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Short film set entirely on a teen's computer screen

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Re: Short film set entirely on a teen's computer screen

#101

Post by rfnslyr »

stephengillie wrote: post #87
rfnslyr wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will say though, the way he didn't really pay attention to her in Skype is similar to what I experience in person... with regards to people texting. I automatically lose any respect for anyone if they do this a few times in a conversation without warning. Infuriating and disrespectful. When you start texting during our conversation I lose the will to continue speaking.

When you check your phone, I check mine. It's a new social custom and it's not rude.

You're assuming I check my phone. I don't. Unless I get a call, which is when I say "excuse me I'll be quick, sorry", answer it, tell them to call back, carry on with conversation.

Re: Short film set entirely on a teen's computer screen

#102

Post by stephengillie »

lotharbot wrote: post #90
stephengillie wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you check your phone, I check mine. It's a new social custom and it's not rude.

If it isn't rude, why are so many people offended by it? People invented the "everyone's phone goes in a stack in the middle of the table, and if you touch it you pick up the check" custom because they find it so rude that people check their phones during dinner conversation. When you're with someone, pay attention to them. Sure, if there's a long break in the conversation and neither of you has anything to say, mayb…

>If it isn't rude, why are so many people offended by it?

Because they're old and trying to apply old customs to new situations, instead of adopting new customs. No, not every single bit of dinner conversation will be riveting, and it's natural for our attentions to wander. So we alt-tab from the conversation into other sites, sometimes bringing something new into the conversation. This act is also a highly effective yet passive body-language signalling technique -- it allows us to more definitively signal our disinterest in the topic-at-hand without interrupting the speaker or others listening, and if everyone is on their phones it tells the speaker to change topic or let someone else speak.

Re: Short film set entirely on a teen's computer screen

#103

Post by stephengillie »

clicks wrote: post #95
thejulielogan wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that it's a movie about teenagers...yeah I'd hope the dialogue would be the same vapid conversations that all humans have from teenage to mid-adulthood.

Worse than that, what about the casual racism? The truly shocking thing to me is no-one in this thread has yet commented about it. This is frustrating for two reasons: 1) It is so normalized that no-one felt the need to even comment about it -- as if it's not bizarre 2) 'Studying' is presumed as a boring, bad thing. Is this what college students are like? Studying a lot is bad? Asians studying a lot is 'the worst thi…

>Is this what college students are like? Studying a lot is bad? Asians studying a lot is 'the worst thing'?

Yes, most college students want to study only the week before midterms and finals, so they can maximize their free time with friends. And I have seen Asian friends complain about other Asians for "living in the library" and "being too Asian".

(I was in an Asian fraternity at a 25% Asian campus...)

Yes, everyone's racist today, and the new equality is being an equal-opportunity racist. It's a brave, new world.

Re: Short film set entirely on a teen's computer screen

#104

Post by MaybiusStrip »

cclogg wrote: post #54

Is this how people actually use their computers? I only watched the first couple of minutes, but it seems kind of odd. I did grow up with internet (25 now) but I don't use Facebook, so maybe I'm out of touch... but seriously do people just open tabs or flash games and porn while talking to someone via video chat? What's the point of video chatting then? I will say though, the way he didn't really pay attention to her…

No, you'd have to be out of touch to think anybody does that.

Re: Short film set entirely on a teen's computer screen

#106

Post by noblethrasher »

clicks wrote: post #95
thejulielogan wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that it's a movie about teenagers...yeah I'd hope the dialogue would be the same vapid conversations that all humans have from teenage to mid-adulthood.

Worse than that, what about the casual racism? The truly shocking thing to me is no-one in this thread has yet commented about it. This is frustrating for two reasons: 1) It is so normalized that no-one felt the need to even comment about it -- as if it's not bizarre 2) 'Studying' is presumed as a boring, bad thing. Is this what college students are like? Studying a lot is bad? Asians studying a lot is 'the worst thi…

The racist lines came from a non-protagonist, and the response from the protagonist was basically dismissive.

Consider also that he's going on to bigger and better things while she's apparently going to be stuck there (presumably she would have followed if she could). So her disdain for studiousness wasn't portrayed as particularly virtuous.

Re: Short film set entirely on a teen's computer screen

#107

Post by yelnatz »

Tichy wrote: post #92
cclogg wrote: post #54

Is this how people actually use their computers? I only watched the first couple of minutes, but it seems kind of odd. I did grow up with internet (25 now) but I don't use Facebook, so maybe I'm out of touch... but seriously do people just open tabs or flash games and porn while talking to someone via video chat? What's the point of video chatting then? I will say though, the way he didn't really pay attention to her…

I don't think I ever watched porn while chatting to someone, but occasionally I have been reading Hacker News while talking on the phone. Maybe that counts, too.

Well he was trying to watch porn before his gf called him.

He saved the link and closed it when they started talking.

Re: Short film set entirely on a teen's computer screen

#108

Post by keypusher »

jka wrote: post #65

For anyone who enjoyed this and might like to look at similarly themed pieces (impact of social media / internet communication on relationships) - the following might be of interest: * Catfish [movie, USA] - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1584016/ * Black Mirror [series, UK] - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2085059/ Both a little on the bleak/dark side, forewarning!

The first video I remember in this style was "The Website Is Down".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8_Kfjo3VjU

Re: Short film set entirely on a teen's computer screen

#109

Post by noblethrasher »

stephengillie wrote: post #102
lotharbot wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it isn't rude, why are so many people offended by it? People invented the "everyone's phone goes in a stack in the middle of the table, and if you touch it you pick up the check" custom because they find it so rude that people check their phones during dinner conversation. When you're with someone, pay attention to them. Sure, if there's a long break in the conversation and neither of you has anything to say, mayb…

>If it isn't rude, why are so many people offended by it? Because they're old and trying to apply old customs to new situations, instead of adopting new customs. No, not every single bit of dinner conversation will be riveting, and it's natural for our attentions to wander. So we alt-tab from the conversation into other sites, sometimes bringing something new into the conversation. This act is also a highly effective…

I had a whole bunch of stuff that I typed but then I realized it all comes down to this: You're demanding that everyone be entertaining but forgetting that listening is a form of entertainment too.

So, please don't do what you're advocating, humans have not fundamentally changed; you're going to hurt people.

...

Also, dismissing things because they're old is going to ill-serve you, especially as a technologist.

Re: Short film set entirely on a teen's computer screen

#110

Post by dcre »

clicks wrote: post #95
thejulielogan wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that it's a movie about teenagers...yeah I'd hope the dialogue would be the same vapid conversations that all humans have from teenage to mid-adulthood.

Worse than that, what about the casual racism? The truly shocking thing to me is no-one in this thread has yet commented about it. This is frustrating for two reasons: 1) It is so normalized that no-one felt the need to even comment about it -- as if it's not bizarre 2) 'Studying' is presumed as a boring, bad thing. Is this what college students are like? Studying a lot is bad? Asians studying a lot is 'the worst thi…

I absolutely agree we should be talking about it.

I found the line about "stinking up the place with her pork dumplings" a little over-the-top and unrealistic. I don't think I knew anyone in school who would have said something like that, though I'm sure people talk like that somewhere.

The stereotype about studying more than average is something I've heard plenty of people say about Asian students. Being a stereotype, it obviously cannot be 100% true, but there are decent reasons it might be partially true. For example, international students may have more at stake in getting an American education. And of course cultural differences in parenting that are a cliche to mention at this point.

I disagree with the other commenter that the protagonist (if you can really call the unsympathetic main character that) dismissed the racist remark. He seemed to agree, though the character was sort of sycophantic -- I can easily imagine him agreeing with everything she said just to please her.

Finally, yes, negative attitudes toward studying are extremely common in college. There's plenty of variation between schools and within schools (as suggested by the character's remark), but the idea that teenagers are lazy about schoolwork is ubiquitous in pop culture. I'm surprised that you're surprised.

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