Are we losing the ability to converse

wonderoushen Female

14 days ago

Without constant referal to links to other sites giving information?

Are we losing the ability to comunicate effectively, by giving a precis of a topic to ease the flow of communication and conversation?

To me it seems lazy to expect others to put so much effort into finding put what you want to talk about, if its worth talking about then surely you should put some effort into the subject?

I feel like conversation is being replaced by series of links to other sites and what others have already said and reduced to a mere yes or no response, am I the only one who finds it unsatisfying? It's like being hungry and eating a load of cake, you've not got an empty belly but you feel unsatified and slightly queasy and that you should of been more patient and eaten properly.

MrQuiet Male

14 days ago

I very much agree. I don't like constant links and YouTube clips. It's as if the writer can't be bothered with discussion.

Greencare Female

14 days ago

Posting long links can make the screen go funny on many devices.

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

Not if you use a url shortener like bit. ly ;-)

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

I tend to use them when I'm referring to multimedia, in particular a photograph rather than documents because this is a steam powered website.

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

It gives one the ability to be understood better rather than the written word where people misinterpret text and throw a tantrum. What's the phrase...

Chinese proverb: "One picture is worth ten thousand words."

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

I could list loads of them from my recent trek of The Balkans where it loses something in text form. One such example is a stone head that is built into a wall of a building and legend has it that if you can stand on it you will find your true love. We'll see...

Templar2013 Male

14 days ago

I agree with the initial observation of the OP but also with our resident beeman. Links and clips to news items and non personal things is, I believe, lazy and uninteresting but a link to a one-off personal event is perfectly acceptable.

wonderoushen Female

14 days ago

Whats a url shortener?

I don't have multimedia, I'm not even sure what it is.

Whats wrong with just having a normal conversation? I say something, others reply, we talk some more, the conversation develops, we think about things, come up with new and different ideas and explore them. To be honest I don't have the time or inclination to follow links, watch video's, get advertised at and then follow yet another link which I then post on here, whats the point? Wheres the real social interaction?

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

If you go to bitly. com (without the space) you just copy and paste your link in the box that says "shorten your link" then it will shorten it. Press copy and you can paste it on to your post as if it's an ordinary link like this...

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

https://bit.ly/3l8p1cl

wonderoushen Female

14 days ago

Sorry I don't know how to cut and paste, its one of those bits of information that my brain puts straight into long term memory without passing through any short term memory and it dosen't create a synaptic liink so I have no access to it. Mind you even when its been written down for me or somebodies standing next to me telling me what to do, I still manage to lose everything.

But why the emphasis on links? Can't we just talk to each other anymore without having to go in and out the cats backside using links to other stuff? This is exactly what I mean about losing the ability to converse, all comunication seems to be about how to avoid conversing because we've got to follow links and go to other sites, it feels like soon all comunication will be is a series of links and us being told what to think by "experts".

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

I've shortened this to show a photo of the bees in May using bitly. It's almost impossible to write it down in text form. using the website bitly.com to shorten your url simplifies things and makes it easier for others.

https://bit.ly/3FKd7ib

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

To copy and paste you just hover over the url (web address) click the right mouse button and choose copy and go the bitly website and hover over the text box and right click the mouse button but this time choose paste. That will give you a shortened web address.

There's so much data on the image it just doesn't come across in text form. In the case of that image it helps if you want to identify which bee it is.

Pixiefluff Female

14 days ago

I don't think posting links are lazy, some sites have really good sources of information and advice that if you were to type it all out or copy and paste would take up loads of space. They're useful when backing up a point s evidence in a debate or just if it's a site that might be able to save people money etc.. some sites have pdf forms on that need to be filled in if someone were to apply for grant etc,posting a link is a fast way to help someone.

Some people can't be bothered to look and that's more lazy I think if it's relative or useful to a question being asked by them themselves.. I'll use the URL shortener in future as some links are massively long and hash up the threads.. good tip!

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

They are also useful in debates to back up your point.

For instance, I can post that research has shown that you are reducing the risk of dementia by 76% if you dance regularly (and give a precis on it). Someone else may come and counter post asking where I've got "that rubbish" from? I can point them to the source/s and studies to prove my point. They have a choice then of either accepting that I am correct by default or check the source/s I'm using to prove my point. In the same way it's used in a dissertation one writes where one has to source research material and studies to prove what one is stating is correct.

I could, for instance, say the sky appears blue to the human eye as the short waves of blue light are scattered more than the other colours in the spectrum, making the blue light more visible. Someone else may come along and say "Prove it!" I can then direct people to research material I've used to back up my assertion.

It's either that or do a Jeff and copy & paste the whole page on multiple posts ;-)

Since the evidence is there I can rest my case.

Pixiefluff Female

14 days ago

It would make it easier if the links were readily active and didn't need copy and pasting just click on and away we go links.. say I'm looking on my mobile it's a bit tricky ..

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

I can either just write a precis on it and assume that everybody believes I am correct or I can write the precis and include the source which others can read to see if what I'm stating is correct. In this case I've written a precis on my research or I can add a url as well so that I can prove it's not just a load of twaddle I'm coming out with...

There was a "21-year study of senior citizens, 75 and older, was led by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, funded by the National Institute on Aging, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Their method for objectively measuring mental acuity in aging was to monitor rates of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease."

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

Another url shortener is: tinyurl. com

the-omniscient-beeman Male

14 days ago

TBH I think that copying & pasting is more lazy rather than using original thoughts. I'm not interested in what percentage of people are living in a semi that could be living in a bedsit and how much it's costing the country. I am interested in the rational someone has at solving the issue. It's called original thinking.

NoSaint Female

14 days ago

Links for the lazy lol. Not that it matters much because hardly anyone bothers looking at them.

terry

14 days ago

I think we've been losing the ability to converse for a long time, probably our generation hastened the decline and the internet has simply killed off the art almost totally. Most responses, no matter whether it's asked as a closed or open question, receives just one line or one word answers....look back on these threads as prime examples.

As far as internet links are concerned, I very rarely look at the ones given in threads but have no problem with conversations referencing something/someone that you can do a search by yourself of....but again, it's rarely that I do that either.

Conversation is becoming a dying art, which implies to me that people are uninterested in anything outside of their own little bubble, preferring to comment more on a like/dislike basis.

persona_non_grata Male

14 days ago

It's a bloody shame but I think you are right terry. I think we are too interested in our own bubble and don't have enough interest in those around us and what is happening unless it affects us.

Apologies for stretching to two sentences lol.

Pixiefluff Female

14 days ago

I much prefer conversations in person or over the telephone than online.

wonderoushen Female

13 days ago

So I guess it coomes down to how techie you are, if you're a techie person you do links and if you're not you don't.

I think I've forgotten how to have a face to face conversation, its been so long, the same with the phone.

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