in what way? cod is pretty difficult on veteran difficulty, especially the older ones

I think, as with most things, that advances in consumer technology are neither wholly bad nor good. Especially since so much of the "bad" that people talk about, like users not engaging in the world around them, come down to user approach more than anything innate to the technology.

Personally, I think advances in consumer technology have had some wonderful effects on our culture, and has allowed people to connect with others all the world over that they otherwise likely would never talk to without these advancements. This exposure has also had profound effects on people having their preconceptions they hold about minorities and other cultures challenged, which we know mere exposure is perhaps one of the strongest factors for reducing or eliminating prejudice.

It's also had really great effects on political involvement and social movements, as social media and mesh networking has allowed people to be become more educated about politics and better able to organize in times of political dissent.

Of course, there are the negative aspects that come with it, like the toxicity and labor conditions involved in the production of the consumer goods that house this technology, the waste that results from the constant barrage of "latest and greatest" releases, the concerns of illegal or unethical government interference or tracking, and the proliferation of fake news that creates insulated bubbles where people intentionally only expose themselves to sources congruent with their beliefs. I think the other typical concerns, again, are the responsibility of the consumer (or guardian of the consumer). Can't put your phone down? That's on you. Can't be bothered to spend time raising your kid and so you use technology (at an unreasonable level) to babysit them instead? That's on you.

For myself, I would have no qualms about letting my child be exposed to and use technology, as I think there's certainly varying degrees of beneficial v. wasteful uses. There's a good amount of educational apps and whatnot that could be used to aid the development of your child, and that involve problem solving or learning, and can even be interactive between guardian and child. Now, sitting them in front of a television for 4 straight hours every day in order to placate them is a completely different story, but that's again about personal responsibility more than an inherent flaw or concern with the technology itself.

For your last question, perhaps we will get to a point where we can upload our consciousness into technology like something straight out of Ready Player One, but that's not something that is going to happen within our lifetime, I think. Once that technology becomes a reality though, I'm sure it'll be heavily debated and protested, but just like with the technology we have now, it'll all come down to how we approach and use it, as that would be the better barometer of whether it's "good" or "bad".

i planned an electric collar

This is pretty relevant currently, as my niece is now over half a year old. Her parents are very concerned with limiting access to electronics (including tv, that old chestnut). They mostly like her to play with toys, listen to music and they are starting to read books with her. I don't think modern electronics are wholly bad, but it's good to be without them for some time every once in a while. Remind yourself that you are human, in a way. With friends I always have the rule that if we're having a good time somewhere, the guy who grabs his phone is the guy who's going to pay for one person extra. It definitely makes things better. I can't stand it when someone is glued to their screen when you're supposed to interact (date, appointments, etc).

Some times it is a good deterrent for boredom though. I know a lot of people here complain of everyone using their phones in public transport. But I don't really see that as a bad thing. People used to read a book or a paper in public transport, converstaion was rare then too.

Do you know The Veldt btw? The story from Ray Bradbury. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Veldt_(short_story) It has a good connection with your concerns of virtual life and virtual reality.

By definition I'll agree with this, but I think that the very way that the technology is developed is such that it puts a huge premium on maximizing user involvement with it. For example, why would a flash game not want you to play it?

You need to be synced in to your phones so that you'll want the new one, think you can't live without it so you'll buy protective cases and replacements for it and you even plug your social life into it, most of the time.



Honestly, I might argue the opposite, I think that social media and other mass media outlets have shortened our attention span on political issues to about the length of a Twitter post. I think campaigns cannot deny the influence the medium has and has to accordingly lower themselves to making their points in short bursts, because that's the window they have, like an even shorter sound bite. As far as research goes the information is probably invaluable. You can see who supports what, who watches what, what people are buying, not buying, you can stream events, fund raise, etc. It's certainly a game changer, but is it for the better? It's how we ended up with Donald Trump as President.




Well, that's kind of my point, I agree it is ultimately on you. Technology is a tool, a tool you can choose not to use as easily as you choose to use it. The point is I am arguing for not doing so, most of the time. I tend to feel that the world is narrowing, myself, despite the tremendous variance afforded to us by the Internet. The world is narrowing and when it comes to children it is a shame because they don't get to choose what they're exposed to and how they're development will ultimately be shaped hugely without their say so. Like I said in the OP, a kid will never know differently than to have a little brick you can access the wealth of human knowledge, more or less. That seems like it presents future generations with a unique advantage (or disadvantage?) and I'm curious how it will be utilized.



I think those exist in the same way that McDonald's sells water. It's an option but it's the "difficult" one, not the profitable one and not the one that 95% of people (yes, I pulled that number directly out of my ass) will select. I have never in my life seen a child use a "learning app" in my life, and I've been around children a bit. It's always flash games, videos, etc. it's never the beneficial fare I hear touted by those who think these things are beneficial.

I suppose I can only talk a certain degree of shit, I have been shit posting on a shitty video game forum for more than ten years now.



For my money the way that technology will probably develop gradually and incrementally it won't be this radical proposition it would be right now. Society as-is is being conditioned to accept that kind of interaction with technology and soon it will be viewed as the norm to identify an online existence as more or less equal to a "real life" existence.

I feel like I'm kind of ripping of the movie Her, but I've thought this stuff for a while now.

I: What do you guys think the future of consumer electronic technology will do to our culture?

Society will evolve such that people will have less social interaction with each other and we will become more dependent upon technology for survival. You can already see this now to some extent. There are benefits and consequences to it - who the hell would choose to deal with a some lazy cashier who doesn't care enough to take your order competently over a machine that is accurate 99+% of the time? That sort of technology is coming into emergence even now and people have already shown they much prefer that (I mean, I sure as fuck prefer it). On the other hand, this sort of independence from society also makes us much less able to communicate effectively with others, and it makes it harder to sympathize / empathize with contradictory ideas.

There's also the concern that replacing human relationships with robotic relationships may have a very significant effect on the reproduction (and subsequently evolution) of our species. We currently live in a society where a lot of good men may (understandably) prefer a robotic sex partner to avoid potential rape accusations and avoid being on the hook for child support for children they are not ready to raise. I could easily envision a future where this leads to a significant rise in the percentage of deadbeat fathers as a result of more of the responsible men opting away from real women, and there could be interesting implications for our species should that be the case.


II: Would you let your children indulge in some form of "electronic babysitting", i.e. tablet, phone, computer, whatever?

No. Children cannot be blindly trusted to devices that are not physically able to control them. It is sometimes necessary for the parent to exert this type of control whether it be via spanking or even just grounding kids to their room, and in both cases I feel only humans should ever have that sort of power over other humans. There are also way too many opportunities for children to accidentally cause a great deal of harm to their lives and/or the lives of their families if the proper controls are not in place, so parental supervision should always be an important part of any electronic interaction.


III. Do you think there will be a breaking point where we acknowledge too much immersion and take a step back from this kind of technology, or is it forever going to progress forward?

My guess is probably not. People overall are too short sighted and impetuous to reign it back in, especially if doing so would be perceived as an inconvenience. We will move straight through the technological singularity, and one can only hope that the first AI to develop and gain any sort of real power is either friendly or at least neutral to the human race.

I am not 100% sure what will happen but technology is shaping our minds and will continue to do so at a quick pace. Information is so different now. Instant gratification almost 100% of the time.

May I ask, what model flip did you get?

I was looking into the rugby at one point but never took the plunge.

Sure, perhaps the flash game "wants you to play it", just as much as any consumer good (even ones that aren't technological) want you to do X, Y or Z. However, it doesn't force people to do anything, and isn't a necessity no matter how much it may instigate this sense that you can't live without it. I think it's important to be smarter than the smartphone, and I worry about eschewing personal responsibility from the consumer/guardian of the consumer. I actually never had my first smartphone until 5 months ago at the age of 25, and my time prior with a flip-phone taught me invaluable lessons, so to speak. I use my smart phone purely for necessity and don't find myself on it in public spaces, in group settings, and don't feel the "phantom buzz" that many people enveloped with their phone often describe feeling. The technology is same the though, but my perspective on it has been what has determined my interaction with it.

I can also see your point though about the influence of social media in the degradation of political and social thought into bite-size bits of unsourced opinion and "facts". Perhaps it's a matter of social media increasing the quantity of exposure and involvement, but decreasing the quality? Under that idea, I can't say I disagree. Although, even if we're currently suffering in terms of quality, I think the initial increase in quantity is laudable and that as social media expands it'll eventually contract and people will be critical of it (which is certainly already happening), and demands of higher quality will result, or at least I hope.

One area I see differently is on the idea that "children don't get to choose what they're exposed to", which I personally see as a potentially good thing. Are there times where kids are exposed to things that they shouldn't be, or aren't developmentally ready for? Sure, no doubt about that. I do think though that this is offset by the vastness of other information and cultures they're exposed to that challenge their world views and convictions in very healthy ways. After all, mere exposure has been shown time and time again to be the greatest mitigating factor in prejudice.

I suppose we will see how the future of technology transpires in the upcoming generation though, as hopefully we each live long enough to see the results. In the meantime, it's a roll of the dice.

This post was edited by Handcuffs on Feb 22 2017 08:58pm

I: What do you guys think the future of consumer electronic technology will do to our culture?
We're doomed

II: Would you let your children indulge in some form of "electronic babysitting", i.e. tablet, phone, computer, whatever?
No

III. Do you think there will be a breaking point where we acknowledge too much immersion and take a step back from this kind of technology, or is it forever going to progress forward?
No. With things like virtual reality it's just going to get worste and that's going to be sad. At some point in the future some will end up spending more time in VR than in real life. They will end up crazy probably.