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  3. Without mentioning smartphones or social media, what societal changes have you noticed over the course of your lifetime?

Without mentioning smartphones or social media, what societal changes have you noticed over the course of your lifetime?

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  • E This user is from outside of this forum
    E This user is from outside of this forum
    [email protected]
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

    A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

    Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

    L mydarkesttimeline01@ani.socialM J T snotflickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneS 48 Replies Last reply
    30
    • E [email protected]

      Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

      A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

      Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

      L This user is from outside of this forum
      L This user is from outside of this forum
      [email protected]
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      It is now no longer social suicide to not drink.

      zachariah@lemmy.worldZ R 2 Replies Last reply
      29
      • L [email protected]

        It is now no longer social suicide to not drink.

        zachariah@lemmy.worldZ This user is from outside of this forum
        zachariah@lemmy.worldZ This user is from outside of this forum
        [email protected]
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        Sometimes I forget that smoking is a thing, and then (after sometimes a whole year) I see someone doing it, and I’m like, “woah, people still smoke.” It was everywhere when I was a kid—even inside restaurants.

        C A 2 Replies Last reply
        12
        • E [email protected]

          Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

          A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

          Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

          mydarkesttimeline01@ani.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
          mydarkesttimeline01@ani.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
          [email protected]
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          I've noticed an increase in noticing other people being not well, but a decrease in the depth that people care. It used to feel that you might have one or two friends who cared about you deeply. They'd drop everything to help and wouldn't ask for anything in return. Now it seems like everyone cares about everyone but not enough to actually do anything.

          snotflickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneS N 2 Replies Last reply
          12
          • E [email protected]

            Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

            A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

            Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

            J This user is from outside of this forum
            J This user is from outside of this forum
            [email protected]
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            From an American perspective, flying on an airplane sucks. 9/11/01 resulted in a whole bunch of security theatre at the airport and airlines have slowly whittled away whatever comfort or convience remained.

            C S J K 4 Replies Last reply
            24
            • zachariah@lemmy.worldZ [email protected]

              Sometimes I forget that smoking is a thing, and then (after sometimes a whole year) I see someone doing it, and I’m like, “woah, people still smoke.” It was everywhere when I was a kid—even inside restaurants.

              C This user is from outside of this forum
              C This user is from outside of this forum
              [email protected]
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              “Nonsmoking section” that wasn’t even a separate room, just a half wall divider 🫠

              chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.worldC zachariah@lemmy.worldZ 2 Replies Last reply
              10
              • E [email protected]

                Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

                A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

                Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

                T This user is from outside of this forum
                T This user is from outside of this forum
                [email protected]
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                The death of appointment television.

                H T 2 Replies Last reply
                10
                • J [email protected]

                  From an American perspective, flying on an airplane sucks. 9/11/01 resulted in a whole bunch of security theatre at the airport and airlines have slowly whittled away whatever comfort or convience remained.

                  C This user is from outside of this forum
                  C This user is from outside of this forum
                  [email protected]
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  Remember being able to walk people to their gate, hug them goodbye, and watch the plane leave? Now you can only do this if you’re taking an unaccompanied minor to their gate.

                  crackhappy@lemmy.worldC 1 Reply Last reply
                  7
                  • E [email protected]

                    Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

                    A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

                    Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

                    snotflickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneS This user is from outside of this forum
                    snotflickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneS This user is from outside of this forum
                    [email protected]
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    More aggressive driving. Statistics even support it so it's not just an anecdotal thing.

                    S W 2 Replies Last reply
                    5
                    • mydarkesttimeline01@ani.socialM [email protected]

                      I've noticed an increase in noticing other people being not well, but a decrease in the depth that people care. It used to feel that you might have one or two friends who cared about you deeply. They'd drop everything to help and wouldn't ask for anything in return. Now it seems like everyone cares about everyone but not enough to actually do anything.

                      snotflickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneS This user is from outside of this forum
                      snotflickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneS This user is from outside of this forum
                      [email protected]
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      It's more like everyone is literally at their limit for taking care of themselves and literally has no energy leftover for others.

                      I think this is purposeful to socially divide us.

                      mydarkesttimeline01@ani.socialM 1 Reply Last reply
                      17
                      • E [email protected]

                        Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

                        A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

                        Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                        [email protected]
                        wrote on last edited by [email protected]
                        #11

                        We used to take for granted that everybody agreed Nazis and Russians were bad.

                        Nothing against Russians suffering under Putin's boot. We have a whole new sympathy for you now.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        18
                        • mydarkesttimeline01@ani.socialM [email protected]

                          I've noticed an increase in noticing other people being not well, but a decrease in the depth that people care. It used to feel that you might have one or two friends who cared about you deeply. They'd drop everything to help and wouldn't ask for anything in return. Now it seems like everyone cares about everyone but not enough to actually do anything.

                          N This user is from outside of this forum
                          N This user is from outside of this forum
                          [email protected]
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          Yeah.

                          We had twins nearly 2 years ago.

                          I never really expected "help" but when we were pregnant there were people coming over every day telling us how much they were going to help. My wife has a huge social group, it was kinda overwhelming.

                          Since they were born, there's been 1 person who has just been amazing. She's here for a few hours several times a week and just plays with the kids. She's been really consistent.

                          No one else really knows how to help I think. Or maybe they think everyone else is helping. Or maybe just doing their own thing (which is fine ofc).

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          2
                          • E [email protected]

                            Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

                            A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

                            Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

                            S This user is from outside of this forum
                            S This user is from outside of this forum
                            [email protected]
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            Cable TV use to be something that teathered us all together in a way. We were all stuck on the same schedule for premiers of new episodes of different shows so we all had a common thing to talk about come the next day. Now I have no idea what’s playing on what service and have just given up on staying up to date on the new shows. I could have access to $TVShow but probably won’t watch it because I don’t like to binge watch so it takes me longer to catch up and by the time I do it has already left the minds of my peers so why bother.

                            uberdroog@lemmy.worldU spankmonkey@lemmy.worldS 2 Replies Last reply
                            3
                            • E [email protected]

                              Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

                              A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

                              Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

                              A This user is from outside of this forum
                              A This user is from outside of this forum
                              [email protected]
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              Better but much more expensive insulin, although price has gone down significantly since Affordable Care act.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              3
                              • E [email protected]

                                Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

                                A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

                                Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

                                P This user is from outside of this forum
                                P This user is from outside of this forum
                                [email protected]
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                The circa 1990 nature of American society has been erased so completely that it is hard to believe how drastically it has changed.

                                Movies used to depict child molestation (Indiana Jones) or outright rape (Revenge of the Nerds) as normal and to be celebrated when it was done by the heroes. A lot of crimes got viewed through the lens of whether it was “our people” doing them. The thinking features in a lot of old movies.

                                The cops who beat Rodney King were found not guilty by a jury, in the first trial. After all, they’re the cops, they’re allowed. Drunk driving was fine, as long as you were one of the right kind of people. The cops would beat the fuck out of people and it was fine. The factory in town could be polluting the river and it was fine as long as dad had a job. And so on.

                                The uniformity of thought that TV enforced, before the internet, is really not well understood. If you thought Israel was bad, then you and Noam Chomsky were literally the only ones. Even as late in the arc as the Iraq War, I would say about 95% of the people who didn’t get their news from the internet supported the war. Watch one of the debates where Ron Paul was speaking against the war with everyone else (except the audience) just weirded out and confused by it, or the “Media-Opoly” short that aired on SNL once and then never again, to get some idea by contrast of how airtight the lock on narrative used to be. TV and newspapers are still kind of that way, but they don’t have the media monopoly they used to. It used to be that someone probably would live their entire adult life without ever hearing the kind of political viewpoints you see every day on Lemmy as normal things.

                                On the other hand, along with the expectation that everyone was kind of a piece of shit and that’s how life is, came a kind of backbone for resistance that I feel like is missing today. Woodstock ‘99 would be a pretty normal “yeah they robbed us” badly organized festival today. It was way better than the Fyre Festival, and people at Fyre just took it, or called their lawyers. At Woodstock ‘99, the kids threw bottles and batteries at Kurt Loder, broke in the ATMs and stole their money back, and then ripped the venue apart with their bare hands and burned it all to the ground.

                                spankmonkey@lemmy.worldS 1 Reply Last reply
                                10
                                • S [email protected]

                                  Cable TV use to be something that teathered us all together in a way. We were all stuck on the same schedule for premiers of new episodes of different shows so we all had a common thing to talk about come the next day. Now I have no idea what’s playing on what service and have just given up on staying up to date on the new shows. I could have access to $TVShow but probably won’t watch it because I don’t like to binge watch so it takes me longer to catch up and by the time I do it has already left the minds of my peers so why bother.

                                  uberdroog@lemmy.worldU This user is from outside of this forum
                                  uberdroog@lemmy.worldU This user is from outside of this forum
                                  [email protected]
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  Game of Thrones was the last time I had this experience.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  5
                                  • E [email protected]

                                    Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

                                    A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

                                    Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

                                    O This user is from outside of this forum
                                    O This user is from outside of this forum
                                    [email protected]
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    Negative: Worse driving interactions (as a pedestrian/cyclist), especially post-covid.

                                    Positive: People are generally more accepting of things, and people seem to be more comfortable sharing parts of them that make themselves different from the "norm".

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    3
                                    • E [email protected]

                                      Originally it was going to be "over the last twenty years" but I decided to be more flexible.

                                      A lot of discussions about how society has changed or how the world is different always circle around to smartphones, social media, "no one talks to each other in person, they're on their phones always" and the like.

                                      Outside of those topics, what else has changed, by your perception?

                                      uberdroog@lemmy.worldU This user is from outside of this forum
                                      uberdroog@lemmy.worldU This user is from outside of this forum
                                      [email protected]
                                      wrote on last edited by [email protected]
                                      #18

                                      The mall was full of stores with good quality products that you would value for a non insignificant amount of time if purchased.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      6
                                      • snotflickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneS [email protected]

                                        It's more like everyone is literally at their limit for taking care of themselves and literally has no energy leftover for others.

                                        I think this is purposeful to socially divide us.

                                        mydarkesttimeline01@ani.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
                                        mydarkesttimeline01@ani.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
                                        [email protected]
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #19

                                        Could be. But I also see it as a change of mindset. It used to be you cared deeply for a few people. Now it seems like you're expected to care about everyone. And if you spread it that far it becomes thin.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        5
                                        • J [email protected]

                                          From an American perspective, flying on an airplane sucks. 9/11/01 resulted in a whole bunch of security theatre at the airport and airlines have slowly whittled away whatever comfort or convience remained.

                                          S This user is from outside of this forum
                                          S This user is from outside of this forum
                                          [email protected]
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #20

                                          i got fed up enough that i decided i'm never flying again. if i can't get there in time by driving, so sorry, i won't be able to attend

                                          R R 2 Replies Last reply
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