Communication systems. Have we gone to far?

Everyone these days is either texting, twittering,blogging,vloging,facebooking,msning,skyping each other. Its gotten to the point where you can have a friend and never actually meet them face to face. My question is, has it gone a bit to far?

Now adays people meet up less and less because when they meet face to face they have nothing to say because they communicate mostly if not completely through communication system. Though the purpose of communications systems, such as these is to expand your social circle, does it hinder your real life social circle.




Side note. I've learnt through anatomy that more and more cases of kids developing arthritis at ages as young as 14 are occuring. Why you ask? because they text soo frequently they wear out the joints in the fingers and thumbs. Doesn't it seem like its gone to far?

I am massive fan of technology, however, one simple piece of communication technology really annoys me... the mobile phone. It rings and no matter how important your conversation you answer the damn thing.

However, on the specifric styles of communication yoiu mention, the worst by 100 million miles IMHO is facebook. That can truly cripple you in a Real-life face-to-face situation, as well as eating away at your active life. Twitter is too limited to have any real effect, although it is ever expanding, i think the novelty has worn off for most.

Blogging is more a one way tool, though it can be a two way thing, and most of the blogging sites I ever go to are essentially websites anyway. Blogging has made making a website easier to those too lazy, uninclined or who struggle with building their own websites, besides it's free. I do not read any blogs or got to any blogs that are essentially someones life.

MSN has been around for years, and is very useful. Many companies use MSN style communications to keep in touch with live issues as well.

I am a real technocrat, and don't like many of the tools you mention reyes, but they exist, so we must now live with them.

True, I'm not saying they don't have there uses. They can be very useful in the area you mentioned, but I just don't like the fact that face to face meeting with people are becoming less popular because of these. I'm all for technology, but only to a point. I agree with you about mobiles. I only send out texts unless they are of some importances, not random "I just got my hair cut" or "hey watcha doing?, I'm soo bored" stupid texts like that. Sure I'll call someone to catch up with them and just have a casual conversation, but not text an entire conversation

I use texts to ARRANGE face to face meetings. I use texts to INFORM of delays. I use texts to give out a QUICK opinion or fact that it is more cost effective to do than call (unless it is sensitive). I know these people who conduct their lives bt text - get a life is all I say to these people. Theys ay they have a life, the text convos is evidence, I ask when they last met these people, and then of course I win the argument.

Twitter can be funny sometimes, I am bored of it now, same with fb.

And I agree with you that theres not turning back. We've entered the age of the digital communication, but I refuse to let it take me. I'll go to to the movies with friends or hangout at someones house, but I will never add someone as a neighbour, send a goat or an alien cow to someone in Farmville on Facebook

Vektrix wrote:I use texts to ARRANGE face to face meetings. I use texts to INFORM of delays. I use texts to give out a QUICK opinion or fact that it is more cost effective to do than call (unless it is sensitive). I know these people who conduct their lives bt text - get a life is all I say to these people. Theys ay they have a life, the text convos is evidence, I ask when they last met these people, and then of course I win the argument.

Twitter can be funny sometimes, I am bored of it now, same with fb.

Exactly, practical texts are fine, I just hate getting random texts from people saying "OMG, I just saw a pink car with flowers on it" I actually got this text from someone not too recently.

That is just silly - they should make free texts illegal :hmmm:

If you wanna do that, join twitter, and then everyone who receives it you known is possibly interested. I just don't get it myself, but hey, I am on that band-wagon.

Oh and yes, it has gone too far. Use facebook to stay in touch with people - it is especially good for those that you live NOWHERE NEAR too. But c'mon, I don't care about Farmville, Mafia Wars or scrabble. I have Spore, leave me alone.

Vektrix wrote:That is just silly - they should make free texts illegal :hmmm:

If you wanna do that, join twitter, and then everyone who receives it you known is possibly interested. I just don't get it myself, but hey, I am on that band-wagon.

Oh and yes, it has gone too far. Use facebook to stay in touch with people - it is especially good for those that you live NOWHERE NEAR too. But c'mon, I don't care about Farmville, Mafia Wars or scrabble. I have Spore, leave me alone.

lol, but the different with spore is that its not necessarily a place for meeting people in real life, its just about meeting talented people and sharing art (of sorts)

I think it's gone a bit too far, but then again people who remember old ways of doing things usually do see the bad sides to new things becase they have that memory to weigh up the pros and cons. New generations simply don't have that luxury.

I really miss sitting down and writing a letter to say thanks for somting or to communicate with someone far away. I do it occassionally, but usually people prefer me to e mail IMO it's kinda a lazy way, a letter or a phonecall or (let's be really radical) meeting in person *gasp* shows much more appreciation and time and usually yields better conversations anyway.


I think it's shocking how most teenagers now will rather sit on MSN and talk than actually walk a little way and go round each others house, or go out. I appreciate that you can't always do that but I think it's sad that when given the choice most will choose MSN. I also dislike facebook too, I had one and realised it was nothing more than a popularity contest and quite pointless. I have also seen things like this rip friendships apart because of stupid things like 'you took me off your BFF list'.

I occasionally blog, I quite often come here as you would have noticed, and I have a dA account, oh and spore. But I try to use them to reinforce my interests that are already there, like spore and art. I wouldn't let those things become a priority in my real life.

I really like the fact I can talk to people from all around and meet people as it's somthing I enjoy and I appreciate what technology has done in that aspect, but I dislike the fact I think it makes communication in actual life more awkward. I have actually seen people say L-O-L or 'Like button' rather than saying they like somthing or laughing.

I was always a bit odd at college and school. Everyone used to be like, you are never on your facebook or bebo or MSN. I really hated using them, people thought I was a bit odd for not uploading every snapshot from a night out on there or not updating my status everytime I changed my activity. I thought everyone was odd for not living in a real world.

Oh dear god, I hate it when someone says LOL or OMG when they are talking to me face to face. And I agree, alot of people now a days would rathertalk on msn than in real life, which is said. But I'm only 18, so I grew up in this age of texting and internet, but I still take face to face over the internet any day.

p.s I fewel your pain. My friends always told me "why don't you go on msn or facebook" "get a facebook page or a myspace". I don't care if someone uploads a picture of them getting trashed at a party. I agree with you, when did real life become the realm of weirdos?

Text speak has no place other than in a text message to someone who understands it.

Twitter is really big hacker's community
Skype is the Best!
And others are sh...

Skype!!!!

Lol, I can understand hackers wanting to use twitter. It's so direct it's almost rude.

Twitter is just a fad as far as I am concerned. At least I can say I am being followed by Stephen Fry I have not used twitter for almost six weeks now.

Gawd.. you think technology is bad now? I love technology. And, strangely, I love talking to people on the internet. Yes, they may be pervs, though I wouldn't dream of ever meeting up with anyone online. But I just enjoy making friends like this as well as in real life. Only difference is, the internet has a far greater range of characters and personalities.

That'll all change soon. I've seen a presentation at school, and an article on the internet, about how technology shall evolve in the near future. It scares me. That's where I think technology goes too far.

Yeah, I am comfortable with the way it is now. Probably because I am familiar with it, but when I see people only a few years younger than me talking like they were typing, it scares me.

Purely because of the idea that just that short amount of time people have changed thier behaviours, like you said technology is bound to advance amazingly so in the future and with it obviously the way we behave.

It has it's positives, like meeting a wide range of people, therefore we become less ignorant of other cultures and other opinions but when you take into consideration what it means for the future... A school in Korea (I think, could be japan) has alrady got robot teachers as a trial run. How long before kids are ushered back and foward to school, to be taught by a robot as an accepted practisce?

That's where technology starts to degrade our communication, essnetially devolving us and making our levels of communication extremley base.