OT: Smart Phones, Diminishing Attention Spans and the Lost Art of Reading.

[paredown]

I have a friend/mentor who reads two books a day (!) on average, and is still doing so, although his health is not good---he's hit his 80s and finds it somewhat harder to plow through stuff. And he reads serious stuff (former academic)--history, economics, philosophy, law. One of those guys that you can ask for recommendations for a few books on a topic, and you will get a annotated list--for pretty much anything!

I've been reading more in the past couple of years--before that, I was dealing with the after-effects of Lyme. I realize now that I really did lose a lot of my ability to concentrate--but it has come back (and I am grateful).

My small program is to read at least one serious piece a day (long form--like the New Yorker), try to read the main articles on the WaPo and NYTimes pages--and then I will usually try to write a short comment about what I have read--usually on a politics forum, but sometimes on personal FaceBook. I'm trying for a book a week as well. I used to have a blog, but let it lapse--but I'm thinking about starting up again.

I find the writing about what I read as important as the reading itself--for understanding and retention.

But I have started to see that the noodling around on the internet is a huge time suck, so I'm trying to limit myself to a shorter period in the morning and then get on with my day.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Hilltopwalters

I've always been "against" social media but I usually view popular trends with a large amount of mistrust. No Facebook, no instagram, no strava, nothing. I've been a life long reader and even when I dipped my toes into social media I could feel it cut into the other things that make me whole. I recently saw a poster in NYC that said "Scrolling is the new smoking" and that statement hit me like a ton of bricks. I haven't been able to get it out of my head when I look at people with their heads in their phones walking about. One of the newer punk bands I dig has a whole record that's about endlessly scrolling. It is an absurd epidemic. I've seen a few cafes and restaurants with signs saying no phone use indoors and I respect and salute them.

That's great.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I met my wife on Match.com. Best thing ever. I read just as many books as I did before Facebook. My wife reads at least a book a week. We have half our storage in the garage full of books. I am very thank for Amazon Readers so we don’t have physical storage. What we do less of is watch TV and movies. I think social media has replaced the mindless part of leisure but not the intellectual part for us. For us social media sparks conversation as much as TV did. Certainly social media has not replaced intellectual pursuits like reading books.

Originally Posted by joosttx

I met my wife on Match.com. Best thing ever. I read just as many books as I did before Facebook. My wife reads at least a book a week. We have half our storage in the garage full of books. I am very thank for Amazon Readers so we don’t have physical storage. What we do less of is watch TV and movies. I think social media has replaced the mindless part of leisure but not the intellectual part for us. For us social media sparks conversation as much as TV did. Certainly social media has not replaced intellectual pursuits like reading books.

Well, my original post was how to reclaim our attention spans from the onslaught of smart phones and social media.

You opted to point out my hypocrisy for posting on the Paceline, and defend the merits of social media in general.

On the first point, fair enough. The "Paceline" is social media. But parse things a little deeper, and you'll find that the Forum has its own "Instagram." This is called the "Custom Bike" section. It's the reason I joined the Forum in the first place. But I'm much more drawn to the "General Discussion" site these days. And have been for a long time. It's where I got a new appreciation for "art" from Burnette. I purchased a pair of shoes and jeans after starting threads on those. I learned about many talented artists from the "best music you've never heard of thread." I've appreciated the discussions on addiction, economics, and livable cities. There are several people here (MattTuck, eChappist, Doomsrideout, Deadman, Colker, BenB and many more etc...) whose bikes I've never even actually seen. And I really could care less. Because it's their thoughts and opinions that interest me. That's what makes this a viable community for me.
Others might be much more interested in bike porn, which is just fine as well. But, if an edict came down from high above (say if Gasman were wearing platform shoes) that henceforth there would be no more "GD," than that would be the end of my social media involvement.

As to your other point (the general defense of social media) I think there's a rapidly accumulating body of evidence to suggest otherwise. Increased isolation, loneliness, and the aforementioned inability to concentrate. Not to mention the myriad of postural distortions. As a personal trainer, I've seen plenty of evidence of this.

[jlwdm]

I am a residential real estate agent so I live on my phone. Clients expect a quick response 24 hrs a day. On the other hand it is great to have my entire work records on my phone, and so much other information available immediately.

Unfortunately I can’t stay off my phone. If I go to Chipotle and there is just one person in line ahead of me I pull my phone out. Usually just wasting time.

This forum is just a diversion. I don’t flip mikes or maintain my bikes so the number of useful threads is small. I don’t need to hear the ridiculous Serotta “dentist” statements again.

I go to some car forums but after a while there is less useful information.

I watch Netflix but find more and more movies and series that are a waste of time.

Smart phones and computers are amazing devices if you can control your use of them. I am failing in this regard.

Jeff

[FlashUNC]

Everybody was saying this nonsense 100 years ago. It's old man yells at cloud kinda stuff.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Well, my original post was how to reclaim our attention spans from the onslaught of smart phones and social media.

You opted to point out my hypocrisy for posting on the Paceline, and defend the merits of social media in general.

On the first point, fair enough. The "Paceline" is social media. But parse things a little deeper, and you'll find that the Forum has its own "Instagram." This is called the "Custom Bike" section. It's the reason I joined the Forum in the first place. But I'm much more drawn to the "General Discussion" site these days. And have been for a long time. It's where I got a new appreciation for "art" from Burnette. I purchased a pair of shoes and jeans after starting threads on those. I learned about many talented artists from the "best music you've never heard of thread." I've appreciated the discussions on addiction, economics, and livable cities. There are several people here (MattTuck, eChappist, Doomsrideout, Deadman, Colker, BenB and many more etc...) whose bikes I've never even actually seen. And I really could care less. Because it's their thoughts and opinions that interest me. That's what makes this a viable community for me.
Others might be much more interested in bike porn, which is just fine as well. But, if an edict came down from high above (say if Gasman were wearing platform shoes) that henceforth there would be no more "GD," than that would be the end of my social media involvement.

As to your other point (the general defense of social media) I think there's a rapidly accumulating body of evidence to suggest otherwise. Increased isolation, loneliness, and the aforementioned inability to concentrate. Not to mention the myriad of postural distortions. As a personal trainer, I've seen plenty of evidence of this.

You appreciate the community and the relationships that you created via a social media platform yet social media is bad. The rapidly accumulating body evidence saying it’s bad is a reaction of its growth and benefits. What irks me is the banality of the hot take, social media is bad so says the gen Xer. People said TV was bad, People said the Internet was bad, People even said reading was bad. Not saying it’s not bad just saying there are pro and cons and taking a Luddite point of view has been done from the beginning of the next new thing. Using the medium to critique the medium is entertaining though.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by joosttx

You appreciate the community and the relationships that you created via a social media platform yet social media is bad. The rapidly accumulating body evidence saying it’s bad is a reaction of its growth and benefits. What irks me is the banality of the hot take, social media is bad so says the gen Xer. People said TV was bad, People said the Internet was bad, People even said reading was bad. Not saying it’s not bad just saying there are pro and cons and taking a Luddite point of view has been done from the beginning of the next new thing. Using the medium to critique the medium is entertaining though.

Not true. I like some hi-tech stuff. We should rent a tandem eBike. I'll let you ride shotgun, so you can have the best views

[colker]

Originally Posted by joosttx

You appreciate the community and the relationships that you created via a social media platform yet social media is bad. The rapidly accumulating body evidence saying it’s bad is a reaction of its growth and benefits. What irks me is the banality of the hot take, social media is bad so says the gen Xer. People said TV was bad, People said the Internet was bad, People even said reading was bad. Not saying it’s not bad just saying there are pro and cons and taking a Luddite point of view has been done from the beginning of the next new thing. Using the medium to critique the medium is entertaining though.

Paceline is far far away from the intensity of facebook, ig and other platforms which are directly focused on "people". Paceline is a discussion group on bicycles. It´s tech makes for a far tamer dynamic than a facebook or instagram feed. Your old friends are on FB, new friends, possible love interests, work contacts. You organize your life through it which becomes a reflection of your life but cleaner, funnier and you don´t face traffic to meet anyone. So what is wrong w/ that?
Problem is that unlike your former pre tech environment, facebook is a business controlled by the owner´s employees through algorhythms. If facebook deletes your account by mistake it does not need to give you any explanation. Your id card is deleted and you no longer have access to those emotions that kick in so good. It´s like a Kafka novel. There is no facebook citizenship. All the rights people conquered through centuries of hard fighting are back to zero. It´s the perfect totalitarian environment while the owner company pretends all the time it´s a "we are the world" progressive situation. It´s not their agenda... their intentions may be rosy but result is a dystopia.

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by Hilltopwalters

...when I look at people with their heads in their phones walking about.

I use the phrase, "heads UP their phones".

[marciero]

Originally Posted by joosttx

You appreciate the community and the relationships that you created via a social media platform yet social media is bad. The rapidly accumulating body evidence saying it’s bad is a reaction of its growth and benefits. What irks me is the banality of the hot take, social media is bad so says the gen Xer. People said TV was bad, People said the Internet was bad, People even said reading was bad. Not saying it’s not bad just saying there are pro and cons and taking a Luddite point of view has been done from the beginning of the next new thing. Using the medium to critique the medium is entertaining though.

You’re painting with pretty broad strokes here. Just because an internet platform mediates discourse does not make it “social media”, in anything like the sense that that term has come to represent. Nor does the luddite reaction to the latest new thing, the “kids today”/”man yells at cloud” phenomenon, quite apply. Discussion boards, not to mention the internet itself, have been around for decades, and what we call social media has been around since the early aughts. It’s only the awareness of the darker and more sinister effects- a result of the singular goal of encouraging, rewarding, and ultimately modifying and commanding behaviors of users in ways that benefit advertisers- that has been more recent.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by marciero

You’re painting with pretty broad strokes here. Just because an internet platform mediates discourse does not make it “social media”, in anything like the sense that that term has come to represent. Nor does the luddite reaction to the latest new thing, the “kids today”/”man yells at cloud” phenomenon, quite apply. Discussion boards, not to mention the internet itself, have been around for decades, and what we call social media has been around since the early aughts. It’s only the awareness of the darker and more sinister effects- a result of the singular goal of encouraging, rewarding, and ultimately modifying and commanding behaviors of users in ways that benefit advertisers- that has been more recent.

Me and the dictionary are in a agreement:

so·cial me·di·a
/ˌsōSHəl ˈmēdēə/
noun
noun: social media; plural noun: social medias
websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

[oldpotatoe]

Pretty easy..and buy a flip phone....

[oldpotatoe]

I recently saw a poster in NYC that said "Scrolling is the new smoking"

Disagree..all smoking is an addiction but not all addiction is smoking.
Bottom line that handheld and desk top brain cells have become an addiction, just like riding a bike or running has, with more than a few(here?)...

BUT an addiction, non-the-less.

joostx writes-

Certainly social media has not replaced intellectual pursuits like reading books.

Maybe not for you but it has for lots of people. What's 'muddy' is using social media as a tool to pursue intellectual info.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

What's 'muddy' is using social media as a tool to pursue intellectual info.

This is the issue. Well written.

[Ti Designs]

I was born without a sequential memory, which means everything I do I have to hyperfocus on, and I can't have a cell phone.