Is technology making us unhappy?

[Fowlers God]

Que I should have put.

[Guest davelfc]

I refuse to go to self service tills. Fuck that shit- they never work, you always have to wait for someone to come over as something needs authorisation ect. Fuck that, ill cue to look at the blonde uni birds tits thanks.

 

All frumpy types these days. Was in town a while ago and went into a shop, as I was being served the bird at the till was chatting with the other on the next till about her hubby knocking back a job because it was working with asbestos.

 

I said, nasty stuff that asbestos. My uncle died of asbestosis, took seven days to cremate him. Blank look from both, then as I said it was a joke, one looked at me and said, aww never mind.

 

I stick to self service now, better class of assistant.

[Flying Pig]

You know what they say about nostalgia...

 

[YOUTUBE]aCTc0c6gP9A[/YOUTUBE]

 

...it aint what it used to be.

 

I got goosepimples watching that. The pre jump wheelie on 1:01 and the helmetless Evel at the end are amazeballs.

 

 

 

Ah the days when porn was the underwear section of a catalogue. How I grew to despise those judgemental semi clad bitches.

 

I have to find more stranger categories on my porn searches to get the smallest of erectile twitches these days (and its not just my age). When its easy to find all the fun is lost. Sad times.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Automated telephone "services".

 

{Breathes heavily, getting angry}

[llego]

Consumerism is about creating and stoking desires. We are all susceptible to desires, but we are happiest when we have none!

 

So yes, consumerism & technology, which are by now one and the same, is making us unhappier, by convincing us that we need more and more to be happy.

 

We dont need anything to be happy.

[Flying Pig]

Consumerism is about creating and stoking desires. We are all susceptible to desires, but we are happiest when we have none!

 

So yes, consumerism & technology, which are by now one and the same, is making us unhappier, by convincing us that we need more and more to be happy.

 

We dont need anything to be happy.

 

I may steal that quote. And its spot on too.

[Flying Pig]

Don't talk to me about modern "music", just don't, alright ?

 

Just don't even go there. Ever.

 

This :

 

[YOUTUBE]MFQI-u5ExUE[/YOUTUBE]

 

or this :

 

[YOUTUBE]9ibblFcvaKQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

Sorry, should have put that in NSFW tags.

 

 

Even music has been ruined by 'advances' in technolgy. Auto tuning devices allow any good looking puppet to release a song now. Before this they had to have (incredible but true) a decent singing voice and some talent.

[DPW]

Good thread.

[bossy]

Good thread.

 

Indeed. Has me thinking and I might even contribute to it.

[Seeking Justice]

Porn is the worst for this, everyone is so desensitized to it these days it effects dopamine response which in turn effects all sorts of things including general hapiness. Remember back in the day you would see page 3 of the star and think it was amazing? and now you try and find the weirdest stuff around because your brain has been reprogrammed, and it effects real relationships, men not being interested in having sex with their girls or wives, because mentally have alredy have their fill with millions of girls on the internet. Men are addicted to porn and most dont even realise.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Even the wank bank has swallowed your card ?

 

Happy Christmas fella.

[brucespanner]

We always look back through rose tinted spectacles.

 

We've always been unhappy, we just have a place to leave traces of it now with social media.

[Lurtz]

Fuck this shit. I've just stumbled across Duke Nukem for the PS3 in the Asda for a tenner. Why was I not informed about this earlier?

 

See you in the summer.

[thesouthafrican]

Don't talk to me about modern "music", just don't, alright ?

 

Just don't even go there. Ever.

 

This :

 

[YOUTUBE]MFQI-u5ExUE[/YOUTUBE]

 

or this :

 

[YOUTUBE]9ibblFcvaKQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

Sorry, should have put that in NSFW tags.

 

Aah, come on. I see this kind of thing on facebook all the time. It's obviously an unfair comparison. Comparing one of the most famous bands of an era to the worst, jokiest shite of today. I bet 99.999% of the songs that came out in 1970 sounded awful compared to 'Since I've Been Loving You'.

 

Music today, just like always, is mostly poor, a little bit of good and a tiny bit of great.

 

Check out some decent modern music before you write it off:

 

El Camino - Black Keys (2011)

Only by the Night - Kings of Leon (2008 )

Whatever People Think I Am... - Arctic Monkeys (2006)

Tyrannosaurus Hives - The Hives (2004)

Elephant - White Stripes (2003)

Up the Bracket - The Libertines (2002)

 

and of course

 

Kid A - Radiohead (2000)

 

I listen to a lot of music from all different eras and I don't think it's getting worse, I think it's much easier to produce today so there's a lot more diversity. So if anything it's better.

 

Two of my all-time favourite albums, by the way, are In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998 ) and Astral Weeks (1968 ).

 

And I'm not going to even try and convince you about the merits of rap and hip-hop...

[llego]

We always look back through rose tinted spectacles.

 

We've always been unhappy, we just have a place to leave traces of it now with social media.

 

I think its hard to argue that technology & materialism havent changed our daily life in a pretty fundamental way.

[thesouthafrican]

I think I disagree with the main premise of the thread, although I realise I'm probably younger than most of you (23 next week). Incidentally, did someone say above that life in the 1940s wasn't as bad as we thought?

 

The Nine-teen-forties. What the actual fuck.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Aah, come on. I see this kind of thing on facebook all the time. It's obviously an unfair comparison. Comparing one of the most famous bands of an era to the worst, jokiest shite of today. I bet 99.999% of the songs that came out in 1970 sounded awful compared to 'Since I've Been Loving You'.

 

Music today, just like always, is mostly poor, a little bit of good and a tiny bit of great.

 

Check out some decent modern music before you write it off:

 

El Camino - Black Keys (2011)

Only by the Night - Kings of Leon (2008 )

Whatever People Think I Am... - Arctic Monkeys (2006)

Tyrannosaurus Hives - The Hives (2004)

Elephant - White Stripes (2003)

Up the Bracket - The Libertines (2002)

 

and of course

 

Aqua - Barbie Girl(2000)

 

 

And I'm not going to even try and convince you about the merits of rap and hip-hop...

 

NWA "Straight Outta Compton" and Public Enemy "Fear of a Black Planet" are two of my faves ya cheeky fucker...

 

I think I disagree with the main premise of the thread, although I realise I'm probably younger than most of you (23 next week).

 

Negged for being :

 

a. on facebook

 

b. being wrong

 

c. being young.

[bri]

You could write a whole thesis on this but I'll touch on a few things.

 

The idea that technology can free us up to do more socially is a lie really, you can just do more, all the time and if your job allows never be disconnected from work. That for me is a trapping of technology.

 

However I know people who work in the sectors where for example they can work in a beach cafe in Northern Brazil at the kitesurf spot and generate a european income. There is a whole sector of people searching for that balance of securing an income whilst NOT being tied down to a desk. It's certainly not an easy place to find but I do know people out there looking for it.

 

The trappings I see are generally in young people and their need to be online almost 24/7. It started with camera phones at gigs, disconnecting yourself from the immediate experience thinking it has value whereas no one really gave a fuck about your shit 3 min youtube clip. That's been further exasperated with the smart phone. How many gigs etc do you go to and see people on there phone, checking in, etc annoying as fuck that is.

 

To counter that though where I live has a social network going on through twitter. So I'll get tweets of offers, updates, things going on locally that otherwise I might not get to know about. I see all that as being involved locally, not massively but you know. There is a large movement to support the local high st shops so they don't go under & this is done through a twitter feed. So whilst I might be immediately disconnected from my immediate environment I'm connected to my local, home environment.

 

I do have a certain amount of repetitive addiction going on.

 

For example when I started snowboarding there was no way of really knowing the snow forecast prior to actually getting there. Whereas now I can tune into the snow cams and see it coming down or not which then has a predetermined effect on my mood going on the trip, especially if it hasn't snowed for a while or it isn't going to either. So rather than just enjoying the experience for what it is and getting on with it, I can predetermine a lot of the outcome.

 

BUT

 

If you look at the anne williams recent online petition, would that of been possible pre tech, no chance, same with the impetus behind the JFT96 work that's been going on. A lot of the drive for that has been through tech.

 

The thing with tech I find is filtering out the noise, the nonsense. I also think it's vital to understand the tech you use and learn how it's using you.

 

For example you have no ownership of the images you upload to facebook & once someone shares that image facebook have no obligation to delete it if you want to delete your account.

 

We are teaching our 13 yr old that what goes online stays online. If in 10 years time she's going for a job it'll be easy for a co to search her online social network and get a handle on her.

 

There are times when tech makes my life easier and thus happier then there are times it needs to be turned off completely

[thesouthafrican]

NWA "Straight Outta Compton" and Public Enemy "Fear of a Black Planet" are two of my faves ya cheeky fucker...

 

Respect, homie.

 

Negged for being :

 

a. on facebook

 

b. being wrong

 

c. being young.

 

I think those three things might all be connected. But I'll take the neg like a man.

[Flying Pig]

Fuck this shit. I've just stumbled across Duke Nukem for the PS3 in the Asda for a tenner. Why was I not informed about this earlier?

 

See you in the summer.

 

I love Duke Nukem. I'm off to the ASDA. This thread is shit and whoever started it is a fat scouse cunt.

[llego]

Respect, homie.

 

 

 

I think those three things might all be connected. But I'll take the neg like a man.

 

Im 25, so I will pull my infinite seniority and neg you for saying "Ill take the neg like a man." That's not taking the neg like a man.

[jonnybastard]

Fuck this shit. I've just stumbled across Duke Nukem for the PS3 in the Asda for a tenner. Why was I not informed about this earlier?

 

See you in the summer.

 

Bargain. Fucking ASDA is miles away though, and I really can't be arsed to drive. The wife can't drive, so it will be nearly morning by the time she's walked back with it. I'll let her suck on my boom stick as a reward.

[TheBitch]

Good thread.

 

 

I've found that while I've been in out of the way places the last couple of years, where I've literally been days away from modern civilisation, for example, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal, I really haven't missed it as I've been engrossed in wonderful, natural, picturesque beauty and I've immersed myself in all of that and I could really get used to it. I think I'm a bit of hippy born a bit late.

 

But I do like the fact I can keep in touch with people that matter and let them know I'm good and enjoying myself when I do get back to an Internet connection and I know those people like that too.

 

But when I'm in the hustle and bustle of modern life, I like the fact that I can get on here and talk with like minded people, I can read a paper anywhere, and I can look at porn anywhere I like too. I no longer need to wait to get home to rewind a VHS with a plug in 'remote control' to get to my favourite money shot.

 

Sent from my iPad.

[Kevin D]

It's here, get over it.

[Flying Pig]

Good thread.

 

 

I've found that while I've been in out of the way places the last couple of years, where I've literally been days away from modern civilisation, for example, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal, I really haven't missed it as I've been engrossed in wonderful, natural, picturesque beauty and I've immersed myself in all of that and I could really get used to it. I think I'm a bit of hippy born a bit late.

 

But I do like the fact I can keep in touch with people that matter and let them know I'm good and enjoying myself when I do get back to an Internet connection and I know those people like that too.

 

But when I'm in the hustle and bustle of modern life, I like the fact that I can get on here and talk with like minded people, I can read a paper anywhere, and I can look at porn anywhere I like too. I no longer need to wait to get home to rewind a VHS with a plug in 'remote control' to get to my favourite money shot.

 

Sent from my iPad.

 

Rich, I'd swap your current lifestyle for this techno age anyday. Apart from needing my mobile to keep in touch with my kids (30 miles away) I wouldn't have one.

 

PS. Handsome bastard, living hippie lifestyle whilst doing something only handful of us can dream about. And you wonder why your hated in my house.