Such as new media which brought about smart phones and social networking platforms.
But as technology advance further.
Does this convenience actually brings people closer?
Or cause people to lose personal touch with each other?
Personally, I believe it's the latter.
At eating places (restaurants, kopitiam, etc), it isn't hard to see a whole family seated together at a table.
Each of them holding a mobile device like a smart phone or tablet.
At any point of time when you look at the, there isn't a conversation going on.
They are just seated with each other, and engaged in their individual virtual world.
Be it browsing through social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter.
Or using popular apps like WhatsApp, Instagram.
The food came, some family will request each other to put their phones down and concentrate on eating.
While there are families who hold on to their mobile devices and continue being caught up in their virtual world.
For myself, when I am eating with my friends and family, especially my family, I will set my phone to silent, and concentrate on eating, and interacting with my family.
Time spent with them is just so precious.
The other day, I was talking to one of my Facebook friends and one of them were surprised I actually set my phone aside while eating with my family.
To him, he'd rather be using his phone than to interact with his family.
Social media platforms have also, besides being a place to communication and keep each other updated, become a platform to hurt insults and cause misunderstandings.
It's not difficult to find posts that direct insult to an anonymous individual.
A teacher, parents.
I myself used to scold my mum on Facebook, openly scolded my teacher.
And even write my post in an ambiguous way to scold a friend.
Come to think of it, I feel extremely bad.
I still do that sometimes, not scolding my parents / teachers of course.
But mostly Facebook friends who really have no IQ nor EQ.
One of the examples is what Jasmine Unnie shared with the class in our class activity earlier on when a young primary school girl kept chatting with her.
And the convo would be something like.
Girl: Hi.
Jasmine: Hello.
Girl: What you doing?
Jasmine: School work.
Girl: You have boyfriend?
Jasmine: No.
Girl: Really mehz, you how old?
Jasmine: 20.
Girl: Then you still no boyfriend mehz, I don't believe you no boyfriend.
Jasmine decided to ignore the girl and focus on her work.
5 to 10 mins later...
Girl: Hi, what you doing.
LOLZ, personally, I have received quite a lot of such messages on Facebook, and I seriously think, while technology is advancing and phones are becoming smarter, the IQ of humans is constantly dropping.
It's like, don't those people have something better to do than to keep asking the same question again and again?
Just the other day, I blocked this guy called Seah Jin Long off because he kept asking me the same question everyday.
Him: hi
Him: wan b frens? OR can b frens?
Him: wat u doin
I hate it I hate it I hate it!
I cannot stand it when people cannot spell properly.
Or don't have proper punctuations.
I mean, some short forms is fine, no proper punctuation is fine.
But to shorten English to a super short form that seems almost zero sincerity in communicating, that's ridiculous, and a major turn off.
Also, I think there's a problem with kids these days who cannot spell.
I wrote this post earlier on.
"LOLZ, I see people mixing up "their" and "there", "you're" and "your", "then" and "than", "one" and "want"/"wan" now "opinion" and "onion", ohgod.
I can't D: .
What's happening to English..
Or the people using this language."
What's happening to English..
Or the people using this language."
^ don't you think it's true?
Even if you are not annoyed, I am.
Or maybe because I am just weird.
Another trend in Facebook is people uploading images of needy people in poverty, animals being abused, and set the caption as "XXX Organization will donate $n to this ______ for each share."
To which I wrote the following post.
If the charity organizations are kind enough to donate, why will they still request people to share/comment/like before they donate?
Even if it's to create awareness that there is this charity organization, it's also somehow, making use of the 'needy', and I have to say.
That's hypocritical.
Next, if you are really that benevolent and kind enough to want to help these needy people, why not donate the money yourself instead of spreading pictures of the needy at the comfort of your own home, using luxury items like your computers, tablets, smartphones?
Are you trying to let people know that you are being kind there?
A genuine kind deed is done when one does not expect return.
I strongly believe sharing those posts don't help the needy at all."
Maybe it doesn't hit you as much, how it hits me.
But the way I see things now.
People are just become puppets for spam messages, chain messages.
Information are spread at a fast pace through social media.
And you have to realize, that not just important information are passed on.
Hoax information too.
People should seriously really check things out before passing it on.
Making a fool out of themselves all the time.
Young kids nowadays are getting more and more absorbed with technologies.
At a younger and younger age.
I miss the days when cell phones were only used for text messaging and calling.
I mss the days when people confess their love for each other using letters, or when they meet face to face.
Not the current, easy, cheap, effortless way of dating the other person out through Facebook, SMS.
While I myself kind of like social media and new media, and am studying as a media student, I am an old-school person I guess.
:\ , my thinking, is just weird, and the things I feel are just different from normal people.
But that's just me.
So for those who accept me the way I am, thank you.
For those who don't, go fuck yourself.
LOLZ.