Get off my lawn!
Jul. 5th, 2011 09:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icepixieDear God. Apparently Google wants to be the next Facebook. Their campaign appears to be based on, "We have all the features of Facebook, but unlike those fools, we have PRIVACY. Sooo much privacy! You know who's got privacy? We do! Look at all this privacy up in here!" Plus features that I didn't pay much attention to because I don't have a smart phone.*
I truly believe that one day, we will wake up to find that Google has taken over the governments of every nation on Earth, and has a unified world government in beta.
* One day in not too many years, a cell phone that's more computer than voice-transmission device is going to be required to join modern society, much in the way landlines were in the middle of the twentieth century and computers with internet access are becoming now, aren't they? Ugh. I don't deny they're handy, but I reject the notion of being accessible at all times on principle. I might be doing nothing more than staring at a wall in my free time, but it's still mine, and not to be infringed upon. As well, I've really grown to dislike the experience of trying to talk someone when they're interrupted by texts every twenty seconds. It's so rude! I just want to slap the phone out of people's hands when they do that.
...I have officially turned into an old lady.
I truly believe that one day, we will wake up to find that Google has taken over the governments of every nation on Earth, and has a unified world government in beta.
* One day in not too many years, a cell phone that's more computer than voice-transmission device is going to be required to join modern society, much in the way landlines were in the middle of the twentieth century and computers with internet access are becoming now, aren't they? Ugh. I don't deny they're handy, but I reject the notion of being accessible at all times on principle. I might be doing nothing more than staring at a wall in my free time, but it's still mine, and not to be infringed upon. As well, I've really grown to dislike the experience of trying to talk someone when they're interrupted by texts every twenty seconds. It's so rude! I just want to slap the phone out of people's hands when they do that.
...I have officially turned into an old lady.
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Date: 2011-07-06 02:52 am (UTC)One of the things I love about my job is if someone is on their cell phone, I can tell them to leave and go to the lobby and come back when their call is over; if they insist on talking, or texting, I just ignore them and go do something else. And not only is this allowed, it's encouraged. Amazing.
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Date: 2011-07-06 05:05 am (UTC)Wow. That...is very special. (Heh, it reminds me of how I managed to completely freak out some of my undergrads when I told them I didn't own a TV. "Inconceivable" indeed.)
That is definitely an awesome thing about your job!
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Date: 2011-07-06 03:26 am (UTC)I'll get a smart phone when they're the bare-bones standard, like basic cameraphones are today. Until then, eh. My current phone is a resurrected version of the model I got maybe four years ago, and that's ancient by cellphone standards, but I hate the wastefulness of "throw away your old dinosaur phone every six months or rot in uncool obsolescence!!11!!!!" [ps phones with dinosaurs? I would get that.]
I don't think it's smart phones that cause hyperconnectedness - it's just phones in general. And yes, I HATE people who check out of live conversations to talk to their phones. I was out to dinner with people a while back, and after we ordered, somebody got out a smart phone, then somebody else, then somebody else, and within two minutes I was sitting at a table surrounded by people staring at their phones in silence, and I was like, "Okay, I'll just be over here rearranging the salt shakers, then." So rude! And then they apologize and acknowledge their rudeness AND THEN THEY GO BACK TO STARING AT THEIR PHONES.
Phone-Slapping: my new favorite sport?
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Date: 2011-07-06 03:52 am (UTC)Thank god this isn't just me!
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Date: 2011-07-06 04:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-06 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-06 05:11 am (UTC)Assuming your parents are even on it at all, which thankfully mine are not...
I'll get a smart phone when they're the bare-bones standard, like basic cameraphones are today. Until then, eh.
This is my thought as well; if it's cheaper to get a smart phone than a regular one, then fine, but until then, nope. Also, I'm only getting a data plan when it's a reasonable pay-as-you-go fee.
My current phone is at least four years old. I think our plan allows my parents and me to get new ones every two years, but why bother?
I don't think it's smart phones that cause hyperconnectedness - it's just phones in general.
Oh, this is definitely true, although I think smart phones make it easier to disappear from the present moment, and the expectation that one will be available to read a text/e-mail/whatever is higher. And it's the expectation that annoys me most, not the potential to choose to be connected.
I have TOTALLY been in that everyone's-on-their-phone-but-me situation! I pulled out a book. It was my co-workers and we didn't really want to talk anyway, so it...worked out well for us, actually. But it sucks more when it's people I actually want to talk to.
Phone-Slapping: my new favorite sport?
There should be medals for the longest distance it flies from someone's hand!
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Date: 2011-07-06 06:00 am (UTC)My brother is the only other member of my family on facebook. Unfortunately, he's also the only one who would ever switch to Google+.
Also, I'm only getting a data plan when it's a reasonable pay-as-you-go fee.
Heh, I'm waiting for data to be an assumed component, like voicemail.
I think our plan allows my parents and me to get new ones every two years, but why bother?
If it ain't broke, don't upgrade it!
I think the real evil of smart phones is the availability of Facebook on them, ugh. But as far as expectation... I enjoy cultivating an air of "may or may not pick up her phone and probably will answer all facebook messages a minimum of three weeks late." But it's frustrating that that's so far from the norm.
But it sucks more when it's people I actually want to talk to.
I know, right? Because then it gives the impression that you never wanted to be in the conversation in the first place and were looking for a way out, as with dull coworkers!
There should be medals for the longest distance it flies from someone's hand!
Yes! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N38arD3fsmo)
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Date: 2011-07-06 06:25 am (UTC)Given how expensive even regular cable internet is these days, I'm gonna guess that's "never."
I think the real evil of smart phones is the availability of Facebook on them, ugh.
Yessssssssss.
I enjoy cultivating an air of "may or may not pick up her phone and probably will answer all facebook messages a minimum of three weeks late." But it's frustrating that that's so far from the norm.
Oh, I cultivate that air as much as possible, but it takes a while.
Penguin-tossing! I think I had an animated icon of that video once. Awww.
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Date: 2011-07-07 02:30 am (UTC)Haha, remember when you paid for home internet by the hour?
Oh, I cultivate that air as much as possible, but it takes a while.
If only it came in convenient forehead-sized-stamp form...
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Date: 2011-07-07 07:57 pm (UTC)Thankfully, I managed to avoid that! Having a parent in the public school system had advantages. We never had AOL because he got some kind of cool access via the school system for a while, and then we switched to a cable modem in the late nineties. I do remember our 14.4k modem from when I was ten or twelve, though. And then a few years at 28.8k. Ooooof.
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Date: 2011-07-08 02:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-06 03:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-06 05:12 am (UTC)*originally typo'd "cane-shanking," which I rather enjoy the mental image of...*
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Date: 2011-07-06 03:51 am (UTC)This is how I feel, too. It's actually a little genuinely uncomfortable sometimes, because I feel like in the past few years the pace of change in technology--and particularly social technology--has increased exponentially. And for a variety of reasons, I haven't really bothered to keep up on it, so where five years ago I felt pretty Internet-age savvy,* now... I honestly feel a bit like my parents felt back then. :/ I neither read nor use Twitter; I don't regularly read blogs; I get on Facebook maybe once every few months; I only just figured out what Tumblr is, and forget anything more recent than that; all I know about my phone is that I can call people on it and the service is Verizon; I couldn't define "smartphone" if I tried; I barely know what tablets and iPads are; I still think DVR is the most mind-blowing and magical thing in TV ever, and I get the feeling that by now it's been around, like, a looong time; and it's not that I hate ALL of those things or look down on people who use them, but... I don't even really want to get up to speed. And sometimes that makes me feel like, Man, I'm kind of going to get screwed by The Future, I'm going to be totally out of the loop, when did I become a Luddite?
Anyway. God, that whole paragraph is simultaneously so old-lady-yelling-at-youngters-from-front-porch AND so old-scifi "but what about when the computers become sentient and ENSLAVE US?" that it's embarrassing. But seriously, dude. I cannot adapt! Darwin would hate me!
(*remember back when some blogs weren't practically part of the mainstream media? remember when most people had no idea what fanfiction was? remember when only geeks wrote on the Internet about anything at all? remember when only "losers" looked for dates online? remember when YouTube was nothing but songvids? [exaggeration; I actually can't remember what was on it back then or even really when I first became aware of it.] remember when THERE WAS NO FACEBOOK? Not gonna lie, I had more fun back then.)
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Date: 2011-07-06 05:30 am (UTC)I do like new hardware, but generally for practical reasons. I like my dad's iPad is because it's easier to surf the internet on when lying in bed than a laptop is, and my wacky back no longer allows me to spend all day at my desk. Smart phones...I definitely see the benefits of being able to get directions to the nearest whatever on the fly and things like that, but still have no burning desire to own one. HD TV is definitely prettier than the older kind. DVR is still completely magical to me as I have yet to actually see it in action, but I kind of want it. (My family has actually regressed in this area, as the DVD/Blu-Ray--which, for the record, I don't see much improvement with--machine we have now doesn't have a record function. Thankfully, everything's online now so I don't have to record anything...) But I would probably not even NOTICE half these things if my dad wasn't into the latest and greatest technology.
And sometimes that makes me feel like, Man, I'm kind of going to get screwed by The Future
That's the same feeling I get when I think about how web design has progressed. I used to have a shot at getting a job that required a bit of HTML/Dreamweaver knowledge in addition to other things I could do. CSS completely passed me by, though, and I'm about six years behind on internet savvy.
I, too, liked the internet more when it was the exclusive domain of geeks. Not so much because it was exclusive and this made me feel cool, although there was that, but also because only people who really wanted to talk about geeky things were on it, so there was less dross to wade through. Also (and yes, I am a horrible classist pig for saying this), when Facebook and its ilk wasn't ubiquitous and online blogging and social media required some intelligence to access, readers reaped the fruits of that intelligence. Now we have textspeak. And I cry.
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Date: 2011-07-06 06:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-06 06:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-06 09:21 pm (UTC)Yes. This. I haven't been interested in What's New in Social Media since I got a Livejournal (well, I mean aside from Dreamwidth, but Dreamwidth is essentially the same technology).
I do definitely see the use of portable devices on which you can get the Internet. Actually, almost every single person know has an iPad or some kind of whatever-phone, to the point where if I'm wandering around lost somewhere, I think, "Oh, I'll just pull up Google Maps! ...oh wait, that's everyone else's phone that can do that, not mine." So, yeah. That does make sense. I guess my only reservation there is that, weirdly, I don't want to have Internet access everywhere all the time. (This is why when we used to go on family vacations, I would OMG LEAVE MY LAPTOP BEHIND and be unreachable by email for a week or so.)
My father won a case for a client who sells... TV... stuff (I DO NOT EVEN KNOW), and my dad agreed to let him pay it back in services... which meant we got a free TV with DVR installed for free as a sort of family Christmas present. :) I doubt we would've ever gotten it otherwise, honestly. I mean, my family still has (lots of) videocassettes.
but also because only people who really wanted to talk about geeky things were on it, so there was less dross to wade through. Also (and yes, I am a horrible classist pig for saying this), when Facebook and its ilk wasn't ubiquitous and online blogging and social media required some intelligence to access, readers reaped the fruits of that intelligence.
THIS. SO MUCH. That's one of the things I do like about Dreamwidth, actually; it's much more articulate-geek-centric, and I miss that elsewhere.
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Date: 2011-07-07 07:47 pm (UTC)Okay, that I do find it difficult to do. I want the option of checking e-mail and LJ, just not the obligation. Picky, I know. ;)
That's one of the things I do like about Dreamwidth, actually; it's much more articulate-geek-centric, and I miss that elsewhere.
I actually haven't noticed a lot of difference in that area, but I think it's because I avoid the areas of LJ that aren't articulate-geek-centric. Though come to think of it, when someone gave me some paid time over there, I perused my "network" a few times, and it was definitely more interesting to read than my friendsfriends here, which I avoid like the plague. (Though if there was a way to just read personal journals on friendsfriends, rather than be subjected to the communities--UGH, ONTD--I'd be more interested.)
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Date: 2011-07-06 04:11 am (UTC)Not to be all "oooo, but smaaaaart phone" pod-person about it... that's exactly how I feel about cellphones in general, and exactly why I like my smart phone. I am accessible... when I want to be. If I'm meeting with people and something changes at the last minute or someone gets lost, I can see it / talk to them whether they've emailed or phoned. I can still avoid texting almost entirely, but I can check my email or see what's happening online if I'm stuck in a line or at a bus-stop somewhere, and I can use Pandora (awesome online radio) on my phone when I've lost my mp3 player (...for the last year...). And I still miss or ignore my phone half the time when it rings, whether because I've forgotten to charge it or because I'm busy and hate to answer the phone when I'm doing something else.
*Shrugs* Your mileage may vary, as with everything, but my experience is that the cell or smart phone is exactly like anything else - precisely as intrusive as you let it be. Leave it at home, mute it, turn it all the way off, or just ignore whoever the hell you don't want to deal with.
...That said, don't ever allow it access to your work email, if you do get one. That's just asking for trouble.
Oh, and interrupting phone calls or conversations to answer another (or a text, or whatever)? Yeah, hellishly rude. My mother does that, and it drives me up the freaking wall.
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Date: 2011-07-06 05:34 am (UTC)Definitely they can be amazing little devices when used on one's own terms, but then you have, "Oh my god, why didn't you answer your phoooooooone?!?!", which is really what I hate. At least until you train everyone who might want to get in touch with you to the idea of not-always-available. :D
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Date: 2011-07-06 06:33 am (UTC)I'm with you - I think my main problem is that because it "allows" me to pay attention to someone at a moment's notice, the attitude seems to be that I MUST pay attention to someone at a moment's notice. (Okay, and the fact that the students seem to think they cannot physically survive without their phone in their hands.) Dear God, how did we EVER survive when you had to find a PAY PHONE to contact someone when you were away from home?
As far as FB vs. Google, I am Wary. FB started out all "oooh, we won't invade your privacy!", too. And like you said, Google is a lot more... far-reaching. I saw this graphic (http://i.imgur.com/OlaR9.png) on Tumblr* tonight and it basically sums up my reluctance to switch (besides the whole bandwagon quality of it all).
*I got a Tumblr account a couple of months ago to follow a few threads. I also created a Twitter account at the same time. So far I've made one total post to each. Basically, I putter around the damn things feeling clueless...
I remember when fandom was mailing lists that weren't through YahooGroups or whatever they were before it. I remember reading 800+ posts per day to the Space: Above & Beyond list on a computer that didn't have a mouse. *sigh*
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Date: 2011-07-06 08:23 pm (UTC)I think my main problem is that because it "allows" me to pay attention to someone at a moment's notice, the attitude seems to be that I MUST pay attention to someone at a moment's notice.
Yes! Yes, I hate that!
FB started out all "oooh, we won't invade your privacy!", too.
Did they, though? 2004 is pretty hazy to me now, but I remember being able to see quite a bit of my profile when logged out, even when I privacied it up to the max. Though I agree, I wouldn't trust any service's claims to privacy, even Google's. That graphic is an excellent reason why.
I got a Tumblr a couple weeks ago, purely so I could track a bunch of tags. A couple of my fandoms seem to exist primarily over there, alas.
I remember when fandom was mailing lists that weren't through YahooGroups or whatever they were before it.
There were definitely advantages to that, although I like LJ-style fandom too. I miss having a central place to discuss a show with a bunch of people, instead of having multiple one-on-one conversations scattered across LJ.
...OMG, 800 posts. And I thought 250 a day with Kenyon's allstu was bad.
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Date: 2011-07-07 02:10 am (UTC)Did they, though?
I think the key is one's definition of privacy. It's always touted as "oooh, lookit this awesome new way to connect with your 1,876 closest friends, and you don't even have to lift a finger!" that becomes "wait, you DON'T want people to know that? Huh..." I seriously don't think they actually consider it a privacy issue.
purely so I could track a bunch of tags.
Yep, that was the reason for me, too. If I can up and admit that I'm in it for the pretties, might as well go where the medium is visual.
I miss having a central place to discuss a show with a bunch of people
Yeah, it was amazing when EVERYONE was on one listserv. (Listserv! That's what it was!!) Space-l was routinely 500+ posts per day (that's where I came to appreciate the Wonder & Beauty of Snip & Combine), then right after an ep it would explode. Looking back, it kinda blows my mind... And everything was together - on-topic, off-topic, fic, conversations between 2-3 people.... It was like with the shipper list - people thought I was insane for going off to meet people *gasp* from the Internet!, but I was like dude, nobody's going to put effort into following this unless they're truly interested. An axe murderer is gonna find lower-maintenance targets. *g*
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Date: 2011-07-07 07:53 pm (UTC)Yeah, I agree, particularly since that brouhaha where Zuckerberg e-mailed someone to say he thought privacy was stupid or whatever that was all about. I remember them suggesting they didn't care about privacy kind of from the beginning, though.
If I can up and admit that I'm in it for the pretties, might as well go where the medium is visual.
It's not even really that I'm in it for the pretties--although they're nice--it's that I simply can't find (enough) fandom for some things I watch on LJ. I would prefer fic and long discussion posts or essays, but if pictures are all they've got, I'll take pictures.
An axe murderer is gonna find lower-maintenance targets.
Exactly. :D
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Date: 2011-07-06 09:15 am (UTC)In private, I'll check my phone when I'm alone, e.g. at lunch or waiting for public transport or on the tube, but I don't text or have random calls in company. If it's something urgent, I might excuse myself and step outside for a brief conversation or ask permission to send a text message and then put the phone away again. Everything else's just so fucking rude.
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Date: 2011-07-06 09:09 pm (UTC)That's totally the way to deal with it.