonsense...

So i would say smartphones are good for unscripted people and very bad for scripted people who believe in all new shit media they witness...
 
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MJ DeMarco

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I've changed the thread title from "destroyed a generation" to "destroyed humanity" ... I've been in Cabo for the last week and witnessed some smartphone insanity to the point a couple of children almost died a tragic death.

Will tell the story when I get back.

So last week I was in Cabo San Lucus at this beautiful 5-star resort with its own private beach. Like many resorts in Cabo, the beach itself is UNSWIMMABLE because there are substantial rocks in the shallows as well as a significant undertow. To make matters worse, the strong undertow and waves during this week was much stronger as there was a tropical depression a few hundred miles off shore.

On my first day's arrival, I walked the beach where the wave swashes onto the beach and disappears. The swash was quite variable but when one stormed onto the beach and hit my legs (perhaps a foot deep) I couldn't believe how strong the current was. It took all I could to stabilize myself. A few times I felt I was in danger and could be swept out to sea. After 20 minutes on the beach, I knew I had to steer clear off the wave swashes.

A day later, we're chilling in the pool overlooking the beach, just enjoying the waves.

Suddenly two children, perhaps 5 or 6 years old, come running out to the beach, unsupervised.

Based on their demeanor, it was clear that they just arrived at the resort and they have no clue about the ocean currents. And neither do their parents, wherever they are.

As the kids ran down the beach, the parents emerged from the resort holding their smartphones recording their children's frolic down the beach, unaware of the danger.

At the time, my GF and I were in the pool and we both tensed up. The children were playing in an area where the variable waves just crashed violently mere minutes earlier.

After one minute and after the parents finished their video of their children, the parents turned their smartphone to the ocean waves and the beautiful resort. Meanwhile, perhaps 100 feet away, their children are splashing in the inch deep waves, unaware that at anytime a wave could swallow them.

I stood up and thought about what I should do, if anything. Parents don't like other's questioning their parenting. As I looked behind me (toward the resort) and thought about what I should do, it was clear I wasn't alone. The entire pool area and their patrons stopped what they were doing and were focused on the beach. EVERYONE KNEW A TRAGEDY WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

Then it happened: a wave hit the family -- it hit the parents first (who weren't even near the water) and it shocked them both away from their smartphone immersion and nearly knocked them down. (Yes, both had their faces buried in their phones). Both of them felt the undertow. Both of them felt the waves and its power and variability. As the mom stabilized herself, she looked up and saw the same wave now bearing down on her kids (still 100 feet away playing in the sand swash and tide pools) she let loose a horrific shriek of terror.

Both the parents sprinted down the beach screaming in absolute panic. The wave toppled the kids. One saw it coming and got to his knees and was able to crawl away. The other wasn't so lucky and was flopping around and was starting to be pulled out to sea. The father, with mom screaming behind, ran out into the water and was able to grab his child's hand. He himself was struggling to return to the beach as the waves continued to pound them both. Meanwhile, the mom continued to scream in mortal fear.

Seconds later, it is over and the resort spectators (and those who made their way down to the beach to potentially help) are mortified. The children are retrieved and safe, left to play much higher on the beach away from any potential waves.

Minutes later, both parents are again, buried in their smartphone.
.
.
.
.
.
I would later see this same family at dinner (in my line of sight), at dinner overlooking the beach and the beautiful sunset.

The entire time each family member would be buried in a device: The two kids in some type of gaming device and the parents on their phones. I don't think I caught them looking up once except to order.

I fear for humanity.
 

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PizzaOnTheRoof

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So last week I was in Cabo San Lucus at this beautiful 5-star resort with its own private beach. Like many resorts in Cabo, the beach itself is UNSWIMMABLE because there are substantial rocks in the shallows as well as a significant undertow. To make matters worse, the strong undertow and waves during this week was much stronger as there was a tropical depression a few hundred miles off shore.

On my first day's arrival, I walked the beach where the wave swashes onto the beach and disappears. The swash was quite variable but when one stormed onto the beach and hit my legs (perhaps a foot deep) I couldn't believe how strong the current was. It took all I could to stabilize myself. A few times I felt I was in danger and could be swept out to sea. After 20 minutes on the beach, I knew I had to steer clear off the wave swashes.

A day later, we're chilling in the pool overlooking the beach, just enjoying the waves.

Suddenly two children, perhaps 5 or 6 years old, come running out to the beach, unsupervised.

Based on their demeanor, it was clear that they just arrived at the resort and they have no clue about the ocean currents. And neither do their parents, wherever they are.

As the kids ran down the beach, the parents emerged from the resort holding their smartphones recording their children's frolic down the beach, unaware of the danger.

At the time, my GF and I were in the pool and we both tensed up. The children were playing in an area where the variable waves just crashed violently mere minutes earlier.

After one minute and after the parents finished their video of their children, the parents turned their smartphone to the ocean waves and the beautiful resort. Meanwhile, perhaps 100 feet away, their children are splashing in the inch deep waves, unaware that at anytime a wave could swallow them.

I stood up and thought about what I should do, if anything. Parents don't like other's questioning their parenting. As I looked behind me (toward the resort) and thought about what I should do, it was clear I wasn't alone. The entire pool area and their patrons stopped what they were doing and were focused on the beach. EVERYONE KNEW A TRAGEDY WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

Then it happened: a wave hit the family -- it hit the parents first (who weren't even near the water) and it shocked them both away from their smartphone immersion and nearly knocked them down. (Yes, both had their faces buried in their phones). Both of them felt the undertow. Both of them felt the waves and its power and variability. As the mom stabilized herself, she looked up and saw the same wave now bearing down on her kids (still 100 feet away playing in the sand swash and tide pools) she let loose a horrific shriek of terror.

Both the parents sprinted down the beach screaming in absolute panic. The wave toppled the kids. One saw it coming and got to his knees and was able to crawl away. The other wasn't so lucky and was flopping around and was starting to be pulled out to sea. The father, with mom screaming behind, ran out into the water and was able to grab his child's hand. He himself was struggling to return to the beach as the waves continued to pound them both. Meanwhile, the mom continued to scream in mortal fear.

Seconds later, it is over and the resort spectators (and those who made their way down to the beach to potentially help) are mortified. The children are retrieved and safe, left to play much higher on the beach away from any potential waves.

Minutes later, both parents are again, buried in their smartphone.
.
.
.
.
.
I would later see this same family at dinner (in my line of sight), at dinner overlooking the beach and the beautiful sunset.

The entire time each family member would be buried in a device: The two kids in some type of gaming device and the parents on their phones. I don't think I caught them look up once except to order.

I fear for humanity.
Beautiful beach but that 2nd picture though...

How could you look at those waves/beach and think "Yeah my little kids should play in that..."?!?!?!

I don't buy that smartphones have just "exposed" us for how we really are, regularly preached by people like Gary Vee...

Social media, in particular, is ENGINEERED to be addictive. It's using us rather than us using it.

Do you think 50 years ago those same parents would have been eyeballs deep in a crossword puzzle?
 

MJ DeMarco

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Do you think 50 years ago those same parents would have been eyeballs deep in a crossword puzzle?

Not at dinner, and certainly not while taking their first walk on the beach.

This wasn't standard chilling on the beach when one reads a book, does a crossword puzzle, or scans a kindle/iPhone.
 
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Veloce Grey

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That is one vicious looking beach to be leaving kids that young unattended on, but given phone addicts are basically the new drug addicts it adds up.
 

ChrisV

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Minutes later, both parents are again, buried in their smartphone.
Well they obviously had to tweet the story out.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one tweets it, did it really happen?
 
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Theres a need in there somewhere.
If anything I would think that smart phones have made it easy for people to access the worldwide web from there hand to find new
businesses and products all in there hand.
 

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