actual discussion of depth - My feeling is that it is part the internet (which actually isolates people), part TV, part the apps like Twitter and Facebook that either restrict to 140 characters, or make everything a popularity contest.

I am not fond of it at all..but that is just me.

I also see it all over websites where everyone talks, few listen, few search, few read beyond OP titles - all kinds of websites. It's sad, really.

and I don't care for it either. The only thing we can do is rebel against the status quo by refusing to fall into the trap of superficiality-- not everyone is that way, thank God.

But since it isn't, I've lost interest

But I'm not sure these Luddites deserve it.

So many people's attention spans have been whittled away to just about nothing. They no longer know how to have a conversation.

The sheer number of distractions could be partly to blame. The ability to focus seems to require regular exercise that fewer and fewer people get.

to know I actually do know how to carry on a conversation, and I enjoy doing so.

Don't get me wrong - if I have nothing to say I don't try and force it.

I used to love going about town and falling into conversation with complete strangers. Nothing planned, just those wonderful moments when two or more people connect for a while and then go their separate ways.

When I lived in Germany and while traveling around Europe, I loved the common tables because it offered up the opportunity to meet new people and to get to know them.

For a while now, though, it does seem like fewer and fewer people are willing to engage or be engaged.

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specifically because it's a rote-practice acquired-skill and people just don't practice it. I know because I do practice it and people are consistently dumbfounded that I know how to have a conversation and am so easy to talk to.

(It's really funny because it's so rare of a skill that it's actually gotten me laid...more than a few times.)

But i have had conversations with people which i enjoyed. Even total strangers.

conversation is alive and well. I’ve seen good conversations go on here too.

Speaking of dying art:

It will keep dying for millennia more.

Wolf

I have family who talk up a storm and think they are quite sociable, but they are really just narcissistic. You can't get a word in edgewise and they start on these long monologues and stories that are usually boring or annoying. For example, they start up on their medical procedures and symptoms and such, even at dinner. They compete for the stage, so to speak. And get mad if you want to look at your phone or something, like you're supposed to be listening to that!

Have known about it for a long time. It's more than just what you describe. It's an inability to read nonverbal communication, too.

Has a lot to do with technology and the fact that young people prefer to text. They like that feeling of "there, I said what I wanted to say." The problem with the text medium is that there is inadequate feedback. All the knowledge and experience gained from the interactions we have had give us an incredibly large "database" in our heads of how to craft our messages for maxiumum effectiveness. This has severely cut the size of their "database." Now they are crude communicators.

That's just one aspect of it, and it's simplified, but I'm sure you'll understand what I'm getting at.



Cher

When I was living at home, we used to sit out on the porch and while away the hours reading, talking, playing games, enjoying each other's company. There were grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to spend time with. Family history was passed down to the younger generation. Even neighbors would stop by and gab. No one does that anymore.

I miss those days. I really don't have anyone to converse with anymore. Guess that has all been replaced by the computer.

That requires listening to the other person and processing what is said before
formulating a response, not just waiting for the other person
to stop talking so you can start talking.

So, yes, there is too much narcissism.