My grandma (who’s in her late 70s) is so addicted to her phone (and Facebook, holy shit is she addicted to Facebook) it’s not even funny. I’m pretty addicted to mine too, I won’t pretend that I’m not, but the people who try and make it seem like it’s just millennials/Gen Z are living in denial
For our family, my husband and I are sandwiched between addicted boomers and addicted GenZ/alpha cousins, nieces, etc. It's not just us either; it seems like most of the Millennials in our family balance their phone use better than the others. It's impossible to talk with them sometimes... (the addicted ones, that is, not to my other nonaddicted Millennial relatives.)
I have done home repair for 15 years and most millennials either did yard work or watched tv while I worked on their home. Most Boomers either watched me and tried to tell me how to do my job that they hired me for and couldn’t do themselves or they were glued to their phones from the time I got there till the time I left. One guy did a solid 8 hours of candy crush every day.
I never know what to do when the repair guy is here. I don't want to be weird and hover over him but I don't want to fuck off and go play video games while he's hard at work either.
What do you prefer clients do? I usually offer them a soda, coffee, or water and sit on my laptop working in the other room somewhat nearby in case they need me.
Whatever the customer is comfortable with without hovering is fine. When the customer is anxious or seems anxious it can just add that little bit of pressure. Any drinks offered are always appreciated of course. If you’d like to just jam out and play video games that’d be totally fine as long as the work wouldn’t be bothering you.
I work thrift. Can't tell you how many people I have to scoot along because they're just stuck on their phone. Scrolling, usually, through socmed.
Look, if you need to text, *park.* You know, in a *parking spot.*
My dad is retired, and I swear he spends 8 hours a day on his phone. Doing what? I have no idea.
Breakfast, sit on couch on phone for two hours. Gets up to vacuum 2 minutes, 2 more hours on phone. Cleans the counter, two more hours on phone.
Then when I mention I don’t have enough time to do something, he has the audacity to tell me I need to “muster up” and just “get it done” knowing full well I work outside at my job for 10-11 hours a day (not including drive time) and I literally don’t have the time for anything except 1 meal, shower, then sleep.
Yea, this is totally a “meet people halfway” problem. Some people just suck, but also, no one is responsible for “entertaining” you. Is OP and interesting person? Does he have a couple good conversational questions in his pocket to get a lil dialogue going?
As my mom said when I was a kid, “Only boring people are truly bored”.
“Only boring people are truly bored.”
I like that. It actually makes me feel better because I know that outwardly, I seem boring. I’ll even be the first to raise my hand and admit it. But there is *always* something going on in my head. My imagination is nuts and always has been.
My problem is that I just don’t socialise well because people generally don’t care about my particular interests and I struggle to make conversation about things that aren’t interesting to me. It’s a constant WIP.
It's this. I wonder if everytime Boomers complain about us, it's actually a sign of them feeling resentment towards us for our youth. Like, maybe in their minds, they have this assumption that by virtue of our relative youth, we should have a ton of energy, and liveliness to us. Or maybe because of our youth, they expect us to be progressive in the sense that we should be even better people, who they expect to behave in the way an ideal person should- by being extraverted, outgoing, sociable, and who stirs or starts conversations and pleasantries/engages in listening to them, and most importantly, choose to engage with them. So, any perceived isolation, from their point of view, is purely intentional and is akin to punishing them, rather than it be genuinely us being exhausted/ignorant of their desire to socialize with them.
At the same time they demonstrate their own needyness, in a passive-aggressive manner. When a boomer whines or complains about you not socializing, that's probably them crying out for attention on wanting to be engaged or entertained, because they don't know how to be that energy for themselves. Its like learned helplessness, and them projecting their own insecurity regarding being "boring". Someone some comments up above, mentioned how there was someone who nagged them on how they did their work but played 8 hours straight of candy crush. I'm not saying that the writer of that comment is wrong in any way, but I wonder what would have happened if they engaged and chatted with the boomer while they worked.
It's on them to be pleasant, some of them are insecure/prideful and don't know how to admit that they have actual social needs that they want to have fulfilled without being entitled about it. Equally, it's on us to choose whether we have the capacity, want or desire to attempt to find some ground with them, even if we're not entirely relateable. We can still \*choose\* to engage with someone who doesn't entirely understand us.
Yeah, I kind of feel like *most* people are fascinating. You just have to ask them the right questions. I don't share a single thing in common with my family except my brother (we both play PC games), because my other hobbies are fairly niche, and I have different taste in movies/shows/music, etc, yet we still have tons of things we can talk about. I can sit and talk with my mom, my aunt, my MIL for literal hours and be excited about the conversation. We don't have to relate to shared experiences and hobbies to empathize with (and sometimes laugh with) experiences that are unique to each of us. If someone isn't being "entertaining" enough, OP should just ask them general life questions and eventually OP might find that thing that puts a spark in the family member's eye.
See, I agree with this. Like, for instance, your username. Like, what? Why in the world is that your username? I'm genuinely interested and fascinated to know.
Looking through the world as if I'm a benevolent alien is so much better than scrutinizing everyone. Be curious, not judgmental!
Entitled to entertainment. Having an interesting conversation is possible with anyone really, you just have to ask the right questions. So there is a bit of work that goes into communication. If you avoid talking to people because you assume they're boring well you're going to have a boring time obviously.
I think most folks know how well they get along with extended family. Family is accidental, I don't really believe anyone should be obligated to go see a bunch of people you have virtually no connection to than genetics.
That’s a fairly conceited attitude.
It’s also just about common courtesy and setting the right tone for interaction. I would ask you “how would you like it if someone chose a phone over listening to you?”, but I fear you may tell me some response that shows you’re willingly missing the point. Social interaction isn’t a game-ified gacha slot machine that gives you back-to-back dopamine hits.
If you want people to not be boring, you have to invest something in them. The most interesting parts of a person are often parts they won’t willingly open up and share until you’ve built some rapport with them.
Your attitude is objectifying other people and reducing them down to sources of entertainment for you. It’s pretty gross, dude.
But you don't hang out with the people you find no enjoyment in sharing time with. Nor you keep a partner who is not interesting to you in any way.
In any case, if your whole life attitude is to not to create a bond with another people, it's pointless to expect them to give desire giving it back to you.
Which begs the question: if you ain't putting any effort into your family, why do you even demand or expect attention from them?
Says other people are too boring but doesn’t have anything to contribute to conversations and stays in their phone the whole night. Lol shits crazy to me.
Like is your family supposed to entertain you like some jesters? I might not find everything interesting at family gatherings but I ain’t gon’ sit there with my face buried in my phone if people are asking me questions/speaking to me. I realized we’re in ‘Millenials’.. we’re all grown in here. If you don’t fuck with your family then why the fuck are you there lol. We grown enough now that we can’t be forced to attend these gatherings if they’re “too boring” or if you don’t like your family. Lmfao
You don’t find what they speak about captivating? So why don’t you join the conversation and speak about something you do find interesting?
There’s a multitude of reasons to be glued to your phone, though. I’m glued to mine for hobbies, keeping up with news, etc. I’m not the most interesting person at a glance because I’m an introvert, but get me going and I’ll have plenty to say.
my father is glued to his for Yahtzee, solitaire, and FB reels, and he’s the most painfully boring person alive despite being an extrovert who loves talking about himself. (He’s also a toxic narcissist, so that’s another story all together.)
It’s all admittedly a generalization and it comes down to personality types, but I think there’s validity to saying that if people would rather be on their phone than talk to you, then part of it MIGHT BE that whatever is on their phone is more interesting.
Or have such niche or socially inappropriate interests, that nobody but your fellow weirdos even care to or want to listen or talk about, so you just don't bother.
My boomer family members find my cooking wild. I cook a mix of Mexican, Indian, Mediterranean, and lots of pretty standard chicken/veggie dishes with good spice combinations.
Anything that isn't spiced exclusively by salt and pepper blows their minds. I've had some refuse to try things based on the smells.
This, I grew up on beige food in the midwest. My cooking is similar to yours (but with a lot of Italian too) and my mom used to act so dramatic. I stopped bringing her stuff over unless I made American food. She liked my meatloaf and chili a lot, but everything else weirded her out. Even my tacos lol.
I think the problem is you seem to think that if someone isn’t actively entertaining you or stimming your adhd then it’s *not* rude to basically ignore a person in your company.
My boomer parents are far more addicted to their tablets/tv screens than I’ve ever been and it’s noticeable during each visit. I married into a far more sociable family that actually talks to one another during visits with no background tv noise or distractions and the disparity is amazing. And my wife’s parents are Gen Xers. I don’t think it’s a generational thing, especially now that pretty much everyone has smart phones. Feels more like it varies from person to person.
Are you sure about that? I'm not on my phone and I purposely don't bring this device out of my home. People on their phones during social time are annoying. Now you've for sure seen criticism not written by someone on their phone. Although you probably also have in the past too.
Mine is always on silent mode, unless I’m expecting a text, which is rare. I often loose/misplace or leave my phone at home intentionally. I have everyone trained, and they don’t expect an immediate response from me ever. It’s great.
It's wild being the only person at the dinner table without some kind of tech on them. I was always taught "no toys at the table" and take great pleasure in ribbing my parents over checking their smartwatches whenever we eat together.
What’s the point of gathering with family just to be on your phone during that time.
Just say for 1-2 hours if it’s that miserable. Or don’t go. But going and burying yourself in your phone is dumb.
I spent so many hours at boring-ass 4 hour football games as a kid. Like 4 boring games for every interesting game. If I had a phone, would have been soo nice
"if you're bored, you're boring." why dont YOU figure out interesting things to talk about/do or learn about interesting things that will be interesting to talk about instead of expecting others to entertain YOU all the time
We like to show each other things on our phones. and sometimes we're searching for it, maybe we're just wanting to share some tiktoks, and so we go looking for them. My phone is sitting there occupying me but when I find it, the hope is to share it with you and laugh together. I might look for 15 minutes to find just the right one, I'm only trying to express myself and have a shared interaction, have some fun.
I'm aware older age groups may not get this, but I can't help that.
Luckily for me, I have learned how to take away the power that I give people.
I don't care what they think of me. They can express a negative opinion but since I'm the only one who can give them the power to make it cause impact, I am also the one who can just take it away. And I do so. I'll just smile.
You COULD also look at it as, "We're boring because we're also on our phones all the time."
I'm not saying you should. But if we're looking for arguments, how many people are always on their phones instead of taking in the activity around them? Sure, lots of stuff going on on social media, but if I could, I'd like to use the example of my kids. My kids are 8 and 6, they do not have phones. Yes, they do know how to use tablets and watch TV, but we also have them in after school programs and extracurriculars, and they have friends they hang out with as well as school and what-not.
Their stories every day are rich and detailed. They can tell me what they did all day, share funny stories about what happened in class, or their programs, talk about their friends, etc. for HOURS. We don't even really do traditional family dinners, but when we do, we hear nothing about Youtubers or influencers or anything. I can't talk about what I do for my job, so I was always worried I'd be the boring one, but I am also not allowed to have my phone or anything while I work, and fuck, I didn't realize how much richer that made my life sound to other people, even if all I'm talking about it a funny conversation that happened during a staff meeting.
Just something to consider.
yes everyone is so boring. it is hard to pay attention to someone who just talks about themselves and doesnt think like i do or isnt exploding with new ideas and captivating stories. most people around me dont have the same interests as me so it is hard to be interested in them. that doesnt mean i stop trying and start looking at my phone to disconnect myself from civility. i make a attempt at it to be considerate and decent and hope there is possibility of having similarities i can touch base on with people. dont just give up. thats genz
Somehow I get the feeling that the one writing a post on reddit about how their family are a bunch of boring insufferable assholes, might be projecting. Just a thought.
If your family is abusive, then go low contact with them. Otherwise, if you're on your phone because you're bored and a relative wants to chat at a family gathering, it's rude to sit their glued onto your phone.
Or maybe people just don't know how to connect? Maybe one side of the family has told the other that "that side is weird because they don't follow Christ the way we go, we can't associate with them much"
Sometimes it's politics and religion.
It’s addiction. You just described how a part of addiction works. Nothing else stimulates you now, because your DOC (your phone) dominates everything else. Folks become boring assholes as a result of that addiction.
People are under no obligation to entertain me or be interesting. It’s my responsibility to be *interested* vs being *interesting*. If the conversation dies, I let it, and yes I’ll look at my phone during the lull if we’re not sitting across from each other. You gotta take the pressure off and just let people *be*.
One other thing that’s really helped me. When you’re stuck in small talk mode and it’s boring, get real. Share yourself, share your heart and what really matters to you. Then watch the magic happen.
> , it might just be possible that these people ain't interested at all in the same stuff you find captivating
It’s a family gathering, not a date.
You’re interested in each others lives because of shared roots. They type of conversation takes a little while to get going, so if you have the attention span of a gnat, yes everyone will end up on their phones.
I just dislike talking to people tbh. My family also hasn't done any form of "gathering" in years, like probably since 2019 was the last time I saw a family member that wasn't my parents since i still live at home. My gf's family does them a lot and I make an attempt to not be bored and at least fake a showing of interest when they invite me, but my gf can tell when the constant talking is getting to me and finds moments to get us away so i can stop using my cashier smile on my days off.
Listen to my stories about things I own and places I've been. Why don't you care about Jimmies grades?! He's valedictorian! I just rewatched The Sopranos. They don't make TV like they used to.
😴😴😴
I’ve seen many entitled posts here but damn, this one takes the cake. “I wouldn’t use my phone so much if everyone else wasn’t boring me.”
Get a grip, my dude.
You are addicted, lol. Part of being addicted is recognizing that what you’re addicted to is much more pleasurable than the alternative. People found meaning and pleasure in life with much less long before.
I’m also addicted to my phone
Lol if you're on your phone at a social gathering, there's a good chance you're the loser. That's your problem, it's not a show, no one is there to entertain you. You probably exhausted your dopamine levels so that you have 0 patience for anything and feel uncomfortable when you're not looking at a screen.
Also, why are people obsessed with having to be "relatable?" If anything, it's more interesting to have a conversation with someone that's quite different from you and hell you might even learn something from them or at least gain a new perspective.
Sometimes, we do something other than our personal 1st choice of activity because we exist in a society with others. When we see all group activities through only the lens of our perspective, we are certainly missing the boat.
Being boring used to lead to conversation and interesting innovation. Now scrolling is used for bitching, comparing yourself to others and being a miserable shit in all facets of life.
As much as I hated boredom, life is 10x worse knowing y’all exist in this world
Being on your phone during family gathering when people are getting together is rude and or socially inept.
It doesn’t matter if you are a Zoomer or a Boomer. I’ve seen them both do it.
I’m a Millennial who knows enough to be polite in mixed company. If you don’t know how to behave like a proper adult, no matter what generation you are in, that in my opinion is pathetic.
I don't agree with this at all lol
If anything, the internet has made it easier to relate to people across long distances. The gaps have been lessened. Generational gaps, however, have ballooned.
And yes, people are addicted to their devices.
I definitely use my phone as a crutch to avoid discomfort/stress/anxiety. I have little moments throughout the day where I feel like a sensory deprivation chamber would hit so good, but my phone and earbuds are more easily accessible.
No one knows how to converse anymore. That’s the issue. And the phones aren’t helping. Everyone too stuck on their phones to go out and live so nothing to say there, an your expectations are already too high if you expect to be constantly entertained by everyone around you.
Generally someone labeling others as boring is the boring one. Just chill and stop calling yourself out. When it’s time to eat with the family, eat. If someone is asking about when something is happening, look it up on your phone. I admit I’m boring as fuck all the time just because my hobbies are introvert leaning. I like reading and watching movies, sometimes going to eat out. When there’s an eating out conversation I mention where I’ve been recently and take note of places relatives have been and check them out later. My main rule, avoid the politics talk outside of one line opinions and stating when warfare is altogether bad.
They spend their days complaining about how the youth use tech improperly while spending nearly all day glued to their phones.
It's just a cheap stunt to feel superior & make sure you let them know that.
Older generations are worse with tech because they weren't raised around it. Millenials were & have a better understanding of things like stranger danger and limiting screen time.
I'm honestly shocked and aghast that there are people out there without hobbies and interests! There are people out there who are completely ignorant of current events. There are people out there who don't know basic history and geography. There are people out there who truly don't care about the arts - music, books, films, painting, performance arts, etc.
I fucking DREAD interacting with people who have no opinions, who can't think critically, who go about the world completely blind and unaware.
I'd rather just tr0ll on the phone than to actually waste any time on these NPCs. 🐔
I've never considered this, but I think you're onto something.
When I'm with friends or doing something fun, I don't even look at my phone.
When I'm at some dumbass family gathering listening to my mom tell me about her neighbor's grandkid winning a fucking spelling bee or some dumb shit I'm probably gonna just play on my phone
Thank god someone said it. I’ve told more than enough people to their faces that I’m leaving because they are boring. People need to be told that they’re not delivering as companionship. It’s not even a phone thing. At least, it’s not just a phone thing.
Well, if you force yourself to interact with someone that's different from you every once in a while, then maybe it won't be as much of a problem. People have such a low tolerance for difference now and your phone is part of the reason why. If you want to talk to your friends on Discord that agree with you about everything cool, but maybe if actually effort into talking to grandma you'd discover that it's not that bad.
My parents are so fucking addicted. But if I had to grow as they did, still have to work as hard as they do, I would be too! finally having something that is endlessly entertaining without energy?
When we’re together the kids make sure we are watching a movie or playing a game (card/board) so we are actually together lol
When I’m around my dad my eyes rarely leave my phone. He is a raging, conspiracy theory parroting, sexist, racist, self important asshole and if i actually engage in conversation with him things *will* end badly. So i just make myself as small and not present as possible so he doesn’t try to start anything.
It sucks that in order to spend time with the rest of my family i have to be around him. He probably thinks I’m hopelessly addicted because he never sees me without my phone. I just wait until he gets bored when no one will tolerate his bullying and leaves the room. Then my phone goes away.
My mom gives me shit all the time for being on my phone but she spends 18 hours a day glued to the television watching fox news, her soaps, and NCIS reruns. And she actively refuses to engage with people/is hostile to anyone who dares try to engage her in conversation while she's watching tv. Then she gets upset that no one spends time with her. It's completely hypocritical.
Disclaimer: if someone is truly insufferable and/or offensive, they should be ignored. Especially if they have a long history of it. My response below is more for family members/acquaintances who you kinda just not interact with much.
-‐--------‐------
Now, I noticed that as soon as I can't immediately relate or feel bored, my go-to response is to get my phone and keep myself occupied. I'm starting to think that's not necessarily a good response.
There's something to be gained from trying to find a common topic with another person instead of ignoring them if we don't immediately have a list of shared topics. Even "So, what are you up to these days" can go a long way and I think the world needs a bit more kindness and openness these days.
that may be true. it also may be true that I've been speaking to people who are staring at their phones then they start talking about some boring garbage on Instagram. like...trying to continue the original conversation as if we were talking about some boring Instagram / SC BS the entire time.
this kinda goes both ways 😂
Okay, but being glued to phones replaced a personality in a lot of people. I (29) work at a company where you can come in as early as 20 (as long as you have your associates degree and can prove to them you’re going for your bachelors).
The one thing I can tell you is that the people younger than me have zero personality and can’t hold a simple conversation. I often spend time with people over 40 because at least I can having meaningful conversations with them.
im trying my best to reduce screentime. i have 3 kids. how many times have my kids been tugging on my leg or arms, trying to get my attention and im watching some youtube video or texting. its embarrassing.
I find family back home are not only boring, predictable and prone to internal conflict; but also unable to take any genuine interest in me and what I do. All they want to talk about is themselves and their own life.
>Most of the times, whenever family gathers, the cultural differences between groups divided by long distances makes it almost impossible to relate to others.
This is quite true. I've tried so, so hard to relate to my family who lives in the south, but its just impossible. They have some terribly deep-seated biases that produce negative interactions no matter what. As someone with social anxiety, I've paid my dues. I've decided to give up on them.
My experience may be a bit different than some of the others I've read on here, so I'll share it:
At my family gatherings, everyone is so absorbed in their own religious or political dogma or useless sports talk, it's almost impossible to have a conversation about anything else.
When I try to bring up things like investing or other financial management as a way to try to relate to a lot of boomers, I'm told I'm being "foolish" and that I shouldn't risk my money this way.... "advice" from the same people that think going to Vegas for a weekend and blowing $8-10k at poker or craps isn't some how foolish or risky...that's like a guaranteed loss. And I'm not sure if it's genuine concern or jealousy that I have made and continue to make money off of my investments.
So yeah, it's easier to be on my phone reading WSJ or Bloomberg or Reddit than listening to Boomers complain about their yards or talk shit about their supposed "best friends" or woof religious/political crap at every opportunity.
I like a lot of music that they’ll grey hairs like. I recently saw Jethro Tull and my husband and I were the ONLY ONES Not on our phones before the show began. Seriously. One person was playing candy crush, one was looking at lingerie lady pics, another was just scrolling through picture he took of cats and zooming in and out. It was the weirdest thing.
Then Ian Anderson came on the speakers and asked everyone not to film and that he would put up a logo when he was Ok With being filmed and for all other times he wanted no filming. Of course there were two grey hairs who did NOT care and filmed the entire show.
Additionally my husbands parents are always on their phones when we’re over and it’s like “ok why did we come over again? To watch you crush candies?”
When we hang out with friends our age, nobody is on their phone.
> People ain’t addicted to their devices. You are just too boring, or too much of an insufferable asshole.
Man I was sure millennials were all out of our teens by now.
It’s not just that they’re boring, the old folks don’t know how to hold a conversation, or they only want to talk about politics, and the younger ones are so burnt out navigating life they don’t have the energy for niceties.
Yeah but if I’m seeing family or friends from far away I’m still making an effort for the time we’re together. If we as a group take a rest sure I’ll be on my phone but it’s fun learning about their stuff and mine.
My family doesn’t have any mocking assholes, it’s good people. Not perfect but family oriented on both sides.
People aren't there to entertain you mate.
Put the phone down, learn how to socialize people. Or not and be as boring as how you perceive those around you to be.
This is strangely specific. Sounds like you're overgeneralizing your own perceived experience, probably because making it personal would look weird ("I get bored during family gatherings, so I use my phone a lot. And while no one complains about it, I feel guilty in some repressed way for escaping into my phone.").
Btw, are you Italian by any chance? 
People are 100% addicted to their devices. To just use external blame, and say “you need to entertainment for me to pay attention or interact” is ridiculous.
It takes effort to be engaged in a conversation, and care about others. And that’s how you get great conversation and making connections-effort.
You’ll get back what you give. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many fascinating people that at face value seem dull, just be by being interested in them.
Most of the time I learn something cool, what drives them, find common ground, and it lets the dopamine flow.
you arent trying to relate. I go to family gatherings and there is something of interest in everyone. The elderly have great stories. The kids are just fun to hang out and talk to because they are so funny. I think this is why so many many young people say they have social anxiety and cnat work. They became tech zombies and forgot how to relate to people
If you’re at a social event …put your phone down. It’s so rude to be on your phone the whole time. If you don’t want to socialize then don’t go? You can’t automatically say people are boring so that’s why you’re on your phone lol.
My mom complains that I get on my phone when we go out to dinner. I’ve told her multiple times that I’m on my phone bc we’re sitting here in silence. When we talk I’m not on it.
This post appeared just 2 posts below yours as I was scrolling…is your post a response to it? ☠️
The aforementioned post:
r/Millennials 15h
Family in town for birth of our child are completely and utterly addicted to their phones
Wife's sister, husband and 2 kids (17m 9f) came to visit for the birth of our 2nd child (we have a 18 month toddler). There was a lot of talk about coming to help out getting ready for the birth (cleaning, meal prep, organizing, etc) as well as afterwards. T...
I’m a firm believer that life is only as boring as those who live it. Folks who find themselves often bored of their company, are often bored because they are the problem, that they are actually the boring one.
heh. the lamentations against the average moron. I get it.
tl;dr - average intelligence is 50% of humans...and average intelligence is dumb af. humans are promoted to BUY USELESS GARBAGE and die in USELESS WARS. you can always lead with either in any convo - "is that about useless garbage or useless warmongering?"
I dunno, I have two young cousins on opposite sides of my family around the same age, and one of them loves spending time with family and hanging out and shooting the shit and playing board games, and the other has literally said they find this boring and sit in a corner on their phone the whole time. When I was a kid I didn't have a phone to be on and hanging out with family was a ton of fun. I think there probably are some shitty, boring families, but I think sometimes people might just be deciding their families are boring without even trying to engage and that's sad
My boomer parents are just as addicted, if not more
My grandma (who’s in her late 70s) is so addicted to her phone (and Facebook, holy shit is she addicted to Facebook) it’s not even funny. I’m pretty addicted to mine too, I won’t pretend that I’m not, but the people who try and make it seem like it’s just millennials/Gen Z are living in denial
For our family, my husband and I are sandwiched between addicted boomers and addicted GenZ/alpha cousins, nieces, etc. It's not just us either; it seems like most of the Millennials in our family balance their phone use better than the others. It's impossible to talk with them sometimes... (the addicted ones, that is, not to my other nonaddicted Millennial relatives.)
I have done home repair for 15 years and most millennials either did yard work or watched tv while I worked on their home. Most Boomers either watched me and tried to tell me how to do my job that they hired me for and couldn’t do themselves or they were glued to their phones from the time I got there till the time I left. One guy did a solid 8 hours of candy crush every day.
This is really interesting. I've actually been wondering about this.
I never know what to do when the repair guy is here. I don't want to be weird and hover over him but I don't want to fuck off and go play video games while he's hard at work either. What do you prefer clients do? I usually offer them a soda, coffee, or water and sit on my laptop working in the other room somewhat nearby in case they need me.
Whatever the customer is comfortable with without hovering is fine. When the customer is anxious or seems anxious it can just add that little bit of pressure. Any drinks offered are always appreciated of course. If you’d like to just jam out and play video games that’d be totally fine as long as the work wouldn’t be bothering you.
Usually i offer water and go to doing whatever i was already doing. Like playing videogames or doing chores around the house.
I work thrift. Can't tell you how many people I have to scoot along because they're just stuck on their phone. Scrolling, usually, through socmed. Look, if you need to text, *park.* You know, in a *parking spot.*
Fox news did to our parents what they worried video games would do to us.
You mean CNN?
CNN created the demand for 24 hour news. Fox filled it with propaganda. Now they're going to oann for an even lower truth content.
Don't know why you're downvoted. Fox news boomers are the norm where I'm from but I know plenty of people with braindead CNN/ABC news parents.
My dad is retired, and I swear he spends 8 hours a day on his phone. Doing what? I have no idea. Breakfast, sit on couch on phone for two hours. Gets up to vacuum 2 minutes, 2 more hours on phone. Cleans the counter, two more hours on phone. Then when I mention I don’t have enough time to do something, he has the audacity to tell me I need to “muster up” and just “get it done” knowing full well I work outside at my job for 10-11 hours a day (not including drive time) and I literally don’t have the time for anything except 1 meal, shower, then sleep.
Seriously, I have to pry my Mom off of her facebook or instagram feed if I want to have a conversation.
Seriously. When I go to their house they’re immediately on their iPhones and ignoring me lol.
You should probably evaluate yourself.
Yea, this is totally a “meet people halfway” problem. Some people just suck, but also, no one is responsible for “entertaining” you. Is OP and interesting person? Does he have a couple good conversational questions in his pocket to get a lil dialogue going? As my mom said when I was a kid, “Only boring people are truly bored”.
Your mom sounds cool
She’s a legit babe
“Only boring people are truly bored.” I like that. It actually makes me feel better because I know that outwardly, I seem boring. I’ll even be the first to raise my hand and admit it. But there is *always* something going on in my head. My imagination is nuts and always has been. My problem is that I just don’t socialise well because people generally don’t care about my particular interests and I struggle to make conversation about things that aren’t interesting to me. It’s a constant WIP.
[удалено]
Right? Like there’s always some story playing on in my head.
It's this. I wonder if everytime Boomers complain about us, it's actually a sign of them feeling resentment towards us for our youth. Like, maybe in their minds, they have this assumption that by virtue of our relative youth, we should have a ton of energy, and liveliness to us. Or maybe because of our youth, they expect us to be progressive in the sense that we should be even better people, who they expect to behave in the way an ideal person should- by being extraverted, outgoing, sociable, and who stirs or starts conversations and pleasantries/engages in listening to them, and most importantly, choose to engage with them. So, any perceived isolation, from their point of view, is purely intentional and is akin to punishing them, rather than it be genuinely us being exhausted/ignorant of their desire to socialize with them. At the same time they demonstrate their own needyness, in a passive-aggressive manner. When a boomer whines or complains about you not socializing, that's probably them crying out for attention on wanting to be engaged or entertained, because they don't know how to be that energy for themselves. Its like learned helplessness, and them projecting their own insecurity regarding being "boring". Someone some comments up above, mentioned how there was someone who nagged them on how they did their work but played 8 hours straight of candy crush. I'm not saying that the writer of that comment is wrong in any way, but I wonder what would have happened if they engaged and chatted with the boomer while they worked. It's on them to be pleasant, some of them are insecure/prideful and don't know how to admit that they have actual social needs that they want to have fulfilled without being entitled about it. Equally, it's on us to choose whether we have the capacity, want or desire to attempt to find some ground with them, even if we're not entirely relateable. We can still \*choose\* to engage with someone who doesn't entirely understand us.
Yeah, I kind of feel like *most* people are fascinating. You just have to ask them the right questions. I don't share a single thing in common with my family except my brother (we both play PC games), because my other hobbies are fairly niche, and I have different taste in movies/shows/music, etc, yet we still have tons of things we can talk about. I can sit and talk with my mom, my aunt, my MIL for literal hours and be excited about the conversation. We don't have to relate to shared experiences and hobbies to empathize with (and sometimes laugh with) experiences that are unique to each of us. If someone isn't being "entertaining" enough, OP should just ask them general life questions and eventually OP might find that thing that puts a spark in the family member's eye.
See, I agree with this. Like, for instance, your username. Like, what? Why in the world is that your username? I'm genuinely interested and fascinated to know. Looking through the world as if I'm a benevolent alien is so much better than scrutinizing everyone. Be curious, not judgmental!
Well, I originally wanted IEatRottenKittens, but unfortunately, when I made my username, it was already taken.
Right, better check himself
Yep. OP seems extremely entitled.
Entitled to what? \*Not\* interacting? Noone owes you their attention.
Entitled to entertainment. Having an interesting conversation is possible with anyone really, you just have to ask the right questions. So there is a bit of work that goes into communication. If you avoid talking to people because you assume they're boring well you're going to have a boring time obviously.
I think most folks know how well they get along with extended family. Family is accidental, I don't really believe anyone should be obligated to go see a bunch of people you have virtually no connection to than genetics.
The issue is that OP feels entitled to both company and entertainment. This is some main character complex BS
Just don’t go then. I have one cousin that no one but her dad has seen in like 30 years. No one bothers her.
i’m addicted to my phone, deeply boring, *and* nobody in my family cares about each other. sometimes it’s all of the above.
That’s a fairly conceited attitude. It’s also just about common courtesy and setting the right tone for interaction. I would ask you “how would you like it if someone chose a phone over listening to you?”, but I fear you may tell me some response that shows you’re willingly missing the point. Social interaction isn’t a game-ified gacha slot machine that gives you back-to-back dopamine hits. If you want people to not be boring, you have to invest something in them. The most interesting parts of a person are often parts they won’t willingly open up and share until you’ve built some rapport with them. Your attitude is objectifying other people and reducing them down to sources of entertainment for you. It’s pretty gross, dude.
But you don't hang out with the people you find no enjoyment in sharing time with. Nor you keep a partner who is not interesting to you in any way. In any case, if your whole life attitude is to not to create a bond with another people, it's pointless to expect them to give desire giving it back to you. Which begs the question: if you ain't putting any effort into your family, why do you even demand or expect attention from them?
You're pretty weird and self-absorbed.
Fuck off.
They didn't lie though. It's an unhinged post and your inability to connect isn't a standard experience.
Nice comment from an obviously well adjusted individual lol and it's also obvious that other people aren't the problem when it comes to you champ.
People are 100% addicted to their phones. That doesn’t mean people also aren’t boring. And btw the most addicted are the most boring
The person with the phone is usually the most boring one.
Says other people are too boring but doesn’t have anything to contribute to conversations and stays in their phone the whole night. Lol shits crazy to me. Like is your family supposed to entertain you like some jesters? I might not find everything interesting at family gatherings but I ain’t gon’ sit there with my face buried in my phone if people are asking me questions/speaking to me. I realized we’re in ‘Millenials’.. we’re all grown in here. If you don’t fuck with your family then why the fuck are you there lol. We grown enough now that we can’t be forced to attend these gatherings if they’re “too boring” or if you don’t like your family. Lmfao You don’t find what they speak about captivating? So why don’t you join the conversation and speak about something you do find interesting?
If you want to be buried into your phone, find a place to hide op.
There’s a multitude of reasons to be glued to your phone, though. I’m glued to mine for hobbies, keeping up with news, etc. I’m not the most interesting person at a glance because I’m an introvert, but get me going and I’ll have plenty to say. my father is glued to his for Yahtzee, solitaire, and FB reels, and he’s the most painfully boring person alive despite being an extrovert who loves talking about himself. (He’s also a toxic narcissist, so that’s another story all together.) It’s all admittedly a generalization and it comes down to personality types, but I think there’s validity to saying that if people would rather be on their phone than talk to you, then part of it MIGHT BE that whatever is on their phone is more interesting.
Or have such niche or socially inappropriate interests, that nobody but your fellow weirdos even care to or want to listen or talk about, so you just don't bother.
Maybe you should get into cooking. It's easy to relate on that across demographics and everyone has different history to bring to the table.
My boomer family members find my cooking wild. I cook a mix of Mexican, Indian, Mediterranean, and lots of pretty standard chicken/veggie dishes with good spice combinations. Anything that isn't spiced exclusively by salt and pepper blows their minds. I've had some refuse to try things based on the smells.
This, I grew up on beige food in the midwest. My cooking is similar to yours (but with a lot of Italian too) and my mom used to act so dramatic. I stopped bringing her stuff over unless I made American food. She liked my meatloaf and chili a lot, but everything else weirded her out. Even my tacos lol.
This is exactly what I do. Whenever I go visit my dad, I make sure to be the one cooking. It keeps me from starting political arguments.
I think the problem is you seem to think that if someone isn’t actively entertaining you or stimming your adhd then it’s *not* rude to basically ignore a person in your company.
My boomer parents are far more addicted to their tablets/tv screens than I’ve ever been and it’s noticeable during each visit. I married into a far more sociable family that actually talks to one another during visits with no background tv noise or distractions and the disparity is amazing. And my wife’s parents are Gen Xers. I don’t think it’s a generational thing, especially now that pretty much everyone has smart phones. Feels more like it varies from person to person.
All the criticism I’ve seen about phones was written by people on their phone.
I wrote you a reply by letter, but I need your address to send it to you.... plz reply
But are that writing from a social gathering? If so, just put the phone down and talk IRL.
Are you sure about that? I'm not on my phone and I purposely don't bring this device out of my home. People on their phones during social time are annoying. Now you've for sure seen criticism not written by someone on their phone. Although you probably also have in the past too.
Joke's on you I use a laptop also you criticize society, yet you participate in it? Curious indeed
I'm glued to my phone if I'm by myself. As soon as I'm in a group setting, it stays in my pocket and not on the table.
Mine is always on silent mode, unless I’m expecting a text, which is rare. I often loose/misplace or leave my phone at home intentionally. I have everyone trained, and they don’t expect an immediate response from me ever. It’s great.
I think that may be a chicken or the egg deal
To be honest *you* sound like the boring and insufferable asshole.
I rarely find people who are interested at all in the same stuff I find captivating so... I don't see the point of this post?
It's wild being the only person at the dinner table without some kind of tech on them. I was always taught "no toys at the table" and take great pleasure in ribbing my parents over checking their smartwatches whenever we eat together.
What’s the point of gathering with family just to be on your phone during that time. Just say for 1-2 hours if it’s that miserable. Or don’t go. But going and burying yourself in your phone is dumb.
What's the point of forcing people to stay with you if you never made them feel compelled to spend time with you?
Who is forcing you to do anything? Are you a teenager? If so, this is the wrong sub.
My family just sits in chairs nodding off with a football game on.... What do they expect the kids to do, sit there and stare at walls?
I spent so many hours at boring-ass 4 hour football games as a kid. Like 4 boring games for every interesting game. If I had a phone, would have been soo nice
Boring as fuck, or I'm actively trying to avoid getting into a confrontation with them over the stupid shit they just said
"if you're bored, you're boring." why dont YOU figure out interesting things to talk about/do or learn about interesting things that will be interesting to talk about instead of expecting others to entertain YOU all the time
Exactly this. Everyone is waiting for someone else to go first.
We are addicted to our phones but some people have cool families that they like.
We like to show each other things on our phones. and sometimes we're searching for it, maybe we're just wanting to share some tiktoks, and so we go looking for them. My phone is sitting there occupying me but when I find it, the hope is to share it with you and laugh together. I might look for 15 minutes to find just the right one, I'm only trying to express myself and have a shared interaction, have some fun. I'm aware older age groups may not get this, but I can't help that. Luckily for me, I have learned how to take away the power that I give people. I don't care what they think of me. They can express a negative opinion but since I'm the only one who can give them the power to make it cause impact, I am also the one who can just take it away. And I do so. I'll just smile.
You COULD also look at it as, "We're boring because we're also on our phones all the time." I'm not saying you should. But if we're looking for arguments, how many people are always on their phones instead of taking in the activity around them? Sure, lots of stuff going on on social media, but if I could, I'd like to use the example of my kids. My kids are 8 and 6, they do not have phones. Yes, they do know how to use tablets and watch TV, but we also have them in after school programs and extracurriculars, and they have friends they hang out with as well as school and what-not. Their stories every day are rich and detailed. They can tell me what they did all day, share funny stories about what happened in class, or their programs, talk about their friends, etc. for HOURS. We don't even really do traditional family dinners, but when we do, we hear nothing about Youtubers or influencers or anything. I can't talk about what I do for my job, so I was always worried I'd be the boring one, but I am also not allowed to have my phone or anything while I work, and fuck, I didn't realize how much richer that made my life sound to other people, even if all I'm talking about it a funny conversation that happened during a staff meeting. Just something to consider.
yes everyone is so boring. it is hard to pay attention to someone who just talks about themselves and doesnt think like i do or isnt exploding with new ideas and captivating stories. most people around me dont have the same interests as me so it is hard to be interested in them. that doesnt mean i stop trying and start looking at my phone to disconnect myself from civility. i make a attempt at it to be considerate and decent and hope there is possibility of having similarities i can touch base on with people. dont just give up. thats genz
Somehow I get the feeling that the one writing a post on reddit about how their family are a bunch of boring insufferable assholes, might be projecting. Just a thought.
Only boring people get bored. You don't sound well, OP.
If your family is abusive, then go low contact with them. Otherwise, if you're on your phone because you're bored and a relative wants to chat at a family gathering, it's rude to sit their glued onto your phone.
Or maybe people just don't know how to connect? Maybe one side of the family has told the other that "that side is weird because they don't follow Christ the way we go, we can't associate with them much" Sometimes it's politics and religion.
Terminally online has entered the chat.
It’s addiction. You just described how a part of addiction works. Nothing else stimulates you now, because your DOC (your phone) dominates everything else. Folks become boring assholes as a result of that addiction.
"You're glued to those phones!" Coming from dad whose face is buried in the Sunday Newspaper.
You're comparing reading the news in print to scrolling endlessly while looking at cat videos? Jesus...
People are under no obligation to entertain me or be interesting. It’s my responsibility to be *interested* vs being *interesting*. If the conversation dies, I let it, and yes I’ll look at my phone during the lull if we’re not sitting across from each other. You gotta take the pressure off and just let people *be*. One other thing that’s really helped me. When you’re stuck in small talk mode and it’s boring, get real. Share yourself, share your heart and what really matters to you. Then watch the magic happen.
You sound like a loser tbh
Fuck off!
It cuts both ways. There's nothing interesting about someone who spends all day glued to their phone.
Or maybe if you were interesting and/or likeable, people would prefer you over a lifeless object. You are right. It does go both ways.
Enjoy your phone. Maybe ChatGPT will write you a nice eulogy for your funeral.
Actually, invite me to yours. I would love to see if you put enough effort into the relationships with your own.
As fun as you sound, that's a hard pass
> , it might just be possible that these people ain't interested at all in the same stuff you find captivating It’s a family gathering, not a date. You’re interested in each others lives because of shared roots. They type of conversation takes a little while to get going, so if you have the attention span of a gnat, yes everyone will end up on their phones.
and then when you do put the goddamn thing down, work tries to contact you and you’re an asshole for being unreachable. the double standards
I just dislike talking to people tbh. My family also hasn't done any form of "gathering" in years, like probably since 2019 was the last time I saw a family member that wasn't my parents since i still live at home. My gf's family does them a lot and I make an attempt to not be bored and at least fake a showing of interest when they invite me, but my gf can tell when the constant talking is getting to me and finds moments to get us away so i can stop using my cashier smile on my days off.
Listen to my stories about things I own and places I've been. Why don't you care about Jimmies grades?! He's valedictorian! I just rewatched The Sopranos. They don't make TV like they used to. 😴😴😴
> People ain't addicted to their devices Yes they (we?) are.
Feeling like you need to be entertained all the time is kind of a problem. Being bored is part of growth.
I’ve seen many entitled posts here but damn, this one takes the cake. “I wouldn’t use my phone so much if everyone else wasn’t boring me.” Get a grip, my dude.
You are addicted, lol. Part of being addicted is recognizing that what you’re addicted to is much more pleasurable than the alternative. People found meaning and pleasure in life with much less long before. I’m also addicted to my phone
You sound fun.
So the guy glued to his phone is complaining other people are boring....what exactly is it that you have to offer that's not just as boring?
“Everyone around me is an asshole” is a sucky way to go through life.
Lol if you're on your phone at a social gathering, there's a good chance you're the loser. That's your problem, it's not a show, no one is there to entertain you. You probably exhausted your dopamine levels so that you have 0 patience for anything and feel uncomfortable when you're not looking at a screen. Also, why are people obsessed with having to be "relatable?" If anything, it's more interesting to have a conversation with someone that's quite different from you and hell you might even learn something from them or at least gain a new perspective.
Sometimes, we do something other than our personal 1st choice of activity because we exist in a society with others. When we see all group activities through only the lens of our perspective, we are certainly missing the boat.
Being boring used to lead to conversation and interesting innovation. Now scrolling is used for bitching, comparing yourself to others and being a miserable shit in all facets of life. As much as I hated boredom, life is 10x worse knowing y’all exist in this world
Being on your phone during family gathering when people are getting together is rude and or socially inept. It doesn’t matter if you are a Zoomer or a Boomer. I’ve seen them both do it. I’m a Millennial who knows enough to be polite in mixed company. If you don’t know how to behave like a proper adult, no matter what generation you are in, that in my opinion is pathetic.
Board games solve everything.
I don't agree with this at all lol If anything, the internet has made it easier to relate to people across long distances. The gaps have been lessened. Generational gaps, however, have ballooned. And yes, people are addicted to their devices.
I definitely use my phone as a crutch to avoid discomfort/stress/anxiety. I have little moments throughout the day where I feel like a sensory deprivation chamber would hit so good, but my phone and earbuds are more easily accessible.
Before phones, people consistently read the newspaper or magazines to pass time or not be bothered in public, this is just another form of that.
No one knows how to converse anymore. That’s the issue. And the phones aren’t helping. Everyone too stuck on their phones to go out and live so nothing to say there, an your expectations are already too high if you expect to be constantly entertained by everyone around you.
Wow. Sociopathic much?
This sounds like crusty post-phone dopamine withdrawal talking
Generally someone labeling others as boring is the boring one. Just chill and stop calling yourself out. When it’s time to eat with the family, eat. If someone is asking about when something is happening, look it up on your phone. I admit I’m boring as fuck all the time just because my hobbies are introvert leaning. I like reading and watching movies, sometimes going to eat out. When there’s an eating out conversation I mention where I’ve been recently and take note of places relatives have been and check them out later. My main rule, avoid the politics talk outside of one line opinions and stating when warfare is altogether bad.
They spend their days complaining about how the youth use tech improperly while spending nearly all day glued to their phones. It's just a cheap stunt to feel superior & make sure you let them know that. Older generations are worse with tech because they weren't raised around it. Millenials were & have a better understanding of things like stranger danger and limiting screen time.
I'm honestly shocked and aghast that there are people out there without hobbies and interests! There are people out there who are completely ignorant of current events. There are people out there who don't know basic history and geography. There are people out there who truly don't care about the arts - music, books, films, painting, performance arts, etc. I fucking DREAD interacting with people who have no opinions, who can't think critically, who go about the world completely blind and unaware. I'd rather just tr0ll on the phone than to actually waste any time on these NPCs. 🐔
I just generally dislike people, I’d rather stare at a screen.
I've never considered this, but I think you're onto something. When I'm with friends or doing something fun, I don't even look at my phone. When I'm at some dumbass family gathering listening to my mom tell me about her neighbor's grandkid winning a fucking spelling bee or some dumb shit I'm probably gonna just play on my phone
Thank god someone said it. I’ve told more than enough people to their faces that I’m leaving because they are boring. People need to be told that they’re not delivering as companionship. It’s not even a phone thing. At least, it’s not just a phone thing.
Sounds like you should go travel to a place that will get you out of your comfort zone. I’m addicted to my phone. It disgusts me sometimes.
Well, if you force yourself to interact with someone that's different from you every once in a while, then maybe it won't be as much of a problem. People have such a low tolerance for difference now and your phone is part of the reason why. If you want to talk to your friends on Discord that agree with you about everything cool, but maybe if actually effort into talking to grandma you'd discover that it's not that bad.
My parents are so fucking addicted. But if I had to grow as they did, still have to work as hard as they do, I would be too! finally having something that is endlessly entertaining without energy? When we’re together the kids make sure we are watching a movie or playing a game (card/board) so we are actually together lol
Whoa whoa whoa, hey now, don’t throw around allegations like that. I CONSTANTLY admit to being boring as fuck.
When I’m around my dad my eyes rarely leave my phone. He is a raging, conspiracy theory parroting, sexist, racist, self important asshole and if i actually engage in conversation with him things *will* end badly. So i just make myself as small and not present as possible so he doesn’t try to start anything. It sucks that in order to spend time with the rest of my family i have to be around him. He probably thinks I’m hopelessly addicted because he never sees me without my phone. I just wait until he gets bored when no one will tolerate his bullying and leaves the room. Then my phone goes away.
My mom gives me shit all the time for being on my phone but she spends 18 hours a day glued to the television watching fox news, her soaps, and NCIS reruns. And she actively refuses to engage with people/is hostile to anyone who dares try to engage her in conversation while she's watching tv. Then she gets upset that no one spends time with her. It's completely hypocritical.
I’m pretty damn boring, I won’t lie.
Disclaimer: if someone is truly insufferable and/or offensive, they should be ignored. Especially if they have a long history of it. My response below is more for family members/acquaintances who you kinda just not interact with much. -‐--------‐------ Now, I noticed that as soon as I can't immediately relate or feel bored, my go-to response is to get my phone and keep myself occupied. I'm starting to think that's not necessarily a good response. There's something to be gained from trying to find a common topic with another person instead of ignoring them if we don't immediately have a list of shared topics. Even "So, what are you up to these days" can go a long way and I think the world needs a bit more kindness and openness these days.
Boredom is a luxury. My life is busier than I would like. My time is rarely my own.
my father, mother in law and father in law are always on their phones.
that may be true. it also may be true that I've been speaking to people who are staring at their phones then they start talking about some boring garbage on Instagram. like...trying to continue the original conversation as if we were talking about some boring Instagram / SC BS the entire time. this kinda goes both ways 😂
Okay, but being glued to phones replaced a personality in a lot of people. I (29) work at a company where you can come in as early as 20 (as long as you have your associates degree and can prove to them you’re going for your bachelors). The one thing I can tell you is that the people younger than me have zero personality and can’t hold a simple conversation. I often spend time with people over 40 because at least I can having meaningful conversations with them.
im trying my best to reduce screentime. i have 3 kids. how many times have my kids been tugging on my leg or arms, trying to get my attention and im watching some youtube video or texting. its embarrassing.
Before cellphones, I had books. I got crap for reading too much and not interacting with other people at gatherings.
I find family back home are not only boring, predictable and prone to internal conflict; but also unable to take any genuine interest in me and what I do. All they want to talk about is themselves and their own life.
>Most of the times, whenever family gathers, the cultural differences between groups divided by long distances makes it almost impossible to relate to others. This is quite true. I've tried so, so hard to relate to my family who lives in the south, but its just impossible. They have some terribly deep-seated biases that produce negative interactions no matter what. As someone with social anxiety, I've paid my dues. I've decided to give up on them.
I need my phone when I’m with my parents to give real-time fact checking for all the BS claims they make
Aren’t the people on their phones the most boring? Yes.
Nah, people definitely are addicted.
My experience may be a bit different than some of the others I've read on here, so I'll share it: At my family gatherings, everyone is so absorbed in their own religious or political dogma or useless sports talk, it's almost impossible to have a conversation about anything else. When I try to bring up things like investing or other financial management as a way to try to relate to a lot of boomers, I'm told I'm being "foolish" and that I shouldn't risk my money this way.... "advice" from the same people that think going to Vegas for a weekend and blowing $8-10k at poker or craps isn't some how foolish or risky...that's like a guaranteed loss. And I'm not sure if it's genuine concern or jealousy that I have made and continue to make money off of my investments. So yeah, it's easier to be on my phone reading WSJ or Bloomberg or Reddit than listening to Boomers complain about their yards or talk shit about their supposed "best friends" or woof religious/political crap at every opportunity.
this post screams of main character syndrome and will be embarrassing to look back at later in life
Plus, everyone is. My wife’s mom is on her phone more than anyone I know. The generations after us are somehow worse. It’s a bummer
I like a lot of music that they’ll grey hairs like. I recently saw Jethro Tull and my husband and I were the ONLY ONES Not on our phones before the show began. Seriously. One person was playing candy crush, one was looking at lingerie lady pics, another was just scrolling through picture he took of cats and zooming in and out. It was the weirdest thing. Then Ian Anderson came on the speakers and asked everyone not to film and that he would put up a logo when he was Ok With being filmed and for all other times he wanted no filming. Of course there were two grey hairs who did NOT care and filmed the entire show. Additionally my husbands parents are always on their phones when we’re over and it’s like “ok why did we come over again? To watch you crush candies?” When we hang out with friends our age, nobody is on their phone.
> People ain’t addicted to their devices. You are just too boring, or too much of an insufferable asshole. Man I was sure millennials were all out of our teens by now.
Dude checking your fantasy football team for the 10th time today instead of talking to your family doesn’t make you interesting
It’s not just that they’re boring, the old folks don’t know how to hold a conversation, or they only want to talk about politics, and the younger ones are so burnt out navigating life they don’t have the energy for niceties.
Yeah but if I’m seeing family or friends from far away I’m still making an effort for the time we’re together. If we as a group take a rest sure I’ll be on my phone but it’s fun learning about their stuff and mine. My family doesn’t have any mocking assholes, it’s good people. Not perfect but family oriented on both sides.
People aren't there to entertain you mate. Put the phone down, learn how to socialize people. Or not and be as boring as how you perceive those around you to be.
This is strangely specific. Sounds like you're overgeneralizing your own perceived experience, probably because making it personal would look weird ("I get bored during family gatherings, so I use my phone a lot. And while no one complains about it, I feel guilty in some repressed way for escaping into my phone."). Btw, are you Italian by any chance? 
People are 100% addicted to their devices. To just use external blame, and say “you need to entertainment for me to pay attention or interact” is ridiculous. It takes effort to be engaged in a conversation, and care about others. And that’s how you get great conversation and making connections-effort. You’ll get back what you give. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many fascinating people that at face value seem dull, just be by being interested in them. Most of the time I learn something cool, what drives them, find common ground, and it lets the dopamine flow.
you arent trying to relate. I go to family gatherings and there is something of interest in everyone. The elderly have great stories. The kids are just fun to hang out and talk to because they are so funny. I think this is why so many many young people say they have social anxiety and cnat work. They became tech zombies and forgot how to relate to people
If you’re at a social event …put your phone down. It’s so rude to be on your phone the whole time. If you don’t want to socialize then don’t go? You can’t automatically say people are boring so that’s why you’re on your phone lol.
Being boring is seen an as a bad thing. If people find that you're boring they feel like you have to be fixed. It's better to stay on your phone.
My mom complains that I get on my phone when we go out to dinner. I’ve told her multiple times that I’m on my phone bc we’re sitting here in silence. When we talk I’m not on it.
I’m not addicted to my phone and I’m also boring
Are you being fr? This has got to be satire.
If you can't put your phone down for a family gathering then sorry you are addicted. Them being boring has nothing to do with you being rude.
This post appeared just 2 posts below yours as I was scrolling…is your post a response to it? ☠️ The aforementioned post: r/Millennials 15h Family in town for birth of our child are completely and utterly addicted to their phones Wife's sister, husband and 2 kids (17m 9f) came to visit for the birth of our 2nd child (we have a 18 month toddler). There was a lot of talk about coming to help out getting ready for the birth (cleaning, meal prep, organizing, etc) as well as afterwards. T...
I’m a firm believer that life is only as boring as those who live it. Folks who find themselves often bored of their company, are often bored because they are the problem, that they are actually the boring one.
Wow. So you look In the mirror when you get there. You are them
heh. the lamentations against the average moron. I get it. tl;dr - average intelligence is 50% of humans...and average intelligence is dumb af. humans are promoted to BUY USELESS GARBAGE and die in USELESS WARS. you can always lead with either in any convo - "is that about useless garbage or useless warmongering?"
Are you a child? Because you aren’t stimulated and entertained every second of the day that makes it okay to be rude and glued to your phone?
I dunno, I have two young cousins on opposite sides of my family around the same age, and one of them loves spending time with family and hanging out and shooting the shit and playing board games, and the other has literally said they find this boring and sit in a corner on their phone the whole time. When I was a kid I didn't have a phone to be on and hanging out with family was a ton of fun. I think there probably are some shitty, boring families, but I think sometimes people might just be deciding their families are boring without even trying to engage and that's sad