# Technology - is it helping or hurting us?



## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Lately there has been a lot of talk about technology on social media and main stream news. I am beginning to think that technology in the public sector is actually hurting our social skills and emotionally stunting people. People text and drive because responding to what is on Facebook every minute is crucial. Family dinners are now people sitting at a table texting, reading etc instead of talking/bonding with their families. People playing games on the computer for hours at a time instead of spending time with their family or friends. 

I was at a BBQ recently and people were more interested in chatting with friends online or playing Candy Crunch instead of looking others in the eyes and talking. Social interaction is now through a keyboard and people are starting to speak in acronyms. If one more person had said OMG, WTH or IDK to me I think I would have lost it.

Now it is Pokemon. I understand that it is good for people to get outside and get some exercise, but seriously? Car accidents, people falling off a cliff, a girl getting hit by a car because she crossed a busy highway with her eyes on the phone, and on and on the stories go.

Is this what people are going to become? Mindless zombies that don't speak or interact with someone face to face? It makes me so frustrated and angry. I want to shake them and say WAKE UP!

The access to news from more than the mainstream media, the research value, the exchange of knowledge (such as this forum) are all great, but is it worth the price we as a society are paying? 

So, what do you think? Is it helping or hurting our society?


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Don't look at me; the most I do is play spider solitaire.


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

Our technology is out pacing our humanity


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Here is the world that I remember ....... and miss.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

This silly Pokemon thing is just one more example of how easily the American public are distracted and directed. Technology detaches us and separates us from reality and emotion. We make decisions based on what is seen on a screen rather then on what we actually see or read.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Technology is neutral. It is not good or bad. It's the person using it. Gun, knife, car, Internet, tv and so on. People may or may not get it. Like the consequences of voting for Hillary.


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## stevekozak (Oct 4, 2015)

Technology is definately hurting us.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Auntie said:


> Lately there has been a lot of talk about technology on social media and main stream news. I am beginning to think that technology in the public sector is actually hurting our social skills and emotionally stunting people. People text and drive because responding to what is on Facebook every minute is crucial. Family dinners are now people sitting at a table texting, reading etc instead of talking/bonding with their families. People playing games on the computer for hours at a time instead of spending time with their family or friends.
> 
> I was at a BBQ recently and people were more interested in chatting with friends online or playing Candy Crunch instead of looking others in the eyes and talking. Social interaction is now through a keyboard and people are starting to speak in acronyms. If one more person had said OMG, WTH or IDK to me I think I would have lost it.
> 
> ...


Its out of control! Yes hurting.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Camel923 said:


> Technology is neutral. It is not good or bad. It's the person using it. Gun, knife, car, Internet, tv and so on. People may or may not get it. Like the consequences of voting for Hillary.


Agreed Camel, however we must admit and be aware that technology has been used by the elite to further their agenda. It has served well to expedite the Dumbing Down of America.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I'll address the devices that we call "PHONES" today. These PHONES do so many things that CAN make a MATURE ADULT' S LIFE MORE EFFICIENT.

But in the hands of undeveloped children and immature adolescents as well as immature adults, I liken it to a severe form of CHILD ABUSE. SERIOUSLY.

If you want your child to be able to call you should they need you, get them a phone that only makes and receives PHONE CALLS. 

Any parent who allows a child or teenager one of these devices is a BAD PARENT. 

PARENT'S NEED TO STOP THIS MADNESS, JUST STOP. THESE DEVICES ARE HURTING YOUR CHILDREN.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

We are quickly loosing the knowledge and skills to live without technology. What will happen when the power goes out?


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Chipper said:


> We are quickly loosing the knowledge and skills to live without technology. What will happen when the power goes out?


Many will be found dead and rotting, with a firm death grip on their phones.


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## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

I only use my phone when I'm bored. If I'm around people I like, I don't use my phone. 

No I don't think tech has hurt society. That reasoning is like blaming the gun for a crime. 

It's not technology, it's people.


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## SittingElf (Feb 9, 2016)

No worries....Darwin at work! The future will leave the strong....


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Human beings can use any specific technological tool for good or ill, it's our choice. But is technology, in general, helping or hurting us?

It is without doubt helping us. A farm is technology. Animal husbandry is technology. Without technology, the carrying capacity of the planet in human life would be a fraction of what we have now. Hunting and gathering is gone forever for our species, we must make the best use of technology that we can. It's our only option at this point. Abandoning technology would produce a huge die-off for humanity.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Chipper said:


> We are quickly loosing the knowledge and skills to live without technology. What will happen when the power goes out?


Chipper, . . . let me go out on the proverbial limb as I answer a "posssible" scenario that answers your question.

Today, . . . many people are totally dependent upon their "devices": phones, pads, tablets, laptops, desktops, etc.

Scheduling, shopping, phone calls, messaging, . . . their lives are listed upon the devices and are actually driven by the events happening upon those devices as they the person scheduled them.

They (personally) and we (in businesses, in services, in government, even the military) have become totally dependent upon them:

They cannot find, . . . much less read a road map or topo map, . . . they all use the Google map or turn by turn directions on the phone. "Put it in the GPS."

Their food is "just add water", . . . microwaveable, . . . casserole, . . . heat and eat, . . . few of them have any idea of how to actually cook.

EVERYTHING IS "ONE PERSON" PERSONAL, . . . unlike the days when the family sat around the dinner table talking, . . . sat and listened to a radio program together, . . . sat and watched a TV program together, . . . sat around the campfire, fire pit, bonfire, etc. in the backyard.

This brings us to what I believe in the final scheme of things will occur.

1. An EMP strike (or perhaps several) will cripple the US and Canadian nations.

2. An equal bunch will be launched and made effective against the UK, France, and Germany.

3. Russia will not come out unscathed, . . . but will be in a better position as they do not have the heavy reliance upon technology as does the others.

4. This allows the rise of the 7th century islamic knuckle draggers who have been practicing their 700 AD style of life forever, . . . they will be equipped to survive, whereas the others will be in a vile state of confusion and even anarchy.

5. It will fulfill the prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel, and the book of Revelation, . . . bringing the Lord Jesus back and the EOTWAWKI.

I'm just glad to be prayed up and packed up ready to go.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

I will definitely say that technology has enhanced my life. It's allowed me more time to spend with family or just relaxing. 

I can work from home. Without computers I wouldn't be able to do that. 

I can log in and watch security cameras to I sure my employees are working. I can track my delivery trucks, etc, etc. 

Tech is great !


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

A Watchman said:


> Here is the world that I remember ....... and miss.
> 
> View attachment 19154


 Still is around here, the camp sight is still in the same place and still used.


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## SDF880 (Mar 28, 2013)

It's helping day to day as long as it works! I feel in many areas we are way too reliant on it and hosed if it goes down!
I'm 35+ years in airline industry and everything we do on the operations level is computer based! I literally have 7 different systems
feeding into my 4 work screens everyday and it had better not hic-up! When I started most things were manually done and computers
were the cool new thing we really didn't use much. Now I ask a young co-worker could you manually release a flight and they all say no!
My gut tells me all this electronic wizardry will be our undoing someday and maybe soon!

And - I don't like 70% of society walking around with their face buried in their personal device 24/7, it's nuts!


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## baldman (Apr 5, 2016)

I love it. Sitting elf is right Natural selection at its finest.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Without cell phones and the internet my business could not exist. Having said that when I am in the same room with a person I focus on that person, not a screen.


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

Ever seen the panic stricken look on a cashier's face when the cash register server goes down? 
They have no clue how to make change without it. Most are doomed.


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## Fuser1983 (Jul 8, 2016)

I think we're already there..


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

dwight55 said:


> Chipper, . . . let me go out on the proverbial limb as I answer a "posssible" scenario that answers your question.
> 
> Today, . . . many people are totally dependent upon their "devices": phones, pads, tablets, laptops, desktops, etc.
> 
> ...


 The point I was making is our society is becoming useless without technology. Heck people can't even make change unless the teller tells them the amount, you know simple math. The power might go out from a simple thunder storm, some glorious act of your god, or a squirrel crawled onto a transformer. It doesn't matter the reason. The next generation won't be able to tie their own shoe's. If the power goes out and the computer controlled machine isn't working to do it for them.


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

Thats an interesting question you pose Auntie. In my opinion the short answer is technology is helping us and I base that on the fact that life expectancy is at an all time high and people today are living very comfortably. I compare a lot of the complaints to those that came up when television went mainstream. People that where thought to watch too much TV where called "couch potatoes" and TV's where called the "idiot box." All we've done is exchange television for cellphones and tablets. As far as social interaction goes its changing as well. The world used to be a very large place and the internet has shrunk it considerably. Now instead of interacting with the local crew at the diner people are interacting on Facebook with friends in different states or even different countries. Look at this forum, its filled with people from different locations, experience levels, and specialties. Instead of having that one guy at the sporting good store you have access to so much more. The access to information is staggering when technology is used properly.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

My wife and I are blessed to have grown up and lived a majority of our lives before technology got this far out of hand.
Even though I have OnStar GPS navigation in my pick up, I still rely on paper maps. Although I must admit that when enroute to Wisconsin in 2009 OnStar saved me from grief in Chattanooga, and got me easily in one side and out the other.


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

My wife and I just got home from a few days in Greenville SC. It's a nice city, and we spent two days holding hands and walking around town. We ate way too much and enjoyed a few local beers. One thing we noticed is that EVERYONE was walking around with their face stuck in their cell phones. I mean bumping into people and walking into the road! They were all chasing pokeymons! Seriously. Every person we saw that looked to be under 25 was chasing a monster around town that they can see with their cell phones! When I was young I chased girls and tried to play pokeyher! What the hell is a pokeymon?!?!


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

keith9365 said:


> When I was young I chased girls and tried to play pokeyher! What the hell is a pokeymon?!?!


Well Keith, it is a product of men not minding what they should be poking, gay parades, gay rights, immoral behavior, and folks just plain screwed up in the head.


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

rice paddy daddy said:


> My wife and I are blessed to have grown up and lived a majority of our lives before technology got this far out of hand.
> Even though I have OnStar GPS navigation in my pick up, I still rely on paper maps. Although I must admit that when enroute to Wisconsin in 2009 OnStar saved me from grief in Chattanooga, and got me easily in one side and out the other.


Until I bought my new car that had a built in GPS I used the old mapquest directions and I still keep an updated US atlas map as well


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## CWOLDOJAX (Sep 5, 2013)

To answer Auntie's question, "Is technology helping or hurting us?"

Answer: yes

I know, it sounds weird to answer that way.

At my parents' 50th wedding anniversary I researched, printed and provided a copy of a informative few pages for those attending.
I covered issues like Medicine, Electronics, consumer items, real estate, etc.
It was quite a conversation item at the banquet.

If I was to be able to find it on a floppy disk and share it here y'all would enjoy it too.

Now have said all that I believe there is a "critical mass" and a point of saturation. Critical mass occurred a few years ago. Everyone has a gadget to communicate with. When was the last time you saw a phone booth? Saturation is more of a fuzzy reach. As we, baby boomers are to become past-tense soon, a smaller tech-savvy generation will think differently than we did.
Are they saturated now? They order groceries, dialogue with doctors, earn extra $ driving folks around town... Are they saturated? They use Google for every thing and remember only those things important to themselves. Even in my day-job I will likely "google" (a verb now) a dozen times or more. 

The technology sector I am most concerned about is artificial intelligence or AI. Currently, companies like Amazon, Google, Fakebook, etc are putting out "free" access to a myriad of "conveniences"... meanwhile the unsuspecting tech-user is feeding into something called "big data" (google big data).

Big data will be used to by hospitals, govt., big-biz, etc to steer you with gadgets that "learn" you. You specifically.

THIS is when I think technology will hurt us.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

keith9365 said:


> My wife and I just got home from a few days in Greenville SC. It's a nice city, and we spent two days holding hands and walking around town. We ate way too much and enjoyed a few local beers. One thing we noticed is that EVERYONE was walking around with their face stuck in their cell phones. I mean bumping into people and walking into the road! They were all chasing pokeymons! Seriously. Every person we saw that looked to be under 25 was chasing a monster around town that they can see with their cell phones! When I was young I chased girls and tried to play pokeyher! What the hell is a pokeymon?!?!


I been trying to tell y'all, the world is done gone crazy...


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

I was gifted with a new laptop in 2014 in order to better perform my job as secretary of our local VVA chapter.
It had Windows 8.1, which was quite a change for a guy who always used Windows XP. It had "stuff" I would never need, ever.
When Windows 10 came out, I was eligible for a free download. I took it, since the 8.1 was a pain in the waa-zoo.

Shoot!!! Windows 10 has an "assistant" named Cortana. Which a technogeek would probably like. And all sorts of other "stuff" that is totally useless. Unless you're a technogeek, I guess. The darn thing tries to anticipate what I want next. I don't need or want a computer that tells me what I want. I'm the one in charge here!!

I guess this ties into CWOLDOJAX's comments on AI.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

rice paddy daddy said:


> I was gifted with a new laptop in 2014 in order to better perform my job as secretary of our local VVA chapter.
> It had Windows 8.1, which was quite a change for a guy who always used Windows XP. It had "stuff" I would never need, ever.
> When Windows 10 came out, I was eligible for a free download. I took it, since the 8.1 was a pain in the waa-zoo.
> 
> ...


I would love to be able to disable cortana. It is irritating!


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

keith9365 said:


> What the hell is a pokeymon?!?!





Slippy said:


> I been trying to tell y'all, the world is done gone crazy...


Checking video from security cameras the other day I saw 5 teens had been wondering around in our basement loading dock area while staring down at their phones on a Saturday Morning at 0130 hrs. I used to have a lot better things to be doing at that hour when I was young enough to do those things. That's what I figure it was.


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## CWOLDOJAX (Sep 5, 2013)

rice paddy daddy said:


> I was gifted with a new laptop in 2014 in order to better perform my job as secretary of our local VVA chapter.
> It had Windows 8.1, which was quite a change for a guy who always used Windows XP. It had "stuff" I would never need, ever.
> When Windows 10 came out, I was eligible for a free download. I took it, since the 8.1 was a pain in the waa-zoo.
> 
> ...


My MacBook Air does not have a "Cortana" but my PC at work does. I don't use it.
---
AI will have its benefits. Like kids getting a ride to school while wearing a RFID bracelet that allows them entry into a driver-less car which takes them to/from school. People will not buy cars but purchase a membership into a fleet of cars to carry them to pre-programmed locations. AI will diagnose you routine ailments and prescribe meds.

Like said tho, it's not all good. OLiver Stone was quotes on CBS News (seen during my day-job news scan):
"It's a new level of invasion," Stone said of the game (Pokemon Go). "Nobody has ever seen, in the history of the world, something like Google, ever. It's the fastest-growing business ever, and they have invested huge amounts of money into what surveillance is, which is data-mining. They're data-mining every person in this room for information as to what you're buying, what it is you like, and above all, your behavior."

Speaking about my day-job, The Japanese ocean liner, K Line, is developing a container vessel which will be totally operated by remote... and eventually AI.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

When the plug gets pulled , and it will. many will not know how to function . They will be lost for some time. Amazing now in the work place how many can not do anything with out their phone. The get lost going a few miles with out goggle map.


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## CWOLDOJAX (Sep 5, 2013)

Smitty901 said:


> When the plug gets pulled , and it will. many will not know how to function . They will be lost for some time. Amazing now in the work place how many can not do anything with out their phone. The get lost going a few miles with out goggle map.


In the `90s, I used to teach some of the Microsoft products to corporate users. In every class I taught them to be ready to go low-tech. Why because power fails. However I think they prefer the relief and extra break-time when the power goes off. :-/


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

A number of years ago, the TV show 60 Minutes did a segment on data mining, one part of which was an interview with the CEO of a "data collection" agency in California.
Standing in a multi-thousand square foot warehouse full of huge computers he explained how his company collects and collates information gathered on individuals from places as well known as grocery stores to the public records of your county and state. The level of information collected and kept on individual citizens was scary, indeed.
It was done for marketing purposes, allegedly, but it did not take a genius to see how this could be abused. And when news broke 3 years ago about the US government's massive top secret data storage facility being built in the Western desert, again it did not take a genius to see wwhat was going on.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

I just got this from a friend that knows I love a good conspiracy theory:



> Millions of people playing a game made by a foreign company. A game that uses your camera and feeds on to their servers. People exploring sensitive areas that include police stations, military installation, restricted zones etc. If I was plotting a major offensive attack&#8230; What better way to gather your intel than from the nation's citizens themselves; and mask it as innocent nostalgic game. Think about it.
> 
> Does Pokemon "Go" really stand for Global Offensive?


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Auntie said:


> I just got this from a friend that knows I love a good conspiracy theory:


The sheep never see or think, they just walk right off the edge of the cliff. Unfortunately the numbers are mind boggling.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

A Watchman said:


> The sheep never see or think, they just walk right off the edge of the cliff. Unfortunately the numbers are mind boggling.


You made me curious about what those numbers are. I sort of wish I hadn't looked they are much more mind boggling than I thought.

July 14th


> According to The USA Today, earlier in the week, Pokémon Go was reported to have been downloaded at least 15 million times. But other recent data suggests the number is even higher than that.
> 
> As of Monday, July 11th, the game was seeing about 21 million daily active users, according to Survey Monkey. This means that in terms of daily users, it is the biggest mobile game in U.S. history. For comparison, at its peak Candy Crush reportedly had about 20 million daily active users in the United States.


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