How, or why do some things get the public to go absolutely crazy over, such as texting, Facebook, or even rubber necking accidents on the freeway?

And before you get all defensive about these items , and say your not obsessed with any of them, could you honestly go a day, week, or month with out Facebook, or texting?
Next time you come across an accident that has emergency crews on site can you just safely drive by without coming to an almost stop an staring?
IF you can good for you, if not why??

- Facebook: they can share so many things to the world, and being noticed is just a great feeling.
– Texting: just like chatting, with a phone.
– Staring at an accident: curiosity. You see an unusually large crowd of people in the street, the thing popping in your head is “what’s going on?”

And no, I’m not offended. I’m just talking about people in general.

I personally dont have facebook (horrible site) and my phone is actually broken (which I dont mind). Yes, I know Im different.

As far as accidents – I think the core of it is just that people want something exciting to happen. People fall into routines and it is fun when things get shaken up a bit – even at the cost of someone else being in an accident.

Thanks for the answer @Mimishu1995 .
@Apparently_Im_The_Grumpy_One yeah I don’t do Facebook either but still hear about it on line and in real life a lot.
I have a flip phone so texting on it sucks, and have NO plans at all to ever upgrade it, and I guess your probably right about accidents , just wish those rubber neckers knew they were screwing up traffic for miles.

Still don’t think texting is an obsession check this Youtube video out then get back to me…..
https://youtu.be/wl0JojWH1rQ

I don’t get this about accidents myself. I’ve never wanted to just sit there and look at mangled or otherwise hurt people in car accidents. Surprise, I don’t actually like real life gore. If I was in an accident, just lying there waiting for the medics to show up…I think that, if the pain wasn’t consuming me, I would get so angry if people just made a big circle and stared at me as if I was some kind of circus phenomena. I’d be like, fuck out of here you bitches. I know you’re not supposed to touch people in accidents unless you have some kind of training, (which I do) but if you’re not gonna help in any way then fuck off.

As a defence for accident starers though, if you witnessed anything at all about said accident, it’s probably a good idea to stay in the area so you can tell the cops and medics what you saw. Also I have to admit, a large group of people around the accident probably helps the cops and medics to spot it faster.

Oh NO!! Smart phones are not distracting…....
https://youtu.be/sDATgh1Iiyc

Check out that as well and get back to me.

And of course Facebook isn’t an obsession, yeah right….....
https://youtu.be/NANfgPv1S4k

And there is no problem with rubber necking at auto accidents…..
https://youtu.be/7K_4Q0SkWHY

I guess I will never know what the attraction is to these things,and I really hope I never do.

Well, here is the painful truth of it. No matter how much we cry out for freedom, and individuality, most od the human race is a herd, and requiring a social order. People need to be told what to think, what to do, how to get started, when to get started. Some of us are free thinkers, and able to survive without the suffocation of hierarchy, but most need the fences, gate locations, and slaughter chute.
Lacking the desired or required guidance from government, or at least restrictions tight enough, people tend to lend themselves to demands of trends, social, spiritual, fashion, sports, etc.

OMG @Here2_4 aint that the freaking truth!!!!!

Funny I thought I would get a ton of people saying I was wrong about this, and their arguments as to why those said items were not addicting or obsessions, guess not, but I guess the couple of members who did answer told me as to why they are an obsession.
But would really like to hear others thoughts about this as well.

I got along fine w/out texting and FaceBook before they existed, and I like them both now as they facilitate communication with a lot of people that I care about. People get obsessed with things simply because people get obsessed with things.

In my 40 plus years of driving, I have noticed that people don’t slow down to stare at accidents, so much as they slow down for safety’s sake. Debris from accidents can cross the median, so people going in the opposite direction are wise to be cautious, once a few cars slow, they all have to slow, it’s a domino effect. And simple curiosity prompts them to look and see what has slowed them down.

As far as “going without”, why would I bother, any more than I would go without my microwave or my flush toilet or my radio?

Texting while driving, yeah that’s bad, but so is driving while intoxicated.

And there’s the answer you can point to, and call my denial of your premise “defensive”, thus proving your point. Good for you.

I wouldn’t try zipping past a roadside accident at the speed limit – wouldn’t that be a ticketable offence? Especially if there are police or workers on the scene?

Inevitably, once people do slow down, it creates a standing wave that perpetuates through the traffic flow for a lot longer than is necessary. This is a physical phenomenon not necessarily caused by rubbernecking.

@dappled_leaves of course you must slow down, obey the flaggers, and police I have no problem with that and totally understand it, but a lot, and I mean a LOT do more than just safely slow down they come to almost a complete stop,and have seen flaggers and police get annoyed and tell them to keep going,is that not rubbernecking?
While traffic for miles gets clogged up.

@SQUEEKY2 I know sometimes it feels that way, but what I’m saying is that the traffic slows down even if no one cares what is going on around them. I mean, if you’re forced to slow anyway, of course you’re going to look out the window – so it does appear to be a rubbernecking thing. I’ve done this myself on numerous occasions; haven’t we all?

There’s no escape Squeek, and when you think about it, there is an inherent risk to traveling the public roadways. And it’s just the numbers. there can be literally hundreds of people traveling end to end, and only one inept individual in the bunch is all that is required to ruin the day for everyone.

Or whining about shite on Q&A sites XD

Sad but very true @stanleybmanly ,but if I can just reach that one individual and get them just for a second to actually think about their driving instead texting someone my whining would have paid off.

and where else should I whine @ucme you have your servants to bitch at all I have is this, poor ,poor pitiful me.

You asked how and why and in my opinion, they’re addictive. People become addicted to participating via social media and getting responses from other people. Suddenly someone, somewhere appears to give a rats razoo about what the person posting thinks and has to say. That’s quite an addictive experience. Look at how many of us post to Fluther on a regular basis and find it hard not to check in to see what responses we got.

I suspect the ease of access is one of the reasons these addictions develop and that we often have these communication mechanisms on our phones, which are with us much of the time, or on our computers while we work. I personally find I am likely to check such media and news sites when I’m procrastinating. It’s so easy to click on a link and when I don’t feel inclined to do my work, it’s a nice break. I think it’s very healthy to just turn off all appliances for at least a weekend on a regular basis. Longer if you can. I am not a compulsive phone user. My phone often goes unanswered and unresponded to. The battery is quite often flat because I haven’t bothered to charge it. My laptop is a different thing. I work on it constantly so avoiding news sites, Fluther, games and the like is harder to do unless I delete them and apply a self-imposed block.

Nice answer @Earthbound_Misfit thanks.

Texting and Facebook are not obsessions. They are new forms of communication.

Man is by nature a social animal.

My answer has nothing to do with communicating while driving. Those people are idiots.

@jonsblond did you look at any of the youtube links I gave??
If your so engrossed in texting and you walk right into a mall water fountain you might have a problem, or how about when they had that clown on the scene and people texting never noticed him??
Might be a slight problem?
I do agree they are a new form of communication, but when people can’t put it down while driving, it might be an obsession ,right??

Sorry, but I have better things to do than look at Youtube links. They seem to be an obsession with you. (I’m kidding)

Oh then you missed what I am getting at with obsessions sorry the videos say a lot, all I can say is please do not text and drive, no socializing is worth putting yourself and others at risk of an accident.

DID ANY OF YOU LOOK AT THE LINKS I PROVIDED??
If not why , in most cases on this site when someone claims something a lot of people say proof please(meaning a link to some site that backs up their claim) I do that and people now claim they aint got the time to look at the video claim I provided,to back up my claim that for a LOT of people these items have become obsessions.
I don’t get it??????????
@canidmajor your right I don’t get the point, but guess I never will.

You’re credibility is not enhanced by linking YouTube videos as “proof” of something.
Really. YouTube videos????

So your just going to poo,poo them instead of even looking at them some of them were news links, proving my point YOUR credibility isnt enhancing either by just poo,posing them without even a bother., to look at them.
It’s like another member that won’t accept anything that isn’t peer reviewed.
wasn’t it you that said embrace diversity? indulge yourself take a look, you might be surprised .

@canidmajor Not every video on YT is bullshit.

What is this thread about now? Why people are obssess with some things or Youtube videos being bullshit?

If texting isn’t an obsession and we all do it safely,then would anyone here object if law makers passed a law tripling the fine if caught texting and driving, or maybe lose your license for 6 months if you are caught texting and driving,would you agree to that??
If not why since you do it safely????

@SQUEEKY2 Maybe not whine at all, just a thought, try & not get a headache though.
Oh & the servant thing, hahahahahahahahaha, amuse me some more biatch :D

@ucme so people will continue to do stupid unsafe things around us,and we are not supposed to bitch about it?
What if one of these brain dead texting drivers ran over one of your children?Oh well ,people will be people and shit happens?
If my bitching gets one person to even think maybe they shouldn’t text while driving,it was worth it at least in my opinion.

They should make a film of you, Mad @SQUEEKY2…The Road Whiner.
Fuckers who are dumb enough to text while driving are not gonna change because one guy in a quiet corner of the internet bangs on about it for a couple of days.
Make like in Frozen…Let It Go :D

@ucme That movie any good?

@ucme, @SQUEEKY2 is a truck driver I believe. So I would say he sees an awful lot of people texting while driving and doing other stupid and ridiculous things while on the road. I was a passenger in a car the other day when we got stuck behind a young woman in the overtaking lane who was driving below the speed limit. She kept looking down and when we could finally overtake her, it was obvious she was texting. On a four-lane freeway during rush hour, that’s frightening. So I think @SQUEEKY2‘s concerns are valid and appropriate.

Whether talking about our concerns on the internet will make the slightest difference to the world is an entirely different issue. I’d say probably our conversations here will have no effect, but you could apply that to many of the discussions here and on other sites. However, if one person reads @SQEEKY2’s comments and thinks twice before picking up their phone while driving, his comment might save their life or more importantly (imo) save the lives of people who end up being involved in an accident because someone is texting. Change has to start somewhere. Perhaps @SQUEEKY2 will be the person to start a movement to improve driving standards that will make a difference. Who knows. If bitching on the internet becomes a crime, we’ll all be guilty of that in one way or another.

@Earthbound_Misfit Thank you wish I could give you a thousand great answer votes for your answer.

@Symbeline , I saw the movie Frozen. I expected it to be lame, but I was wrong. I think it lends a lot toward helping youngsters, at least girls, observe a ruined relationship, and how healing can still be possible. The song is pretty, and inspirational. There are some parts with very pretty effects. I believe you would like the movie a lot. If I am wrong, let me know.
@SQUEEKY2 I understand your frustration. As the civilized world changes and grows, we have to learn from our mistakes, and make them work better. Speaking out in various forums is how those changes normally come about.

And a big thank you to you as well @Here2_4 .

@Symbeline Frozen, or the squeeky truck movie XD
My daughter despises that kinda crap, so fortunately I have no reason to sit through it, dodged a bullet.

He’s a truck driver? Get right outta town, oh yeah, he only mentioned it a zillion times.
I can hear the trailer now, _“one man, one road, his truck, a crusade to rid the road of bad driving, he’s a superior mother trucker…Mad SQUEEKY: The Road Whiner.

@ucme he may be whining, but I think the “let it go” attitude of you doesn’t help either. Imagine a person is going on the road, obeying the rules, respecting everyone by driving for them, when suddenly someone else who is too busy texting hit them and the good guy take the damage, then the bad guy runs away. You witness everything. What will your reaction be? “Let it go”?

The fact that @SQUEEKY2 whines may not help improve the situation, but at least it shows that he cares! The most awful thing isn’t that someone does something bad, but that people don’t care that the person has done a bad thing.

Thank you ever so much for the pearls of wisdom voiced over the course of this thread.
It’s truly made me think about things i’d not been previously aware of, Fluther can change things, together, we can change things. <sob whimper>

Talking to anyone expressing opinions, via real life or the net can change things @ucme and not one smart ass come back can change that, I would prefer my wife NOT get into an auto accident with some fucking jack ass to busy texting than pay attention to his/her driving, I have seen a transport truck less than a week old totally destroyed because it was involved in an accident with a texting driver, I have seen the road closed for hours because a guy texting walked out into traffic.
Not to mention countless you tube videos displaying such actions, if you would look at (but probably not).
Stupid texting is a problem, and people that do it safely should speak up, not just shrug and say oh well people will always do stupid things.