I love the honesty of the opening 30 seconds. More of that!

with the bit about the phone at the funeral, i think some people needs the comfort of their phone, the safe feeling, like a teddy bear for a child who just had a nightmare

Thank you for posting these :)

I'll be honest, i don' think I've met anyone who is as attached to their phone as all these people and their studies claim we all are.

@defaultuser88

7 жыл бұрын

People who have had almost all of their social interactions online are also not less able to empathize with other people source: me

@Kinzokan

7 жыл бұрын

What I have noticed is that , although we are still completely able to empathize with others, we've become worse at *expressing* that emotion of empathy.

@AdamRBusby

7 жыл бұрын

slight twist on that... online empowers empathy, rage, rudeness, sycophancy etc etc.. (but here's the twist) - it empowers people to have those interactions but they don't mean as much to the other person.. so yeah we can do it but it just doesn't count as much to the recipient.. source: made up on the fly :P

@tamsinthai

7 жыл бұрын

Bridie You should get out more. Take a look in any cofee shop restaurant or just out in the street. Everyone's on a bloody 'phone. I leave mine at home.

Listening to this on my phone bc I know David would *hate* it.

My elder son & friends put their phones in the middle of the table when they go out. Anyone is free to pick up their phone, but whoever does buys a round for the others as an apology for absenting themselves from the conversation.

"Who wants to talk about how many different types of chips there are for 3 hours" Me, when tipsy with friends, sometiomes?

as the research at Virginia and Harvard Universities stated these electric jolts were not associated to the use of smartphones - there was no correlation with social media, education, income etc.

@5T63R

7 жыл бұрын

do you have a read up for that? Because the way she presented the experiment really upset me. If I was in an empty room with nothing but a machine that would give tiny (I guess) electric shocks, of course I am gonna try it. it's called curiosity, and I am glad we have that.

@kropinskipawel

7 жыл бұрын

www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/03/electric-shock-preferable-to-thinking-says-study

@kropinskipawel

7 жыл бұрын

Totally agree. I suppose I would do the same :) - not sure if I would repeat the experience though (one did 190 times - shocking!)

@dawnrazornephilim

7 жыл бұрын

Good points everyone. Personally I might just take a nap or chat to the person next to me. But you could imagine dares or general shenanigans happening, I agree that it comes to correlation doesn't mean causality.

@amylynevans

Жыл бұрын

😂😂😂😂

In New York it's considered rude among most natives if you walk slowly on the sidewalk. Everyone hates slow-walkers.

I have to admit that I would want to immediately electro-shock myself. I would then spend several minutes in an internal dialog, stressing over whether or not I should actually do it. In the end I would build up the courage to go ahead and do it. Depending on how strong the shock was I might do it several more times.

@thomascarroll9556

7 жыл бұрын

aderek79 15m with nothing to do, easy when you get older ZZZZzzzzzzzz

I enjoy reasoned debate online, I also enjoy a slanging match, but best of all is a combination of the two.

One thing people that people seem to overlook when analysing the hostility of online discussion is that the participants of online discussion are very aware that it is public. That changes everything. If you and I have a conversation and I say something you really disagree with, my statement still isn't threatening to you in any way. It is simply something you disagree with. You may ask my why I think that way or explain why you think I'm wrong, but there are no real consequences to me holding a different opinion. When I express that opinion online, however, all of that changes. Now I am no longer just saying this thing to you, who knows that I am wrong. Rather I am shouting it in a public place where tens, hundreds, or maybe even thousands of people may hear me. And they may not know that I am wrong. They may believe me. This is different to our two-way conversation, where there were no consequences. Now you need to decisively and emphatically show all of those people that I am wrong, lest they form an inaccurate opinion about this subject. And in that situation is not logical for you to ask me to expand on my reasoning, it is logical for you to shut me down. This is a dynamic of online discussion that should be understood. I agree that the social disconnectedness is a factor, but so is the very public nature of it all. The more public the platform (eg. youtube vs a small discussion board), the greater the perceived need to respond to inaccurate opinion.

@Gnarlf

4 жыл бұрын

That is a very interesting take on the matter. i never saw it that way and more the other way arround, like "just some stranger, so no real consequence to their actions" For example, i always feel the need to calm down before i speak when someone is right in fron of me, while i can get a little agitated when writing on the internet. On the other hand one mayor problem is the lack of tone in writing. There are things i tell people straight to their faces and everything is fine. Even on the phone nobody would bat an eye, but when i write the same way in an e-mail, my boss asked my why i am so rude. Still i want to explore your point a little further, if you would like to. This post is 2 yo after all ^^ I see the core of your argument and the logic behind it, only for me i find it more usefull to let people explain their reasoning, so i can then point out the flaws in it. In no discussion was i ever successful with "nope you are just wrong" Maybe it is a matter of character. if you are willing to accept the possibility, that you could be wrong and that it would be better for you to be corrected in that case, so you can improve yoursef, then you might have a very different kind of conversation than other people. The funny thing about that is, that i am aware that i can realy be full of myself especially in work related questions. And this thought is continiously reinforced by events where my input is ignored and the result turns out s**t beacause of that. eg. "no you can't order that much X, that would be way out of proportion and to expensive for our company" translates to "we ran out of X because of that and can't work properly until we get the next order in 3 f***ing month". And even with all this repeated experience i walk out these conversations with the thought: "well maybe they have a point and i was wrong" I should add that this holds true for me in private conversation and in groups, even with superiours present. So i realy wonder how many people have this urge to correct someone just because it is public.

@dlon4539

6 ай бұрын

This was a world class OP and response. Thanks

Fair point on the ones that claimed they'd never shock themselves but eventually did, but how many replied, "Yeah, sure, why not?" Because that was my first thought. My second thought was about the dozens of videos KZreadrs make where they shock themselves as part of a challenge, Markiplier I'm-Not-A-Masochist specifically. And there are a few games you can buy at places like Walmart that involve electric shocks. I think Millennials like myself and Gen Z just wanna zap themselves.

If you stuck me in a room and told me to either wait or shock myself, it wouldn't matter if I had my phone or not. As long as I trust that the shock will not injure or kill me, I'm going to try it out. People being more curious about a shock than total silence does not suggest the decline of society to me.

@barbararowley6077

3 жыл бұрын

I guess that depends on whether you’ve ever encountered an electric fence before. Even a slight shock hurts so much I’d much rather just sit quietly with my thoughts!

I'm a 17 year old that never pulls out his phone in a social setting unless required, or pulls it out when I'm bored. However, if I had to sit in a room for 15 minutes and could electroshock myself, I absolutely would, that shit's a barrel of fun.

@pravinda333

6 жыл бұрын

I would say the same thing about my dick.

@spacetuna9971

6 жыл бұрын

I also think it's rather curiousity than boredom

I barely use my phone and I'd shock myself if I was sitting there for 15 minutes... Out of morbid intrigue I guess, amongst other things. I don't know if they explicitly explained all of the conditions of the experiment but it's trash. It's nothing to do with the absence of a device.

@Nick30468

6 жыл бұрын

it depends on the situation. perhaps some, like you, are just curious. or maybe it was sheer boredom. plus we have no idea how they gathered these subjects as well. Maybe it was advertised in a way so the sorts who are on the phone *that* much were the ones who were likely to see it, right? we're missing too much info to know the viability of this study. Though, on the surface, I do agree it does *sound* like a poorly done experiment. Although, on another note....self harm out of curiosity is something that I'd like to learn more about haha. curiosity is very natural in humans but self harm seems to go against basic instincts. I don't blame you for saying that, I've done that myself at a very young age....stuck something in a socket just to see why people kept saying not to. I think I was about fourish. I am so grateful there are safety requirements that keep dumb curious children from instantly killing themselves like that.

@Gnarlf

4 жыл бұрын

True. i would shock myself as well out of curiosity as soon as i could muster the courage to actually do that. Sure, i would ask first if this would be safe or deadly, obviously, but after that it is probably one of the more interesting things to do. So ofthen you see people shocked on tv and i believe Cops in America have to take a shock themself, before they are getting a taser (or at least something like that) @Nick30468 The self harm aspect is to an extend true, but if you are in an controlled safe environment you can override your basic instinct since it is not neccessary at that point in time.

To be fair, I would have electro-shocked myself immediately, just to see how strong it was. At the same time, I can happily stare at a wall for 20min and not get bored, I'll just let my mind wander :-)

Try living in fucking Provence. “Dave”! 😂 The “bises”! ☠️

With the deepest respect, drone operators suffer from PTSD at an equal or higher rate than fighter pilots.

Mr. Mitchell, you will probably never see this, but I laughed at myself towards the end of the programme when I started to pull my phone out of the pocket, without first pausing your programme. How terribly rude of me.

I got my first data plan on my phone a few months ago, so up until very recently, I was never really in a position where escaping conversations was even an option. And while I certainly do use my phone a lot more than I used to, it generally stays in my pocket when I'm talking to someone. Not out of principal, just out of not feeling any overwhelming desire to look at it The only time it comes out is when Google needs to settle a point of discussion. Then again, I suspect I handle boredom a lot better than a lot of my peers do. I spend a _lot_ of time in vehicles, either as a driver or a passenger, and I'm usually quite content to enjoy the scenery or escape into my own mind if there are no conversations going on.

Is this an audio-only version of a video documentary or is it a radio show? I know David does both, so it's confusing.

"Would I electrocute myself to break the tedium of sitting alone without a phone?" Me, a Mexican: "Of course. How is that even a question???" Look up "toques, toques"

My dad cringes at David, and goes by Dave. I had a good friend who didn't like Dave, and went by David. It was hard, but I figured it out and didn't make the mistake

Dave's I'm Peter Jones in the photo.

.what I find "disturbing" about the "modern era", is not so much that technology has destroyed the "conversation" or "manners", rather, its the way , almost everyone uses the term "we" to include me in their naivity and generalisations! Even on this program, the number of times "people" used the term "we", as in "we have lost the art of the coversation" etc etc. What "people" don't realise is that in the old days some of "us" (me!) wouldnt even go to the loo without a Soduko - in my case especially, thanks to Constipation, I found the time of sitting on the toilet a complete waste and boring! . . . My take on this issue is that : a) thanks to the modern phone loneliness is less painful than it used to be- I wouldnt go out and sit in a pub on my own, whereas now, I still have my phone to keep my company, just in case! b) thanks to the modern phone, even a walk is more fun since I can both listen to Mitchel's audio Back Story AND keep fit! c) The modern phone has turned "every tom dick&harry" into an experimental "photographer"- in the good old days every snap shot I took cost quite a bit a money! d) the modern phone contains so many functions within it, its incredible, a dictionary, a writing pad, a music centre, a video recorder/player, a newspaper, a global platform for interaction/discussion etc etc. cheers David Mitchel . .PS: Finally what I find MORE disturbing, nowadays, is the way people have on far too much perfume/aftershave on public transport . . .

26:00 to 26:46 ,,, GOLD

thats it... im just going to call you "Big D" from now on...

The remark about Americans being more rude as a side effect of having more space puzzled me a bit because while people from crowded US cities like New York and Chicago do tend to be more rude, Americans from southwestern cities like Tuscon tend to be *much* more polite - despite having far more elbow-room.

@robertlarue2569

7 ай бұрын

I think there's often also a deep confusion about what constitutes 'rudeness' or 'politeness' in different environments. It's a thing I've tried to explain many times to friends of mine who live in small towns or even 'roomier' large cities than my own (New York). The kind of chit-chat that some people experience as 'politeness' is just time-wasting to other people -- and wasting my time in a crowded city, where everything already feels like it takes twice as long as it really should, is the epitome of rudeness. (Even in a country like Germany, where the social norm is reticence, but which also has a fairly slow, relaxed social pace, there's noticeable impatience with the idle chatter that, for others, constitutes 'politeness'.) Also, as Mr. Mitchell notes in one of these programs (not sure if it was this one or an earlier one in the series), in crowded urban environments a big part of 'politeness' is refraining from invading other people's (limited) personal space as far as possible. I can promise you that, if you're ever in an awkward or genuinely difficult situation, you will not find people more willing to go out of their way to help you than native New Yorkers. THAT's their brand of politeness. And that's, again, because it's a difficult environment for everybody. In a similar situation in cities like Houston or Minneapolis or Kansas City, people might more often express concern and sympathy but do relatively little that was actually helpful.

On the Name subject: I have a friend called Alexander and since we are good friends and it is very long, we called him Alex. One day he said: "You know i realy dislike it when someone is cuting off half my name" I apollogiesed and as a compromise i call him by his other name "Philip" it is shorter for me and he gets his is adressed by his whole name. Win-Win. I would have called him Alexander if he insisted obviously, but the point i try to make is: You can be polite and tell someone to please use your whole name and i wouldn't think less of anyone who would ask me to do so.

1. The phone. Pull your phone out and I simply leave. 2. You've agreed to meet up with someone and they've brought along someone you've never met, thus putting you at a disavantage as they then engage in conversation/intimaticy to which you aren't privy. Arrange to meet them seperately at another time. I will make my excuses and leave you to it. 3. Take your bloody sunglasses off when in conversation and never wear them indoors, unless attempting to hide a black eye. 4. Never touch my head. 5. Do not refer to me in the third person whilst I'm present.

@user-lb7zw5bb7n

7 жыл бұрын

bet you're popular

@stumbling

7 жыл бұрын

Your social interactions seem to consist mainly of leaving.

@coreyhighbeam3269

7 жыл бұрын

tamsinthai - I take not wanting to touch you on the head is you being Thai?

@user-lb7zw5bb7n

7 жыл бұрын

Benji'sBigBoyReviews also the word fucking thai in his name is a bit of a clue sherlock

@coreyhighbeam3269

7 жыл бұрын

Reptile Sniffer smd

good god man! University students torturing themselves rather that be bored?! That's it, we fucked up somewhere, turn back the clock let's try this whole thing again.

Some people are quite rude about their phone, but what I don't get is why there's this notion that it's bad to not be bored. In an isolated case where there only two options, get on your phone or sit and be bored, why not get on your phone? Should I be bored just to appear dignified? To placate the generation that didn't have the option? Last part is bullshit. I grew up without a phone and I just had a book with me for down moments and read that. I'm sure if we went back to newspapers and crosswords no one would care, but look out something new is here and it's scary.

Being a college student, this American woman's sounds quite out of touch. I.E. bollocks.

I had a twitter account for a while and commented that I thought making fun of Trump's hair was moronic and argued against nothing of any political substance. 22 days and thousands of replies later, I was simultaneously a white nationalist, a shill for black lives matter, a russian bot, a covert socialist and an ignorant hillbilly, big R Republican. All of this is funny to me because I'm Mexican and none of this has any impact on me at all.