Your intelligence is very sexy. And yes, what a pansified little video that is. Fully agree with your viee on this.

Something that people who moan and groan about cell phones "isolating" us seem not to realize is that sometimes people don't want to talk, anyway. Yes, it's rude to text when you're having lunch with someone, but I don't WANT to strike up a conversation with a stranger in a waiting room. Extroverts are still going to talk to everyone, and introverts are still going to keep to themselves. If I'm messing with my phone, I want to be left alone.

I hate cell phones, but that comes from decades of being on call. Toss in the home phone - where ten percent of the calls are "This is X from the store. We have a problem, is Mrs D there?", five percent are from the kids, and the rest want my money or my opinion.

I'm on the do not call list for a reason. If I want to buy something, or give you money, I can find you. I never respond positively to telephone solicitations, ever, so save us both the irritation.

If anyone makes a phone that accepts calls from a limited list of inbound numbers, I'm buying.

I like this video from the viewpoint of those who haven't developed social skills and need a scapegoat. I agree with you too - most situations it's not rude if you are surrounded by strangers and you don't care to strike up a conversation. I kinda get where they want to go w/ the video, but missed the mark.

Before my smart phone I would have been sitting in that buss shelter with a newspaper, headphones, and dark glasses to wall you all out.

With the amount of places we are not supposed to talk, including the commuter trains where it is considered rude, his argument sucks.

Also the women around me are fat, ugly or married, his argument is dumb there too. Many are still on their ticking biological clock, I would rather be on my phone so they won't talk to me about how they want whatever.

I don't think they're targeting responsible adults, here, with this ad. Look at the actors.

My beef is, they've scared parents into (rather, we've bought into the scare of) locking kids up in the house. What the heck are kids SUPPOSED to do, if they're not allowed to go to the corner store or the park or the mall without full adult supervision? They compensate, and bury their faces in their devices. Let them out of prison, and they're less likely to act like prisoners. Simply telling kids, "Don't do that!" is inane, without giving them other options.

First, I confess, I have not watched the video, because I hate preachy videos.

Second, I agree with Amy that my life has been enriched by the internet. After all, I count Amy as one of my work colleagues--she's certainly helped me out over the years.

Third, as an introvert, I've found that I can do more good by being friends with people over the internet than I can by striking up conversations with strangers on the bus. Now, I can and do talk with strangers. And just yesterday when I lady asked me for directions, I went two blocks out of my way to walk her to her destination. She had been lost for an hour already and was distressed, and it was no big deal for me.

And fourth, I agree with flbeachmom. As an American living in Switzerland, I've had to get used to the amount of freedom kids have over here. My 10 year old has a cell phone, as do all of her friends. Do you know what they use it for? Calling their mothers. That's right. They don't call or text each other. Why? Because they ride the tram to and from school with each other. Mom doesn't pick them up any more. They have freedom after school to hang out together, and yes, they can go to the corner store.

Problem solved.

The Internet is like alcohol in some sense. It accentuates what you would do anyway. If you want to be a loner, you can be more alone. If you want to connect, it makes it easier to connect. -- Esther Dyson

I generally don't do much texting in the overall picture.

Depending on where I am I don't have a problem talking with someone, but I am also rarely out in social situations. Most of my outings are point driven. Go to Wal-Mart; go to the grocery store; go to work, etc.

I only made it halfway through the video just because it was so annoying in the cadence. It also seemed that there were multiple separate issues that are only casually related. The sames as the confluence of ice cream sales and murders.

What an asinine video. Pseudo-intellectual British dweeb reciting a poem decrying the evils of the internet.

Sorry, I'll keep the internet, and if he's so lonely, he's welcome to have my share of the social interaction he so desperately craves.

For my own part, when I'm out in public, I would simply prefer that those around me mind their own business, and leave me to mind mine.

As it happens, I finished a rather exhausting workout today. And after it was done, I went to the steam room, and wanted nothing more than to relax in peace. Unfortunately, the one other occupant of the steam room wanted to converse.

Eventually, I ended up leaving. I kind of wish I didn't. I should have just bluntly told him that I didn't want to talk and would prefer to be left alone.

I am not even going to attempt to watch that. I'll throw my laptop across the room and I can't afford another.

I've met some of my best friends on the Internet. I've even met a few of them IRL. What's the problem?

And yes, if my face is in my phone - shut up and go away.

Notice how the Dweeb white-knighted the message to appeal to both women ("Aww!") and men's egos. Smart marketing to put the onus on males to stop being hyper-attentive to tech. One small problem - ever notice the % of women in public constantly texting or taking pictures with their phone?

I haven't watched it yet. But on Facebook a bunch of my friends from High School are talking about it and seem to think it is quite wonderful and very appropriate.

Banker touches on a different cultural aspect... moral ego-stroking. This is yet another one of those things that lets people feel good about themselves without having to actually do anything. They can watch the video, say, "Yes, I Care About This Important Issue! I Am A Good Person!", and then go about doing whatever it was that they were going to do anyway, with the secure feeling that they are in the moral right on all matters and need not ever question their motives or the actual results of their actions.

I realize you can't blame this on technology, but how do we teach children (especially those not related to us) to put down ANYTHING, including a book, and to pay attention to the people they're with (even if they're all boring adults) in the name of common courtesy? Especially when their parents have been allowing them to do the opposite for years? How does this help them prepare for the professional world, where people are far more likely to take offense?

My cracking point came when I was taking care of a five-year-old who was with a couple of his adult relatives and their friends. We were at lunch and he was playing Angry Birds intensely, and he yelled at the others (not at me) to be quiet so he could concentrate. I yelled back at him to stop being so rude, because they had every right to talk. He burst into terrified tears because apparently, he'd never been taught to follow adult rules in general. Sheesh.

Yeah, it's all over Facebook, and I couldn't get through the first 30 seconds of it. BS plain and simple. I have no time for whinging babies who don't know how to entertain themselves, and have a problem with those who do. "pay attention to me!" Nope, too busy, thanks.

Distracted driving victim of the week.

Death, the ultimate alienation.

Oh, and I seem to remember that there was a tempest in a teapot in 1977 about a state dinner with Prime Minister Trudeau, when little Amy Carter quietly read a book. Humorist Art Buchwald said: "The capital is now divided between those who think it's outrageous to allow a 9-year-old child to read books at a state dinner, and those who believe if you get a kid to read these days, let her do it anywhere she wants to. I'm on Amy's side."

I can't say I quite agree - why should a parent have to choose? Why not reject a child's stubborn aversion to books AND a child's bad manners? Sometimes kids - even those not in the White House - just have to go to boring dinners and grin.

You can read Buchwald's column here:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=99BSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IX8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4682,31492&dq=amy+carter+book+dinner&hl=en

Video aside, we are dominated by technology.

Watch what happens when our infrastructure is removed by a hurricane, or when an earthquake hits California. The dependency is obvious.

Somehow, I think everything will be okay. I listened for a few minutes, but it got boring fast.

I'm only concerned about the ones who can't disengage from the social media while they're driving. As long as they aren't putting my life in danger, I don't care.

When I was growing up I was always being told to put the book down and go do something.

Later, I read a MAD magazine article showing how we were all turning into weak legless blobs,largely because of TV,the remote control, frozen dinners, etc.

Then it was video games, and the internet, and now all the social media.

And yet, somehow, we go on.

My cracking point came when I was taking care of a five-year-old who was with a couple of his adult relatives and their friends. We were at lunch and he was playing Angry Birds intensely, and he yelled at the others (not at me) to be quiet so he could concentrate. I yelled back at him to stop being so rude, because they had every right to talk. He burst into terrified tears because apparently, he'd never been taught to follow adult rules in general. Sheesh.

Posted by: lenona at May 7, 2014 7:35 AM

Yes, the biggest mistake you can ever make as a parent is thinking that it is essential to make sure your child is never bored, and never frightened.

The world is not Disneyland, and the sooner they learn this, the more likely they are to grow into a responsible adult.

This goes double for people who think it is somehow compassionate for an ER doctor to spend 90 minutes buying coloring books, and massaging numbing gel into a 6 year olds scalp.

Amy, hope this isn't too off topic. You often mention how you flirted w/Gregg. How does one flirt with a stranger? I'm not really good a small talk (I practice when I can) and am somewhat introverted.

Do you just strike up a conversation and use body language (arm touching, playful pats)? I really have no idea how this works. I think all the men I've been with either started flirting with me first, or I already knew them and didn't feel strange flirting with them first.

As annoying and stupid as this video is, it does have some valid points that apply to many people. Which is probably partly why it's so popular.