*Rant Alert* TL:DR Culture and the Lazyness of some people

[polarbear]

While surfing another forum (not cigar related) I came across a thread that was discussing a complex issue and the possible motivations behind it.
While the post was fairly long and detailed, it certainly wasn't a novel by any stretch, maybe 650 words total

Before reading the post I noticed it had over 40 replies and figured the thread had descended into heated discussion and general name calling. Instead the first post after the initial was a member complaining that the post was too long and asking for a quick summery.
Obviously, the OP had put a lot of thought into the initial post and felt that what he had said over the course of his post needed to be as detailed as it was in an effort to adequately explain his stance on the issue in question.
Surprisingly, when confronted with someone who was too lazy to read his post, but not too lazy to reply to it asking for a summery, he was less than enthused.

What followed was a number of people also complaining that a post totalling over 600 words was too long and nothing worth saying should take that long to say.
It got me thinking about the rise of the TL:DR (Too Long: Didn't Read) culture often found online and in social media, often adopted by people around my age bracket.
There have been a few occasions I've posted on social media in regards to a current social issue, and my feelings towards it only to receive a number of TL:DRs from people.

How hard is it to read a damn article or well written post about something you actually care about!?
I consider it pretty selfish for someone to not only be "too busy" (or more likely, too lazy) to read something that something someone has put time into writing. If you click on a link and am confronted with a wall of text, click the "back key" and move on. I don't understand why someone would be interested enough to click the article, but not interested enough to read it, instead requesting a 10-20 word summery.

As I get older (early 30's now) I find myself sounding more and more like my father did when I was a kid. Talking to people in their late teens or early 20's I'm sure I often come off like the proverbial old man, shaking his fist and telling "those kids" to "get off my lawn", but seriously, have our attention spans gotten so short that we now refuse to read something that more than 160 characters?
Is this shift in peoples expectation of online content the fault of Twitter or simply that there is so much going on now, expecting someone to stare at the screen for 2 uninterrupted minuets is too much to ask now?

I recently had a conversation with my girlfriends little sister (she's 16) and she was telling me that she doesn't read books for pleasure. The books she is required to read for school are considered a chore and if possible she will hunt online for a detailed (but still short) summery of whatever reading is required for her classes in an effort to avoid having to "slog" through a 350 page fiction novel.
We then moved onto the fact that 90% of her communication with her friends is either via text or Snap Chat. The texts she does send are mostly emojis (I would draw comparisons to hieroglyphic communication of the ancient Egyptians if I thought for a second a 16 year old girl would know what I was talking about) and she prefers Snap Chat as she only needs to talk to her phone rather than have to make a call (if I could tell what the difference was between the two, I'd mention it). When I told her about the days when a phone would only allow a text message to be 160 characters or less (the birthplace of Twitter, I assume) she replied "that must've been so nice, no one sending you really long messages you have to read all the time". I was left almost speechless.

As much as I love social medial and all the doors for communication and community it has opened, I cant help but wonder if its making us dumber. We have the 24 hour news cycle now, but each story lasts only 5min before the next one starts and the is continuously cycled over and over. You can deep and complex discussions with people on the other side of the world, with friends and family allowed to weigh in with their opinions, but then it all gets too long and most people miss the point of the conversations. I can send my partner a picture of the sun rise in NYC for her to see in Aus but I once spent 20 minutes watching to girls photograph their food at a café. We have all of the world knowledge in our pockets, accessible to us at any time we want, but instead we look at cat videos and watch clips of other people playing video games.

I wonder where we're heading as a culture, sometimes. If taking 5 min to read something someone has written is all too hard, how long will it be before people stop having meaningful or difficult conversations?
What happens when the only reason people write books are so they can be adapted into a film or TV show to be easily consumed by the masses?

I recently finished re-reading my favourite fiction novel. It was 700+ pages of joy and happiness. Reading it was like slipping on a comfortable jumper. It helped me unwind during a stressful month of work and home life. I looked forward to the 90min a night I could curl up with this old book and forget about what was waiting for me.
What happens if that goes away?

[polarbear]

For the record, the above post was 988 words
I hope you made it through

[archosaur]

TL:DR

[archosaur]

 Sorry, couldn't resist

I read your post in its entirety, and I agree.  Have you ever seen the show 'Black Mirror'?  There are a bunch of social-media driven episodes, all very dystopian, that you might enjoy.

My advice is just to seek out those that are like minded and spend most of your time with them - that actually like to read, that have an attention span, that have emotional intelligence and understand written word and spoken and non verbal communication.  We're out there!  And do your best to enlighten others when possible.

Cheers

[cigcars]

     Well - welcome to our "Microwave Society", I'm afraid. EVERYTHING is "HURRY UP!" "HURRY UP!"!!! "No waiting"! etc., etc. We want what we want yesterday, and no one has the patience anymore to endure a numerous word post, not when we want the subject matter thrown at us for only no more than 50 seconds tops of reading. Sorry, my man, it's just the signs of the times...

[SirVantes]

"I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now!" - Freddie Mercury

I see the apparent popularity of petit robustos as symptomatic.  But I take heart from the fact that Monte As were the first to sell out on 24:24 today.  There will always be pockets of resistance.

[RDBM]

In general people have no patience, we live in a society where everything has to be chopped to the basics, with very little time to really get into something due to attention span. Always something better just around the corner, technology is a great example. No sooner have I learned how to work my phone and there's a new model out. 

[David88]

The rise of the immediate gratification in society is worrying. Many people seem to have no patience. I find it amusing that people could complain that fast food may take longer than 2 minutes to be served to them! 

With regards to the too long didn't read attitude to forum postings, the only time I would not read an extended post is when it is punctuated too poorly. Everyone makes mistakes with punctuation but the thought of reading a 500+ word posting without any paragraphs just makes me want to get the red pen out!

[Onelove]

Some of my favourite posts on this forum are your 'letting my mind wander...' cigar reviews. Please don't succumb to other people's laziness. 

As a father and someone in the same age bracket I have similar concerns as to where our culture is heading but no better advice than posted already. 

[Gusmab980]

3 hours ago, polarbear said:

 

I recently finished re-reading my favourite fiction novel. It was 700+ pages of joy and happiness. Reading it was like slipping on a comfortable jumper. It helped me unwind during a stressful month of work and home life. I looked forward to the 90min a night I could curl up with this old book and forget about what was waiting for me.
What happens if that goes away?

My sentiments exactly, I just finish a 2500 historical novel trilogy, there's nothing like reading a book and smoking a cigar to release stress.

its a good thing my 6 years old daughter and my 10 years old nephew both are excellent readers, hopefully that won't change as they get older. 

[Stick burner]

Great post!! I think what your seeing and describing is the becoming the down fall of society. There is a severe pussification of America going on with this generation


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[Fuzz]

4 hours ago, polarbear said:

For the record, the above post was 988 words
I hope you made it through

Should have been longer. Some of your sentences are incomplete.

[shlomo]

 

I do enjoy the irony of reading a post complaining about people complaining.

At 16, reading a book was the last thing on my mind..lol

[LordAnubis]

I think that's the major problem in society today. A lot of information is available to a lot of people. It quickly makes armchair experts in many topics. Then people are too lazy to read the entirety of the information available, with a range of sources and perspectives, and hence before adamantly opposed or accepting of the topic on hand. Gone are the days when you wanted information you had to go out and find it. Rocking chair joes blog gets the same attention (often more) as a quality scientific report in an esteemed journal.

[CaptainQuintero]

While i think there is definitely a bit of 'those damn kids with their rock and roll, swinging their hips suggestively, I fear for the next generation with what buddy holly is doing to it' going on. Which every generation thinks about the next one. There certainly seems to be a growing trend of a desperate need to find something to get offended about, often usually on someone elses behalf (who doesn't want it).

It doesn't seem to be the young people to me however, it seems to be the 25-35 bracket.

Buy then again, it's always the vocal minority who kick up the most fuss/get the air time in any era. I'm certain the average person is still distinctly average and just rolls their eyes and carries on.

Maybe it's just that media gives a bigger platform to the drama queens nowadays. Anger and fear sells, if you can't make your audience afraid then make them angry. We certainly seem to be being given less "terrorists will kill you" news and more "listen to this social extremist's views, doesn't it make you angry" stuff. Maybe it's changing again with the Korea stuff. Have to keep your audience on their toes!

[Shaunster]

I hate social media. Maybe being only 27 I am behind my time. I just cant stand the need to put your whole life on the internet. Then again I cant stand petit robustos or jaw breaker cigars, so yes, I am in the minority 

[Duxnutz]

Meh. The world (and society) has gone down the toilet, get over it!

[playindirty]

For me to read something long it has to catch my interest in the few sentences, I never liked to read still don't however in the past few years I have read a couple of books, I am also a slow reader so that probably doesn't ,but even if it is a long read I tend to just skim over it  ,However I did read your whole post, what drives me nuts is all the improper spelling in texts ,but if your gonna send me a long text just pick the dang phone up, or when you ask someone a yes or no question verbally and they start giving you a 3 paragraph sentence, punctuation mistakes i suck at punctuation so that does bother me a whole lot as long there is some form

[Zigatoh]

On the flip side there are plenty of people who love the sound of their own voice (sight of their own text?). The why say something in 100 words that can be said in a thousand,  why start your verbal outpouring with the subject you intend to talk about,  meandering, verbal diarrhoea stricken individuals where tl:dr (/tl:dl - didn't listen) is the only appropriate response.

Example,  anything beginning "When I were young...". Run, run until you can't carry on, then run some more.

Being pretty much middle aged I often start conversations that way and am waiting with admiration in advance for the first sensible individual to simply turn around and run away, I salute you future dust cloud in the distance. 

[Islandboy]

Hey, hey....what’s with all the Petite Robusto hate? Sometimes you only have 45 minutes to slow it down a bit and take it all in. The key element is slowing it down, albeit briefly on occasion.

I agree, the modus operandi of how we gather and broadcast the important info in our lives - the info that shapes our thoughts and actions - is sound bites. Fewer people take the time to communicate clearly, which inevitably leads to conflict. As someone who takes a bit of pride in how I convey my thoughts, It drives me nuts. 

[topdiesel]

I don't think the TL:DR culture is the problem.  It is the symptom.  The problem is that everyone now has a soapbox and it is hard to decipher which long posts, stories... are worth reading.  There is not enough time in the world to sift through the genius and the idiot.  "Fake News" and "Wannabe Experts" have the ability to easily reach the masses.  There is a huge difference between a writer (Ken) and the average Joe (me).  It is a lot easier to read one of Ken's longer posts, knowing his story telling ability ahead of time.  It is usually worth the read.  

[stogieluver]

So. Like would someone please like summarize all of the posts above this one like in 45 words or less.  And I like really really like need it like right now.  

So. Thanks in advance. 

[CTDavis44]

Now get off my lawn!...

[mygar]

Well i have to admit... i read couple sentences.... then scrolled down... yep im not reading all that... lol

Oh and yea... im 47... ADD? Maybe... or little patience for diatribe... maybe that too lol. Peace

[Fosgate]

First off “Well written” is often subjective. I see you write well but others thing a paragraph is tough math. I know people are rushed in posting. I’m often the same way in thinking that, “I’m not writing a report.” Then you look and see someone post a huge block of text and you can’t help but wonder what it’s like to drink your own urine and not know any better.

Also your girlfriends little sister “Doesn’t read books for pleasure.” I could not help but to think “I beg to differ.  Someone bought 450 million copies of 50 Shades of Gray.” She’s just young though. When she has her first boss that looks at her cross eyed for texting during a meeting or while having a conversation with them etc. They’ll get the point.  I’ve managers dish out ass chewing’s like a fresh prison hot dish by the spoonful to millennials.

What do you mean “If” social media is making us dumber? It obviously is disconnecting people from the real everyday world. Thing I remember is those who defy the herd mentality. I have a young friend in his 20’s very down to earth, super hard worker and can sit down and strike up a conversation with any person of any age, gender, race etc and have a great one on one with them.  Then I also have a coworker that I went over to his house with his family. W are having cocktails and playing cards and the kids are building blanket forts around us. Come to find out the kids don’t play with computers, phones, TV etc at home very often. They don’t like fast food, love veggies and naked shrimp etc. Clean their plates and play outside most of the time. The parents raised them like that and the kids love it. So I still have hope.