Faux Life: Things That Happen On TV But Not In Reality

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, Anduin said:

On the whole death theme, heirlooms and other antique possessions of the deceased. There's always a squabble about who gets what. Yes, I'm sure it happens in real life, but nowhere near as often.

By way of example, I inherited a watch from one of my dad's uncles, I think. It sat on my shelf for some years, and then somehow got passed on to someone from my mother's side of the family. I could not name the original holder.

As for relatives I actually knew, there might have been a couple of small things I would have liked, but I didn't think of them at the time, and they went to other people. I'm not distressed, I'm happy that other people are getting use out of them.

But that doesn't make for entertaining TV, I suppose.

Your lucky. I've had that with both branches of my family. There's always one who's greedy and wants everything. On my mom's side her aunt split the family because she didn't get as much as she thought she should. She always was a bitch but for some reason her grown kids took her side in refusing to speak to the rest of the family.

[Zella]

On 7/3/2022 at 11:38 PM, andromeda331 said:

Your lucky. I've had that with both branches of my family. There's always one who's greedy and wants everything. On my mom's side her aunt split the family because she didn't get as much as she thought she should. She always was a bitch but for some reason her grown kids took her side in refusing to speak to the rest of the family.

Yeah I've seen it in both sides of my family, too, and it can get ugly as hell. My grandfather has a brother who's not spoken to him in nearly 30 years because his wife and him got pissy when my great-grandmother died because they thought my grandfather was lying about how much the house was worth. He was right, and they went scorched earth when they didn't make a bunch of money off it. Another brother was in on it but reconciled with my grandpa before the former's death. 

Edited July 6, 2022 by Zella

[Mabinogia]

17 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Have you managed to miss the ever popular scattering of the ashes so that they go all over whoever is in the scene?  Recently seen in The White Lotus.

This actually did happen to me IRL. And I can even take it a step further. Not only did grandma's ashes blow all over us, some of us actually inhaled her. So, as a public service announcement, I'd like to warn you to keep your mouths closed when scattering a loved one's ashes unless you want to spend the rest of your life telling people you ate your grandmother. lol

[meep.meep]

Sorry for that experience.  Sounds like it wasn't the really comic event shown on TV.

We've cremated loved ones after death but then had the remains buried.  And after my mother died, one of my sisters absconded with a bunch of stuff we had agreed to put up for sale.

[Shannon L.]

When my sister in law's grandmother died, there was one, special quilt of many that she made that my SIL wanted.  Her grandmother's sister took them all and wouldn't give any over.  At her baby shower, her mother handed her her gift and it was the quilt she wanted.  She ugly cried, but it was a beautiful moment.

My grandmother was so disgusted with the way her siblings acted when their sister died that after Thanksgiving dinner of that year, she told us that she was going to start putting names on things. She did, too. She had a list and if someone wanted something, they'd ask and she'd check her list.  If someone else had asked for it first, they could work it out and, if the first in line agreed to let the other person take it, she'd make the change on her list.  However, at one point, she started giving things to us (from the list) because she wanted to be alive to see us enjoying the items. 

[Bastet]

17 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

However, at one point, she started giving things to us (from the list) because she wanted to be alive to see us enjoying the items. 

That's what my great aunt did.  She had no children, so it was nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews who were going to be splitting the estate.  She asked us all if there was anything we particularly wanted, and then gave many of those things to us while she was still around.  My mom only asked for some old photos and I only asked for a cat figurine I wanted to use as a doorstop, and on our next visit she gave us those, and also gave us each a diamond necklace - I think as a reward for asking for so little.  🙂  (We both also got money when she died.)

[Mabinogia]

6 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

However, at one point, she started giving things to us (from the list) because she wanted to be alive to see us enjoying the items. 

That's what my grandma did, for the same reason. She said she wanted to see us enjoy what she was going to leave us. It was nice. She left me money which I used on a trip and it was nice to be able to return home and tell her all about the trip rather than waiting until she died to take it and not being able to share the pictures and stories with her. 

[JustHereForFood]

On 7/4/2022 at 6:38 AM, andromeda331 said:

Your lucky. I've had that with both branches of my family. There's always one who's greedy and wants everything. On my mom's side her aunt split the family because she didn't get as much as she thought she should. She always was a bitch but for some reason her grown kids took her side in refusing to speak to the rest of the family.

We had similar thing in my mother's family, over relatively small amount of money. When my mother apologized to the lawyer who had to witness some of her sister's antics, she said that was nothing, that we wouldn't believe what some families can get completely torn apart over. 

[andromeda331]

3 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

We had similar thing in my mother's family, over relatively small amount of money. When my mother apologized to the lawyer who had to witness some of her sister's antics, she said that was nothing, that we wouldn't believe what some families can get completely torn apart over. 

It really is stupid. 

[merylinkid]

I do divorces.   Right up there with dividing up the stuff after a relative dies.   I have had people fight over the freaking dishes.   Not Great Grandmother's heirloom china passed lovingly down.   I mean the every day dishes.   At which point I say, go to Target, spend $40 and get new ones.   It will cost you more to have me fight over getting half of them.

Topic:   This may be a more only in California thing but no one is ever divorced on tv until they sign "the divorce papers."   I don't know if California only allows a divorce after an agreement and never has a trial but in most places, you either reach an agreement or you have a trial and a judge divides up the stuff.   If someone won't sign the "divorce papers" it doesn't matter.   You go forward with a trial.   At the end of which the judge says "you are divorced."   Of course, the Hollywood version someone refuses to sign the "divorce papers" then wacky hijinks ensues that show they are really in love and should stay together.  

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, merylinkid said:

I do divorces.   Right up there with dividing up the stuff after a relative dies.   I have had people fight over the freaking dishes.   Not Great Grandmother's heirloom china passed lovingly down.   I mean the every day dishes.   At which point I say, go to Target, spend $40 and get new ones.   It will cost you more to have me fight over getting half of them.

My first instinct was to laugh. But on second thought, it's kind of sad that some people are like that. Though I can understand people loving a particular pattern on the every day dishes, or memories of meals served on them.

[Raja]

1 hour ago, merylinkid said:

I do divorces.   Right up there with dividing up the stuff after a relative dies.   I have had people fight over the freaking dishes.   Not Great Grandmother's heirloom china passed lovingly down.   I mean the every day dishes.   At which point I say, go to Target, spend $40 and get new ones.   It will cost you more to have me fight over getting half of them.

Topic:   This may be a more only in California thing but no one is ever divorced on tv until they sign "the divorce papers."   I don't know if California only allows a divorce after an agreement and never has a trial but in most places, you either reach an agreement or you have a trial and a judge divides up the stuff.   If someone won't sign the "divorce papers" it doesn't matter.   You go forward with a trial.   At the end of which the judge says "you are divorced."   Of course, the Hollywood version someone refuses to sign the "divorce papers" then wacky hijinks ensues that show they are really in love and should stay together.  

I literally just watched a movie about a fallen hero of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks and at the end the commanding officer of the widows husband gives the surviving wife the divorce papers to show that he didn't sign before going into battle. I guess that as far as India was concerned she retained the status as the widow of a hero.

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, merylinkid said:

I do divorces.   Right up there with dividing up the stuff after a relative dies.   I have had people fight over the freaking dishes.   Not Great Grandmother's heirloom china passed lovingly down.   I mean the every day dishes.   At which point I say, go to Target, spend $40 and get new ones.   It will cost you more to have me fight over getting half of them.

Seriously. When I first met my husband his mom had been on non-speaking terms with her three brothers and their wives for years.  His mother was a nurse who had nursed both her parents through terminal illnesses in her home.  When they passed they left her most of their money and some sentimental stuff as a sort of repayment for the care she had given them.  The brothers (and their wives) had a fit, contested the will.  In the end they had to have an auction and she ended up buying some of the stuff she had been rightfully left.  And you are correct it was not valuable, they were not rich.  Some china, a pair of earrings etc.  The rift had been in place for something like 10 years.  It was finally a little healed when her own husband died and 2 of the brothers came to the funeral and apologized and made amends.  The third never did. 

Regards tv stuff tho, does the lawyer really gather everyone to read the will in the family livingroom after the funeral?   When my grandmother died, my aunt was the executor of her estate and she just had a copy of the will herself.  No reading of it necessary.  My cousin who had been a major beneficiary got his own copy in the mail.

[Cloud9Shopper]

I used to work for a law firm that handled estates (and family law, among many others). I still remember the lady whose crazy family were all writing letters to the attorney to argue about their share of ownership of their uncle’s house, accompanied by spreadsheets and all. 

My grandmother (God rest her soul) was in a nursing home for the last few months of her life. She had a roommate who died about two months before she did, and the other woman’s daughters eventually stopped speaking over some sort of estate dispute. My mom got fairly lucky in that my grandmother had preplanned and prepaid her funeral and otherwise clearly indicated her wishes (plus she had given the house to my mom when she was still in good health so she could move to a smaller apartment after my grandfather died), so there was very low drama between my mom and her sisters. However my grandparents’ extended relatives own a funeral home and probably have years of stories of families losing their minds.

My Reddit penpal in Europe tells me that when someone dies in Greece (where she’s from) relatives literally make a mad dash to clean the house first. It’s insane to me. 

[Lugal]

I remember when my grandmother died, my cousins got the majority of the keepsakes (mostly because they lived closer) which did not make my sister and me happy, but then in subsequent years my one cousin cut off all ties with the family for reasons none of the rest of us had ever quite been able to figure out.  There's a lot of heirlooms that my grandparents and great-grandparents had that I'll probably never see again.

[KittyMom4]

My when mother's oldest brother passed way, she and my dad had been his main caretakers for several years.  He had 3 children, none of them visited or had spoken to him in many years, (well deserved as my uncle was an asshole), but yet when it came time for the dispersal of his property they hounded my mother every week (she was the Executrix) until it was all settled. It got to a point where my mom had to call my cousin "Nancy" and tell her to stop calling the attorney's office because every time he called her back the estate was charged. They wanted none of his possessions, just the money. Good thing because my parents ended up with his odds and ends it was all a bunch of junk that mostly went to goodwill or the dump. 

**Note to all: if you have, um, personal pleasure items in your possession it would be a good thing to dispose of them before you get to a point that you are not physically able to. Otherwise you risk having your loved ones having to deal with that as one of their last memories of you. 

[Ohiopirate02]

42 minutes ago, BexKeps said:

My when mother's oldest brother passed way, she and my dad had been his main caretakers for several years.  He had 3 children, none of them visited or had spoken to him in many years, (well deserved as my uncle was an asshole), but yet when it came time for the dispersal of his property they hounded my mother every week (she was the Executrix) until it was all settled. It got to a point where my mom had to call my cousin "Nancy" and tell her to stop calling the attorney's office because every time he called her back the estate was charged. They wanted none of his possessions, just the money. Good thing because my parents ended up with his odds and ends it was all a bunch of junk that mostly went to goodwill or the dump. 

**Note to all: if you have, um, personal pleasure items in your possession it would be a good thing to dispose of them before you get to a point that you are not physically able to. Otherwise you risk having your loved ones having to deal with that as one of their last memories of you. 

I am petty and have no shame.  Nancy would have received her check in a box with some of dear old dad's dildos and a note saying 'here's your inheritance>'

[Mabinogia]

4 hours ago, BexKeps said:

Note to all: if you have, um, personal pleasure items in your possession it would be a good thing to dispose of them before you get to a point that you are not physically able to. Otherwise you risk having your loved ones having to deal with that as one of their last memories of you. 

Or bequeath it to that one family member you always hated with a note reading "now you can go fuck yourself"

[Bort]

5 hours ago, BexKeps said:

Note to all: if you have, um, personal pleasure items in your possession it would be a good thing to dispose of them before you get to a point that you are not physically able to. Otherwise you risk having your loved ones having to deal with that as one of their last memories of you. 

I have instructed my sister in law to make a beeline for my nightstand should I expire unexpectedly. 

[KittyMom4]

15 hours ago, kariyaki said:

I have instructed my sister in law to make a beeline for my nightstand should I expire unexpectedly. 

LOL! I have the same deal with my best friend. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

On 7/3/2022 at 8:07 AM, Shannon L. said:

I don't recall anytime I've ever seen a funeral on tv for someone who's been cremated.  I only ever see an urn at someone's house for shock value or something funny.

"She doesn't need a trophy on her mantle! She's on her mantle!"

[Gramto6]

On 6/20/2022 at 4:00 AM, Danielg342 said:

I read about a study that was done that simulated an emergency situation at a restaurant. I can't remember exactly what the emergency was (I believe it was a fire) but the people were told they had to leave right away. Despite the seriousness of the situation, what the researchers found was that people still felt the need to resolve their bills before they left- even though in such a situation it's not necessary.

It's amazing what the feeling of obligation can compel people to do.

Well, my old house actually did have a basement with a fireplace, bathroom and a hideous sectional...but this was a large house with a large basement, one that was redone into an apartment too.

Years ago  my late DH was having heart surgery, as were the family members also waiting there. At one moment the fire alarm went off and a bunch of firemen came out of the elevator all in gear ready to do their thing. Not one single person in the room moved/left we all had loved ones in surgery/danger and were not going anywhere. It was surreal, no one moved. Turned out to be burned popcorn in the micro but not one of us was leaving our loved one alone!!

Edited July 24, 2022 by Gramto6

[Danielg342]

1 hour ago, Gramto6 said:

Years ago  my late DH was having heart surgery, as were the family members also waiting there. At one moment the fire alarm went off and a bunch of firemen came out of the elevator all in gear ready to do their thing. Not one single person in the room moved/left we all had loved ones in surgery/danger and were not going anywhere. It was surreal, no one moved. Turned out to be burned popcorn in the micro but not one of us was leaving our loved one alone!!

Sorry about your DH. I think I would do the same thing- no way I am leaving a loved one at the hospital. I'll fight the flames myself if I have to!

Does make me wonder what happens at a hospital when a fire breaks out in the surgery quarters and there's a really delicate surgery going on. It's not like they can just stitch the guy back up, evacuate and resume the operation later.

[possibilities]

On 5/30/2022 at 10:45 AM, smittykins said:

I still call my mom on the phone, because she rarely has her cell on(only if she’d away from the house).  She refuses to learn how to text, and she hates her smartphone(Tracfone made her switch from a flip phone several years ago).

This is me! I'm 56. Maybe it's generational. My friends in their 60s also all call on the phone (audio only) and only use their cells when away from home (same as me).

I know how to text, but I hate it. HATE. 

I hate the cell. It's a pain in the ass. People don't function anymore without constant hand-holding. They don't plan ahead. They need instant attention. I can't stand it. 

[Danielg342]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

People don't function anymore without constant hand-holding. They don't plan ahead. They need instant attention. I can't stand it. 

It's funny. Five and a half years ago, I was at work at the end of my shift. I was supposed to meet my brother after my shift at the local mall. I used the toilet at work, like I usually did. I dropped my phone in the toilet, completely rendering it inoperable.

So I had to borrow a friend's phone and call my brother (I actually remember his number, oddly enough). He tells me to text him when I get to the mall. I remind him that I don't have a working cell phone, so I can't text him when I get there.

Meaning we had to co-ordinate, over the phone, a meetup spot and a time to meet there. Just like the old days.

Which worked out. I got a new phone (that I still use today).

Maybe the reason why it worked out was because my brother and I were still teens in that weird time before smartphones existed, so we were already "trained" on how to do things without cell phones because we'd done it before. It just goes to show how much we take having phones for granted- my brother was so used to me having a cell phone that he forgot that I didn't actually have one.

Kind of scares me about how reliant we are on technology these days. As my fellow Canadians can attest (because Rogers screwed us big time just a few weeks ago), it doesn't take much to bring a society to its knees. Just cut off the electronics and we're screwed.

[Cinnabon]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

This is me! I'm 56. Maybe it's generational. My friends in their 60s also all call on the phone (audio only) and only use their cells when away from home (same as me).

I know how to text, but I hate it. HATE. 

I hate the cell. It's a pain in the ass. People don't function anymore without constant hand-holding. They don't plan ahead. They need instant attention. I can't stand it. 

There’s definitely a lot of toxic behavior associated with cell phones. Many younger people would gasp if they knew that we survived happily without them. We memorized addresses and phone numbers and took road trips without GPS or Apple Maps. Imagine that! 😝

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

This is me! I'm 56. Maybe it's generational. My friends in their 60s also all call on the phone (audio only) and only use their cells when away from home (same as me).

I know how to text, but I hate it. HATE.

I'm only in my late forties and have been the same way since my first cell phone -- I only use it when away from home (and sparingly then).  And I use it to call, not text.  (I'll text briefly under certain circumstances, but I have a flip phone - again with the hardly ever using my cell phone thing - so I am otherwise not spending time pecking out words [which I use in full, and with proper punctuation] on that thing.)

I expect to have people like me a minority on television, just as we are in life; a whole lot of conversation occurs via text these days.  That's a real life, not faux life, thing.  But TV has always had to make allowances where reality yields to making things easier for the audience to absorb, and all this damn showing some character's phone on screen to make me read someone's text drives me nuts.  Only on one of my TVs do I have any hope of making that out.  I'd rather they go in one direction or the other -- have the character verbally reference the text (later mention it to another character or read it aloud in real time if that's not possible, even though that's not particularly realistic), or, if all else fails, just plop the text up on screen in larger font like a subtitle.

I won't watch programming beyond the occasional short video on my measly 24" monitor rather than a TV, but, even though I don't get it, I know there are a bunch of people out there who regularly watch shows on a laptop, tablet, or even phone.  Given those small screens, how does the squint at this text on a phone within the standard framing in order to pick up on this development shot even make sense?

[possibilities]

Before texting, movies and TV used to have characters doing a voice over to convey what they were reading. They would open a letter or pick up a paper note and you'd see them read it while hearing their inner voice telling you what it said. They didn't expect the audience to read the letter themselves over the shoulder of the character.

Or, occasionally, if they did want the audience to read it themselves, they'd do a huge close up with a camera enlarging it for your eye and they'd linger on it long enough to see-- but usually just a few lines, not an entire conversation back and forth.

[Zella]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

even though I don't get it, I know there are a bunch of people out there who regularly watch shows on a laptop, tablet, or even phone

I'm in my early thirties, so I should be the prime age to do this, but I refuse to even watch short YouTube videos on my phone because of stuff like this. Maybe it's just because I have poor vision in general, but if I'm watching anything on a device, it's my laptop. It's one reason I found the concept of Quibi so baffling. And based on how quickly it folded, I assume I'm not the only one who was put off by it. 😂

[paulvdb]

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

read it aloud in real time if that's not possible, even though that's not particularly realistic)

I guess you never met my mother. Because that's exactly what she does. I find it a rather annoying habit because most of the time I'm not the least bit interested in her texts.

3 hours ago, Zella said:

It's one reason I found the concept of Quibi so baffling. And based on how quickly it folded, I assume I'm not the only one who was put off by it.

I felt the same way. I could never watch tv on such a small screen. I need a big screen. I also always work on a desktop computer. And I would never even check these forums on my phone because there's no way I could read it on such a small screen unless I enlarged the text so much that I would be constantly scrolling.

[merylinkid]

6 hours ago, Cinnabon said:

nd took road trips without GPS or Apple Maps.

And got lost a lot.   For the directionally challenged, GPS is a god send (although I have managed to get lost even with GPS).   

TOPIC:   when actually using maps there was always a hilarious scene where someone tries to refold the map and it goes about as well as folding a fitted sheet.

[Hiyo]

I remember back in the day, in the late 90s before Google Maps, I would plot the route on Mapquest and then print that out...

[Cinnabon]

35 minutes ago, merylinkid said:

And got lost a lot.   For the directionally challenged, GPS is a god send (although I have managed to get lost even with GPS).   

TOPIC:   when actually using maps there was always a hilarious scene where someone tries to refold the map and it goes about as well as folding a fitted sheet.

I was absolutely awful with directions into adulthood, when  traveling and moving to a big, unfamiliar city/state made me get better. I learned to read a map, finally, because no one was going to come and save me if I got lost. I loved Mapquest when that came out- I would write down the directions by hand before going somewhere new. 

19 minutes ago, Hiyo said:

I remember back in the day, in the late 90s before Google Maps, I would plot the route on Mapquest and then print that out...

Same!

[Raja]

28 minutes ago, Hiyo said:

I remember back in the day, in the late 90s before Google Maps, I would plot the route on Mapquest and then print that out...

👴

Oh my that era is now called back in the day. Of course being in a sandwich generation I still print the map for the parents while the grandkids laugh at what I don't know.

[Hiyo]

Lol I myself am part of that generation...someone who graduated high school in '96 and college in '00...

[AgathaC]

I’m in that in-between age group, too. I appreciate Google maps when I’m driving in an unfamiliar area, but I also study maps before I even start. It helps me to have a general idea in my head. Actually, I love maps and always have. My mom has no sense of direction so as soon as I was old enough, my dad sat me down with a Rand McNally and used my play chalk board to teach me the art of map-reading.

My husband, who hates maps and has very little clue how to read them, makes fun of me for being behind the times, but who acts as navigator when he gets lost or frustrated with Siri?

[jah1986]

Ah, this conversation is taking me back to the days when I would go to AAA before every road trip to get a TripTik for my journey. Complete with construction and eateries, AAA never let me down.

[Cinnabon]

19 minutes ago, jah1986 said:

Ah, this conversation is taking me back to the days when I would go to AAA before every road trip to get a TripTik for my journey. Complete with construction and eateries, AAA never let me down.

We always got those AAA maps, too. Even to travel 3000 miles across the country. Very detailed and useful.

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't really memorize phone numbers, but I had them written down. I used to use a state road atlas for traveling with my summer job, but it was hard to do without the map. Using GPS even in walking through the city is really helpful. 

I still have a road atlas in my car but it doesn't have forest roads. I'm better at getting around. 

[GaT]

19 hours ago, Bastet said:

I won't watch programming beyond the occasional short video on my measly 24" monitor rather than a TV, but, even though I don't get it, I know there are a bunch of people out there who regularly watch shows on a laptop, tablet, or even phone.  Given those small screens, how does the squint at this text on a phone within the standard framing in order to pick up on this development shot even make sense?

This is what I really don't get, people who choose to watch things on their phones instead of their TV, WHY? Why would you prefer to watch something on a tiny screen? I was on some board & someone called me "grandpa" for saying I thought it was weird to watch something on your phone when you could watch it on a big screen instead, I must be because it makes no sense at all to me.

Edited July 27, 2022 by GaT

[DoctorAtomic]

People might not have the option of buying a TV if they invested in computer equipment instead. 

[Cinnabon]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

People might not have the option of buying a TV if they invested in computer equipment instead. 

TVs can now be bought for $100. iPhones and iPads cost far more than that. The iMac costs $1300. A lot of the people we’re referencing think nothing of spending $5-$10/day on Starbucks, 7 days a week. I don’t think most are choosing to watch movies on their tiny phones because they can’t afford a tv.

[Shannon L.]

3 hours ago, GaT said:

This is wat I really don't get, people who choose to watch things on their phones instead of their TV, WHY? Why would you prefer to watch something on a tiny screen? I was on some board & someone called me "grandpa" for saying I thought it was weird to watch something on your phone when you could watch it on a big screen instead, I must be because it makes no sense at all to me.

I agree.  The only times I watch anything on my phone is if I don't have a tv available.

[janie jones]

3 hours ago, GaT said:

This is wat I really don't get, people who choose to watch things on their phones instead of their TV, WHY? Why would you prefer to watch something on a tiny screen? I was on some board & someone called me "grandpa" for saying I thought it was weird to watch something on your phone when you could watch it on a big screen instead, I must be because it makes no sense at all to me.

My husband wants nothing more than a TV about 400 times bigger than the enormous one we already have, but he also watches movies on his phone if he doesn't feel like being in the room the TV is in.

I hate when they're showing people's text messages on TV and the message they received is always the first message ever exchanged with that person. Apparently some people do delete their conversations but I'm sure it's not nearly the proportion of people who do it on TV. I appreciate shows that show a conversation history. Master of None inserted humor in the conversation history.

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, janie jones said:

I hate when they're showing people's text messages on TV and the message they received is always the first message ever exchanged with that person. Apparently some people do delete their conversations but I'm sure it's not nearly the proportion of people who do it on TV.

This is especially true if it's highschoolers and it's texts from their crush/romantic partner. I mean, I remember being in school, before cell phones were a common thing, and when a boy I like wrote any kind of note, even a non-romantic one, you best believe I was saving that shit and swooning over it when no one was looking. No way a teenage girl gets a text from a boy she likes and deletes it after reading. She's gonna read it and reread it and read it again. Unless it's an affair. Totally get why someone having an affair would delete texts. Other than that, it's more effort than it's worth. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I haven't owned a TV since 2002. 

[supposebly]

I just bought my first TV 2 years ago. I've shared one with room mates over the years, but most of my "TV" watching since I've moved out of my parents' house has been done over the computer screen. I'm Gen X.

[DrSpaceman73]

I have a tv but watch lots of shows on my phone when I'm not home.  

[possibilities]

In my head, someone is screaming "You'll ruin your eyes!"

[Lugal]

Mid-forties here, and I resisted getting a cell phone for years.  My Dad got his first cell phone before I got mine.  I've taken to texting, it's easier for me than talking to people and cell phones are really hard for me to hear.  It sometimes disturbs me how reliant on technology I am and society in general is.  I remember life before cell phones and most of it was pretty good.

I've talked to other photographers about how cell phones are making it hard for them to make a living because everyone has a phone and everyone thinks they can take take great pictures with some filters.  But no, you can't edit a photo on a phone!

I think it was William Gibson who said that we already turned ourselves into a race of cyborgs, but we're just to literal-minded to admit it.  And lately it's looking more like a cyberpunk dystopia.