mobile phones have killed the art of conversation

[Chazchallenger]

does anybody else believe this, you sit in restaurants and people sit all around you with the latest ipad or smart phone, silence at there table apart from the tapping of buttons. Go to a beer bar these days and your lucky to get a second glance let alone the company you may have gone in there to seek. when in bangkok on the mrt 70 percent of travellers are on there facebook app. when did we stop speaking.

[thequietman]

Sorry, can't talk now...................... on the phone.

[Loptr]

Cell Phones or better yet, smart phones have killed more than the art of the conversation. Most now walk around with there nose stuck in the phone and don't pay attention to anything around them. The scariest thing is the number of people doing while driving.

I still love this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPW8xmI4w6U

Then the silly cow wants to sue the mall. As American comic Ron White says, "you can't fix stupid".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOBZmNVgOz0

[Lancelot]

It started even before smart phones, before Facebook. About eight years ago in Bangkok, I remember watching four middle age western guys sitting at a table, not speaking to each other but busy texting in their cell phones...

Why bother meeting up?

[ABCer]

The scary/funny thing is watching people visibly talking to themselves. On closer look - they talk into mike on their top button with earplugs in their ears.

They look like lunatics.

The rest are 'masturbating' on their games apps. Remind me lab rats pushing buttons to get a 'fix'.

Going back to the previous thread - talking they may be, but READING - never!.

Even here on TV this exchange is as close to conversation as we get these days... Sad!

[uptheos]

It started even before smart phones, before Facebook. About eight years ago in Bangkok, I remember watching four middle age western guys sitting at a table, not speaking to each other but busy texting in their cell phones...

Why bother meeting up?

Wives/gf's hounding them no doubt....don't have the balls to turn them off!

[kurnell]

Most people are boring tits anyway so smartphones are a godsend

[Birdman]

young travelers on the islands get there to get away from it all and sit there with their tablets on the beaches and let everyone know that they get there and away from it all..........

.......maybe it's a generation thing and I am too old to understand that

[impulse]

I can't tell you how much more pleasant a 3 hour taxi ride or a 13 hour plane ride are when there are games, movies, music and audiobooks at the tip of my fingers. Even the hour long white knuckle ride to the airport seems to fly by with a few dozen games of solitaire.

And another benefit of ubiquitous cell phones- I very rarely get corralled into those uncomfortable conversations with strangers (drunk and otherwise) who latch on to anyone with the same skin color in a foreign country. I love the delightful meet-talk-departs, but those other ones (c'mon you know what I mean) are the pits. Now, my silent phone starts "ringing" and I excuse myself for an important and confidential business call- usually with nobody.

Sadly (not), I don't have a Facebook account, no Linked-In, and I don't tweet or share photos (or words) with friends so I don't get to enjoy the full experience.

In all fairness, even back in the '80s when I was courting, engaged and married, my wife noted that my entire family didn't do phone very well. Conversations were short, to the point and probably not so sweet. I don't imagine I've gotten any better since my current GF complains that I don't do good phone. Probably "training" I received from Dad when long distance calls cost a fortune and there was only one phone shared by 7 in our home..

[BookMan]

Cell Phones or better yet, smart phones have killed more than the art of the conversation. Most now walk around with there nose stuck in the phone and don't pay attention to anything around them. The scariest thing is the number of people doing while driving.

I still love this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPW8xmI4w6U

Then the silly cow wants to sue the mall. As American comic Ron White says, "you can't fix stupid".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOBZmNVgOz0

Same lady...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60DRqlUYDRk

[Thongkorn]

Thais don't speak a lot anyway , and rising your voice is bad manners for a Thai.

[bangkokrick]

Its very true mate. I am a sad victim of 'Candy crush' my life will never be the same again.Living in eternal silence except for the bloody annoying bleeps!

[hotandhumid]

Most people are boring tits anyway so smartphones are a godsend

There is a lot of truth in that statement.

[ABCer]

There are many partial truths said here.

The most important and all-embracing one is this:

- If you are given the best e-gadget, an unlimited account and the whole world for the audience - what would you say?

Me? ... I bought the latest Samsung Tablet for my wife only to watch her jerking up on the machine games for hours.

I am using an old-old Sony Ericsson strictly phone, for an average of 10 calls/week usually 3 min duration calls.

And refuse to change it.

What we need and what we want are very different things...

[overherebc]

What can be really interesting is when you are driving, your phone rings and you just ignore it and carry on your conversation. Look at the expressions of others in the car. You get the strangest looks and it's so easy to read the faces, it goes completely over their heads that you don't answer.

One of the main reactions you get is that they will all start looking at their own phones as though trying to 'will' the call to them.

Sometimes not answering is a great conversation killer as well.

[SeaVisionBurma]

Not Thailand related.

//CLOSED//