Computers: are they all what we do?

[zephyr6257]

I've noticed that every single waking hour I am given, I dedicate it solely to my beloved Mac. When I wake up, I go on facebook and check what i missed out last night when I get too sleepy to keep up. I go to school, I use my computer to make mindmaps, write notes, etc. When I go home, I use the computer to do my research, project, etc. Afterwhich, I go to PC, facebook, my forum, my blog, my novels i'm writing, editing the drawings I draw, and look for new songs to play. Then, I go to sleep, and the entire cycle continues again. It's worse on the weekends, where I spend most of my day in the computer! Is that all we humans do now a days? Whatchu guys think?

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I'm on the computer a lot when I have nothing better to do... which unfortunately if often. I much prefer actually meeting and talking to someone in person. You lack all the nuances of human communication otherwise.

 

[vizarod]

It's certainly all I do. I go to cyberschool so it's even worse for me.

I spend my time on school, PC, making hacks, etc.

There isn't really anything else for me to do.

 

[shinx12345]

Does anyone else feel that computers are not as advanced as they should be?
I dunno why I feel this way, but I think people spend ages on the computer expecting something to come and sweep 'em off their feet, but it never does, for example a new fantastic game or something similar.

 

[Oryx]

Does anyone else feel that computers are not as advanced as they should be?
I dunno why I feel this way, but I think people spend ages on the computer expecting something to come and sweep 'em off their feet, but it never does, for example a new fantastic game or something similar.

I strongly disagree with this. Computers are advancing at an incredible rate. Think about it: There are plenty of people still alive today that were here to see the first home computer be invented (nearly 40 years ago). That computer could do next to nothing and my cheap non-smartphone is probably better at just about everything that it could do now. As a matter of fact, the smallest SD Card you can get nowadays holds exponentially more data.

Games are another matter than computers altogether though. It's not that games aren't advancing quickly, it's that games don't want to advance. They know that an FPS with good graphics will sell incredibly well, why would they want to innovate? That's pretty much an entirely other topic though.

I think the computer is used quite a bit in modern times, but not without reason. For example, people before would spend 8 hours at work without a computer because they had to work by hand, and then the computer gave them the ability to work faster so that became 8 hours by the computer. When I write poetry, I want to be by my computer to look up rhymes and interesting words I might use, that's more time by the computer. I want to know how my friends are doing? Instead of the time-consuming process of individually contacting each and every single one and asking them how they're doing, participating in a conversation, etc., I can just check Facebook and see what's going on. All these things used to happen outside of computers, and are now condensed to lessen the effort for everything.

On the flip side, I think computers can do a real disservice to introverts, and at the same time can be a great boon if used correctly. When I was in high school, I was incredibly introverted and painfully shy. When I got on my computer, I ignored the very real problem of how to function in the real world when I left the safety and anonymity of the internet in favor of making friends, having relationships, and generally living an entire second life online. While I'm still shy, this in the end didn't affect me too terribly because I did always crave that life outside the internet, I just couldn't get it back then. However, it's way too easy now to decide that you don't need a real life at all, online is enough, and be woefully unprepared when you leave the computer for the real world.

But on the other hand, the internet could also boost someone's confidence to the point that they're ready to go try real life. It depends entirely on what you aim to get from the internet imo.

 

[Mercurybro]

I do rely on my computer for entertainment a good chunk of the time, but I use it mostly for its connection to the internet. I would guesstimate that about 95% of the time I'm on my laptop, I'm doing something that relies on an internet connection. The rest of the time, I'm playing an emulator, Age of Empires II, making something on Paint or PaintDOTnet, or organizing my files.

Even though I still get enjoyment out of the other things I use my laptop for, I still end up spending much more time on the internet than I do anything else, and rarely do I find myself actually doing something that isn't repetitive (like watching thousands of YTPs) on the internet.

Maybe the "global system of interconnected computer networks" has a greater brain-numbing effect than TV. I feel as if the internet, and everything that relies on it in order to run, is more demanding than anything else I could run on my laptop.

 

[Nihilego]

Is that all we humans do now a days?

No, not really. It's all some people do, but not all people are the same. I don't think anyone can really say that, on average, we don't spend more time on computers now than we did x years ago but it's definitely not all we do. Most people use computers for work and socialising when they're not physically with their friends, but that's... about it really. The majority of people don't use forums regularly and don't have online friends aside from those they play games with. Most people also socalise regularly, and maybe play a sport or two. Overall the majority of people have less to do online than forum users like us; I'm not saying that none of us have social lives or play sports, but most of us regularly use computers for things outside of the norm. It's when you're on a computer all day every day (as you said that you are, OP) that the issues start. Call me old-fashioned but I really can't imagine that being healthy, physically or mentally. Just because we have online lives doesn't mean we should ignore our offline ones and all that.

...anyway I'd say more but it just hit me that this belongs in Computers & Technology lol. I'll go move it there now.

 

[Oryx]

No, not really. It's all some people do, but not all people are the same. I don't think anyone can really say that, on average, we don't spend more time on computers now than we did x years ago but it's definitely not all we do. Most people use computers for work and socialising when they're not physically with their friends, but that's... about it really. The majority of people don't use forums regularly and don't have online friends aside from those they play games with. Most people also socalise regularly, and maybe play a sport or two. Overall the majority of people have less to do online than forum users like us; I'm not saying that none of us have social lives or play sports, but most of us regularly use computers for things outside of the norm. It's when you're on a computer all day every day (as you said that you are, OP) that the issues start. Call me old-fashioned but I really can't imagine that being healthy, physically or mentally. Just because we have online lives doesn't mean we should ignore our offline ones and all that.

...anyway I'd say more but it just hit me that this belongs in Computers & Technology lol. I'll go move it there now.

I think you have a good point with the bolded there. When people like us (regular forum-goers, people that have lots of online friends generally) talk to people online, we usually talk to a small subset of people - the people that use the internet in the same way that we do. Because of this, it becomes unconsciously conditioned that the majority of people are like us, because that's who we talk to the majority of the time. When you mentioned that I even paused myself and realized that I do the same thing; I assume that people spend just as much time on their computers as I do when in reality I'm in the vast minority, just because when I'm on PC and LoL and WoW I see plenty of people doing the same thing as me, although it's still a small percentage of the entire world.

 

[zephyr6257]

You lack all the nuances of human communication otherwise.

XD I totally doooo. Wait. Then how about school? Doesn't that count? (buries his nose back into his mac) :))))))))

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

When you don't have a job and are out of school, and live in a tiny hick town in the middle of nowhere and have no social life because of all this, then yes, computers do pretty much take up the majority of my life. Everything to keep me entertained is on mine, including videos, music, reading materials, and games. It didn't use to be this way. Back when I still attended college, I was in front of my computer a lot, but if one of my friends told me of something going on where I could get out of my room for a few hours and socialize, I'd gladly take them up on the offer. But now since I'm stuck at home, that "social life" option doesn't exist for me, so computer life it is.

 

[Shinigami_]

I'm on the computer a lot when I have nothing better to do... which unfortunately if often. I much prefer actually meeting and talking to someone in person. You lack all the nuances of human communication otherwise.

I know the feeling; it's the same situation with me, here. mainly though its because where I live some of the people are basically ages older than I am; so I can't really associate myself too well with them--I sort of prefer my current age group which is like in the 20's and stuff.

 

[Hybrid Trainer]

I wouldn't say it's all we do, it's all a lot of people do and chances are a lot of people here will say it's practically all they do. Like it was said above not a lot of people have a set of online friends. This may be because of all the horror stories about how everyone who tries to talk to you online will lure you into a dark alleyway and do unspeakable things to you.
Speaking from a more industrial or business side of things though I would say that computers are becoming all we do. This is purely because of how efficient computers are in the work place. For example it's easy to back up and make copies of large documents which wouldn't have been possible to make before everything was digital. Also computers can calculate things are a much higher speed than any human being so to be blunt it'd be an extreamly stupid decision to not allow computers become a large part of our lives.

 

[Archenoth]

Computers make up for a large portion of what I do, but if I said that they were all I did, I'd be lying... They are my profession and my hobby, and the internet is commonly my jester, but it is by no means the only thing I do.

I still have quite a bit of physical activity in my life, I enjoy longboarding to many places, I occasionally go to the gym (Primaraly for the pool), and I hang out with many a friend rather often...

This doesn't necessarily happen every day, but it's definitely something that I would consider a common activity of mine. But when I can't commit to any activity for a certain period of time, of course! I'll open my laptop and go do stuff.