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‘Luddite’ Teens

nytimes.com

51–60 of 297 posts

Re: ‘Luddite’ Teens

#51
post #41

This is interesting but I can't help but notice how intensely performative these kids are as well, at least how they're characterized in this article. They're wearing Carhartt (an unusual choice for a metropolis like NYC), reading Dostoyevski and gathering to "listen to the wind." I will say most teens are like this and I certainly was myself, but I hope they are careful not to cultivate their own "artisan" brand of…

Carhartt often moonlights as a streetwear brand.

Re: ‘Luddite’ Teens

#52
"They marched up a hill toward their usual spot, a dirt mound located far from the park’s crowds. Among them was Odille Zexter-Kaiser, a senior at Edward R. Murrow High School in Midwood, who trudged through leaves in Doc Martens and mismatched wool socks."

Wow, these kids sound like the new beatniks.

"The club members cite libertine writers like Hunter S. Thompson and Jack Kerouac as heroes,"

and there's Jack..

Re: ‘Luddite’ Teens

#53

It reminded me of one of pg's old essays – http://paulgraham.com/addiction.html . Highly recommended. On a personal note, it's also something that worries me for the day when I'll finally have my own children. I wouldn't want them exposed to modern cyber-addictions from young age, but at the same time, I'm not sure how to protect them, when I can expect that all their peers will be on whatever social app's gonna be p…

Yes, "how can we simultaneously protect while also healthily socialize children?" is a difficult question to answer as a potential future parent. Social acceptance (to a degree) is critical to healthy development, while some of the most common uniting social tools (for previous generations, high levels of consumerism and signaling; for now and the future, near-constant technology use) are viewed by some parents as unhealthy and lead some to want to abstain entirely.

Re: ‘Luddite’ Teens

#54

It reminded me of one of pg's old essays – http://paulgraham.com/addiction.html . Highly recommended. On a personal note, it's also something that worries me for the day when I'll finally have my own children. I wouldn't want them exposed to modern cyber-addictions from young age, but at the same time, I'm not sure how to protect them, when I can expect that all their peers will be on whatever social app's gonna be p…

You protect them by not giving them a smart phone. My daughter is 2 and she hasn’t seen a screen yet.

Your comment was downvoted to death but I vouched for it, and leaving this followup comment to make it less likely to get killed again, because I think this is the Right Answer (or at least a big part of the Right Answer).

Re: ‘Luddite’ Teens

#55

It reminded me of one of pg's old essays – http://paulgraham.com/addiction.html . Highly recommended. On a personal note, it's also something that worries me for the day when I'll finally have my own children. I wouldn't want them exposed to modern cyber-addictions from young age, but at the same time, I'm not sure how to protect them, when I can expect that all their peers will be on whatever social app's gonna be p…

You protect them by not giving them a smart phone. My daughter is 2 and she hasn’t seen a screen yet.

I'm not sure that's a good long term solution. Like, once they see that all their friends have a smartphone, I think it's natural they'll feel jealous. What are you thinking of doing at that point?

Re: ‘Luddite’ Teens

#56

It reminded me of one of pg's old essays – http://paulgraham.com/addiction.html . Highly recommended. On a personal note, it's also something that worries me for the day when I'll finally have my own children. I wouldn't want them exposed to modern cyber-addictions from young age, but at the same time, I'm not sure how to protect them, when I can expect that all their peers will be on whatever social app's gonna be p…

It's very difficult. I was lucky to have access to the internet in the late 80s and have watched it grow, mature, evolve. I know how quickly things can change, and I don't want my kids to miss out or be left behind. But at the same time, the dangers that exist today didn't exist even in the 90s. My biggest fear then was receiving an email virus.

Now, Social Media alone is enough to make a parent take a step back and wonder what is the right time to introduce your children to the internet.

Our solution, which isn't perfect, is to use a parent control app. Kids can use their devices for X hours and only certain times of day, and we have to approve each app install or purchase made on the phone. It feels like too much control, but the alternative is too dangerous. And even still I walk in on the kids to see what they are doing.

It's a balancing act that will take time to figure out. We are evolving as a global cultural, technological race, and evolving fast.

Re: ‘Luddite’ Teens

#58

I don't have a phone. It's fine.

In these discussion threads I always see people mixing call/gps functionality (which is genuinely useful, especially in case of an emergency, and not addictive) with social media. You can have one without having the other. Instagram didn't come with your phone, you installed it. So, don't.

Re: ‘Luddite’ Teens

#59

"They marched up a hill toward their usual spot, a dirt mound located far from the park’s crowds. Among them was Odille Zexter-Kaiser, a senior at Edward R. Murrow High School in Midwood, who trudged through leaves in Doc Martens and mismatched wool socks." Wow, these kids sound like the new beatniks. "The club members cite libertine writers like Hunter S. Thompson and Jack Kerouac as heroes," and there's Jack..

I don’t think beatniks particularly wore the equivalent $150+ Doc Martens.

Tangent, I really enjoyed reading On the Road

Re: ‘Luddite’ Teens

#60
post #41

This is interesting but I can't help but notice how intensely performative these kids are as well, at least how they're characterized in this article. They're wearing Carhartt (an unusual choice for a metropolis like NYC), reading Dostoyevski and gathering to "listen to the wind." I will say most teens are like this and I certainly was myself, but I hope they are careful not to cultivate their own "artisan" brand of…

Didn't read the article, but I wish I had friends who made listening to the wind an activity growing up. There's a lot of performance any direction you take, surrendering time to the elements is a lovely little angle.
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