Gen Z (The Cell Phone Zombies)

[Sclass]

I notice a lot of people in my age group (40s) are using the phones to avoid interaction. It's an easy choice. I had a day long business meeting yesterday and it gave me the chance to take a break from the continuous sales pitch. The sales people were careful to keep their eyes up on the marks and not on their phones. When I checked email, texts, and responded to some of my own clients they dove into their phones. It all worked. I've been doing business with these people for years and this is the first time it happened this way. In prior years we were handset free except for an occasional dumb phone call. So I felt the change.

For young people? Well, I figure they adapt. I can remember that first week of university and striking up a conversation with a gal before lecture (in 1987 ) and ending up in her dorm a few days later. I guess there are new ways for that to happen but maybe you have to get into the social network first? They must have ways to get around the same ahem, problems since the needs are still there. Wait. Why do people go to lecture anymore?

My half sister says she and her girlfriends use Tinder to "hookup" on campus now. Ok, whatever works for them. I think it went over my dad's head or he'd hit the ceiling. (Yes, my dad is a pig if yer wondering).

I wonder how these kids will become closers if they haven't practiced reading people and reaching out with face to face interaction. It probably means that the way of doing business that I know will change. Like it is. Just like hooking up on tinder.

If that's the case I worry about the havoc a mutant with face to face interaction skills will wreak among the zombies.

The only bad analogy I can think of is this hippy kid I knew in college who stood out in the Reagan era wearing paisley and beads. He'd carry an acoustic guitar all the time and serenade (and seduce) the ladies in my social group (crew cut chino wearing tight asses). He was a total throwback to the 60s. We were helpless and horrified while our girlfriends would say, "oh my God he's dreamy" after hearing his bad cover of Stairway or Hotel California. Most were defenseless against this kind of attention.

[Sclass]

Looks like WALL-E people

[jacob]

http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/12/a-facebook-death/

"Innovations" such as this still suggests to me that GenZ is different. I doubt very many earlier generations are planning to keep their email, websites, or stock ticker accounts alive unless their website is somehow important to anyone other than "friends and family".

Earlier generations do not have much identity/relation tied up online. They're users. No interaction.

In regards to what anomie said about this being stage one of a global hive mind (possibly a good thing), it could also be seen as a more efficient way of turning customers into recurring cash flows. Cars work the same way, but cars are expensive to manufacture and the only recurring cash flow (control) is by selling gas; whereas smartphones have enormous markups already and in addition most of the cash flow comes from selling data plans of essentially useless quality (falling cats) that can be scaled to infinite proportions---there's an upper limit to how much you can drive a car around whereas there's no upper limit to how much data you can stuff into a webpage. Compare to 1987 when a typical "webpage" took up some 1.5kb (1500 bytes!) and contained roughly the same information as a modern one which is 1-2 orders of magnitude larger.

[Tyler9000]

I think it can affect people of all ages if they allow it to. But I totally agree its worse the younger you get. Acclimating to the mobile era is different from being born into it.

This reminds me of a conversation I once had with a design director. A basic principle of graphic design is the concept of information hierarchy, where you design something to draw the eye to the most important information first, followed by second and tertiary reads. He said that Millennial designers have seemingly lost this sense of hierarchy (he attributes it to information addiction) and that their layouts are hot jumbled messes of information with no sense of importance. Picture the old above-the-fold headline versus the funny pages, only applied to everything. So it's possible that smartphones are doing much more than simply create a generation of zombies. They are changing the ways people visualize and process information.

[jacob]

@Tyler9000 - http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2009/02/ ... nd-my.html

[jennypenny]

There's an awful lot of 'kids today' sentiment in this thread.

I don't see those photos any differently than this ...



The proliferation of TV changed how we receive and process information, changing the primary format from verbal (oral or written) to visual.

In regards to what anomie said about this being stage one of a global hive mind (possibly a good thing), it could also be seen as a more efficient way of turning customers into recurring cash flows. Cars work the same way, but cars are expensive to manufacture and the only recurring cash flow (control) is by selling gas; whereas smartphones have enormous markups already and in addition most of the cash flow comes from selling data plans of essentially useless quality (falling cats) that can be scaled to infinite proportions---there's an upper limit to how much you can drive a car around whereas there's no upper limit to how much data you can stuff into a webpage. Compare to 1987 when a typical "webpage" took up some 1.5kb (1500 bytes!) and contained roughly the same information as a modern one which is 1-2 orders of magnitude larger.

Not to belabor the point, but I think smartphones are a bargain. Our plan is $30 per person/month. I think that's a steal. I got the phone for free with an upgrade, and for only $30 each month I not only get a phone, but I no longer need an alarm, a GPS, a camera, a calculator, a compass, a dictionary, maps, an mp3 player, or a TV. I can also pay bills, deposit checks and do other banking, manage travel (I love not needing a boarding pass), use email, and check weather, news, and investments.

I completely understand wanting to unplug, but I don't think cost is a factor.

[theanimal]

Cell Phone Zombies of New York:https://www.facebook.com/CellPhoneZombiesOfNewYork

[theanimal]

There's an awful lot of 'kids today' sentiment in this thread.

I don't see those photos any differently than this ...



The proliferation of TV changed how we receive and process information, changing the primary format from verbal (oral or written) to visual.
.

I think the difference is that TV doesn't have the same addictive qualities for the masses. People don't have the same strong urge to check/watch tv while they're walking to work, during a dinner, meeting etc. as they do with their smartphone and social media. TV also wasn't mobile until quite recently, so that limited its effect.


Edit: During one of my classes last year we had to interact with a facebook page during class. Now outside of a couple months, I didn't have a facebook during college. When they asked if everyone had a facebook, I was the only one in the class who didn't have one (which I expected). There was a lot of whispered conversations going on and someone actually asked, "how do I live?" As if someone couldn't survive without a facebook profile.

In another class, we were working as consultants for a small start-up company. In a group meeting with our professor and the client, the client said to like us on facebook, follow us on twitter etc. I said I didn't have either (time to learn to keep my mouth shut! ) My professor was disgusted and said that was unacceptable (at not having social media accounts).

I'm obviously fairly young, but I'm guessing there wasn't any other kind of technologies in the past that had these kind of intense addictive qualities.

[George the original one]

Jenny - you've been upsold... if you were a single person, you'd love to pay only $30/month for that service, but for your family, you're paying $150/mo because you bought into "everyone needs it" or "it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the family if I kept the lone device".

[jacob]

@jp - I don't recall where I saw it, but before "reading" became common, apparently the notion of being able to read without mouthing the words was considered almost magical; to be able to transfer information/concepts/ideas from words-on-paper directly into one's mind was thought amazing.

[lilacorchid]

@jennypenny - I will text you!

I guess I could be called a zombie too. I am 34 and straddle two worlds. I think people ten years older than me are being curmudgeonly when they say that adding an online messaging service to our corporation is useless and stupid. And I don't get the kids ten years younger than me using Snapchat or putting their entire life on Tumblr/Facebook like it's private.

That being said, I am often on my smart phone and I think they are just fabulous. I use it to text my friends and family instead of using email or calling them. I use it to keep up with the news and as the biggest library I could ever image. It's also my tv and radio. And it fits in my pocket!!! What a magical and fantastic device! Now if only I could figure out how to turn off the phone portion of it...

I get that it's funny to post pictures of people with their heads burried in the phone walking down the street or at a restaurant. I also think it is super rude to have your head buried too. But how often do you actually see it in person? Back in my day (ha ha), we used to spend five hours a night on the phone with our friends (call waiting anyone?). Now kids text/snapchat until the wee hours of the night instead. We swapped mixed tapes or CDs. Now they share stuff on social media. I don't think that young people have changed that much, it's just that we are now able to see into their life more due to the lack of privacy on social media. There is always one friend who forgets to block mom and dad from seeing all their posts! And I actually feel bad for the young people these days because they can't choose to move across the country and forget that they did a naked kegstand at a party and then threw up on everyone.

Anyway, I digress...

So take this picture:



Everyone thinks it's okay until you put a couple of phones in their hands. Why is that? They are not talking to each other be it books or phones. Replace books with gossip rag and the other a fashion magazine. Is that better than a phone? This whole thing feels a lot like the tv watchers calling the video gamers lazy and uninterested in their surroundings.

[JamesR]

I am a Gen Y, and I admit that I am a Laptop Zombie.

[slsdly]

I am Gen Y. I actually have worked in the smartphone sector for a living; my previous employer used to give us phones and pay for the service, so naturally I got used to having one. But nowadays, while I own a phone, I don't pay for cellular service. The cost isn't the issue as much as I find these things made me very....twitchy. Impatient. Constantly checking the world for updates (that don't exist).

Now I just use it mostly as a clock, planner, note taker, etc. The communication functions are secondary and are more useful when traveling (WiFi is everywhere!). It is very freeing to leave the apartment without it most of the time. Although it is kind of freaky to be the only person not using one out in public.

I think the difference with books is that they actually require you to focus. I can use a phone, flip through some new sites, read some emails, etc and the content barely even registers on my mind. Similar situation can arise with TV (although not specifically to me). There is a certain desperation in the search for something to distract me, and I absolutely hate that feeling.

[jacob]

I get that it's funny to post pictures of people with their heads burried in the phone walking down the street or at a restaurant. I also think it is super rude to have your head buried too. But how often do you actually see it in person?

I don't even wanna guess. Twenty, forty, sixty times a day? I can attempt a headcount tomorrow. I'd say 1/5 of all pedestrians (with more in the summer when the gloves come off, literally, because it's cold in the winter) are either completely or semi-oblivious as to whatever is 1 foot in front of them(*).

http://www.healthline.com/health-news/t ... s-031014#2
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/distractwalk.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... eaths.html

I've been in a couple of hard collisions myself. Many more if I hadn't "swerved" out of the way. If I were a geriatric with osteoporosis rather than a former power forward, I'd be worried about being knocked over. Hopefully some sidewalk-etiquette will develop along the way.

(*) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCAntD1-DIk

[dalralmi]

I've never owned a smartphone and I refuse to buy tablets that require a network. Everything I own electronic wise is wi-fi only. This prevents me from doing things in the car, and mostly while walking. Sure most places have wi-fi, but I refuse to bring my tablet or computer along with me. I have SNAKE on my cell phone (which is a flip phone) but I rarely if ever play it. I do find it quite frustrating to be out with friends who can't put their phones down and talk to me.

I carry a Book and a deck of cards with me EVERYwhere. Although Zombies doesn't bother me nearly as much as "missing out." I hate when discounts are provided (and promoted) in a place with a "show us you like us on facebook to get a discount" or QR scavenger hunts. I paid for a museum once and EVERY description was a "scan the QR code" People look at you crazy when you tell them you don't have a smartphone... my phone doesn't even have a camera.

Now with all that said besides saving so much money on my cellphone plan I am addicted to my computer/laptop/TV when I'm at home... when I'm out though I am unplugged. I have had many opportunities to get a smartphone (my brother works at a cellphone company and keeps insisting he can get me good deals/etc...) but I keep saying no because I know the second I HAVE the phone I'll become a Zombie. It's in my nature... so I plan to hold out for as long as possible... I see no point in getting a smartphone because I know having one will trap me into it. (Kind of like when I got a DVR last year and wanted to cut cable... I lived so long without DVR, but when I finally got it and then wanted to save money the withdrawel was AWFUL)

[Riggerjack]

On a contrarian note, when I quit smoking, the hardest part after I'd quit for a month, was all the dead time. As a smoker, I always had something to do. Waiting for an appointment? Have a smoke. Got to work early, have a smoke. Etc etc. When I quit, filling these small time blocks was a real issue for me.
Now I have my smart phone. All those dead times, I can just pull out the phone, read something until it's time to do something else. I imagine anyone quitting today will have it easier because of smart phones.
Also, working with headphones on, listening to audio books or music makes the day fly by.
So long as the zombies don't drive, I'm fine with them.

[lilacorchid]

@jacob - We do not seem to have that problem in the Chicago of the north. Maybe I am not looking in the right spots? Or maybe it is -40 and I'm the only pedestrian out there? I'm going to be watching more now. That being said, I have never been bumped into or knocked over. (Yet?) I have only noticed a dining family with all heads bowed in prayer to their devices one time. My babysitter is always on her phone, but I figure it's just a teen girl thing.

The data from those articles are interesting (and lol to youtube), but without seeing how they are collecting it, it's hard to really judge. These articles also bring up another point: I think that once the children of these zombies grow up, they will treat the technology different than their parents. Take a look at how my generation treats smoking for instance. Although I have friends who smoke, I have no friends who smoke in their house anymore. As my friends and I give our kids crap and take away their iPod for walking and texting, they will be less likely to do it later.

Please tell me I'm not the only person who is actively trying to teach their kid how to live in a world with screens everywhere and businesses trying to mine your data with every click and tap you make.

[theanimal]

. As my friends and I give our kids crap and take away their iPod for walking and texting, they will be less likely to do it later.

Please tell me I'm not the only person who is actively trying to teach their kid how to live in a world with screens everywhere and businesses trying to mine your data with every click and tap you make.

Hopefully, they won't go the opposite way and rebel!

I wish I was still in school just so that I could count the number of zombies I saw each day. Figuring 3 classes a day, walking to and from class and a stop at the library I'm imagining easily over 100.. If I was to stop at any dining venue, the number would be off the charts.

I tried to keep an open mind initially. But after numerous instances where smartphone use has disrupted hanging out with friends. I declared war on the zombies. So far I'm losing.

Some viral videos on the topic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OINa46HeWg8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRl8EIhrQjQ

[Dragline]

.
Now I have my smart phone. All those dead times, I can just pull out the phone, read something until it's time to do something else. I imagine anyone quitting today will have it easier because of smart phones.
Also, working with headphones on, listening to audio books or music makes the day fly by.
So long as the zombies don't drive, I'm fine with them.

I don't read the phone much, but I do bring a book or the Kindle everywhere. You'd be amazed at how much reading you can do in random wait time.

There is something to be said for "it's all in how you use it".

[Dragline]

Please tell me I'm not the only person who is actively trying to teach their kid how to live in a world with screens everywhere and businesses trying to mine your data with every click and tap you make.

You're definitely not, but I'm still looking for the right answers myself. What's really funny to me is that they don't look at their email on any regular basis, so you have to text them to remind them to look at it.

Invent some hybrid called "text mail" and you'll probably become very wealthy if you can get it to catch on.