Men in Gorilla Suits

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 151: Last Seen…Using Social Media

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Various social media icons - Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 151: Last Seen…Using Social MediaIf stats for Men in Gorilla Suits tell us anything, it’s that many of you are reminded about new episodes through social media.

Chances are, your parents and even grandparents are on Facebook. Once “the next big thing hits,” and is proclaimed the killer of the previous network or app, something new comes along to take its place.

Our desire to communicate in short bits of information seems to know no boundaries. Social media now drives revolutions and political campaigns. It’s a way to stay in touch with people all over the world or sell the things you make. What was once seen as a risk by companies is now an asset.

But it’s not all a wonderful thing. Some studies show that social media makes many people feel bad. Despite being connected in ways we never imagined, it leaves many feeling more lonely than ever. But is that the fault of the social networks, or the person using them?

It’s a topic that interests us enough that when Shawn pitched this show, Christopher thought, “We’ve done that one already…”

But we haven’t (we just talk about social media a lot). So, finally, it’s a show dedicated to social media.

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We kick it off talking about the first social media platforms we ever used — going as far as why we joined the particular site. Then we chat about Facebook: when and why we joined.

Many people use social media to stay in touch with friends. We chat about which friends we stay in touch with through social media, and then talk about whether or not we have friends who refuse to use social networks.

It seems with each new network that a lot of hype surrounds the launch of new things. Does social media live up to its hype?

There are people (like Christopher) who tire of it all and take breaks. We discuss how often we take social media breaks, going as far as covering if there are some networks we avoid more than others. But even those taking breaks return: we talk about why that is.

Like it or not, social media is part of life. We chat about how life would be different without it, and then jump to the goofiest — and best — uses for social media we’ve seen. We also talk about the most annoying, tone-deaf use for social media.

We wrap it all up as we often do, talking about the future — this time, the future of social media.

Comments are just another form of social media, and we’d love to hear what you think about it all in the comments for this episode.

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Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 54: Last Seen…Feeling Entitled

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Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 54: Last Seen…Feeling EntitledSome people do things because they enjoy it; others do things because they feel entitled. Like anything, entitlement can push one to greatness…or make them one of the most annoying people you may ever meet. This week, we feel entitled to talk about entitlement!

We start off chatting about whether or not we felt entitled to anything as kids, and if that changed as teenagers. It seems many believe entitlement is a feeling reserved for the young, but after talking about the past, we talk about the most entitled people we’ve ever met: adults!

With social media, everyone has a platform — and many adults spend a lot of time online pushing their opinions on others. Are those people entitled to an audience no matter what they say, or are we within our own rights to shut the ranting poxmonkeys down? (Our answers, here, are probably pretty obvious by referring to the obnoxious blowhards demanding we listen as “poxmonkeys.”)

Moving on from there, we discuss unsolicited criticism and ranting in general: why do people do this, and can any good come from it? Many believe anything said online is deserving of a contradicting rebuttal. When Popular Science removed comments from their website because they grew tired of recurring arguments derailing conversation, there was outcry. We take a moment to discuss why people feel so entitled to having their say, before moving on to asking if the Internet has contributed to a sense of entitlement to any and all opinions being thrown about with no regard to others. Often, with this kind of entitlement, anger lies at the root; we discuss the relationship between anger and a sense of entitlement.

Entitlement comes in all shapes and forms. If one wins the lottery, or even makes a lot of money on their own through hard work — some family and others feel entitled to a cut. We share our thoughts about whether or not others are entitled to the fortunes of others.

Many creative people feel they are entitled to making a living doing what they love most, and that those who work cheaply (or for free) are not entitled to anything because they’ve undercut the way things have been done for years. We share our thoughts as writers on this, arguing that creative people are really nothing special and that to expect earning a living simply because you really love doing something is a strange sense of entitlement in its own right.

Politicians have done a great job in recent years branding things they don’t like as “entitlements.” We devote some time to discussing if these programs are good or bad…and if they are entitlements at all or simply basic rights. After that, we ask if humans are entitled to anything, simply for existing. Finally, we close the week’s show by sharing what one thing we would make an entitlement if we had the power.

Despite all that’s said in this episode, you’re entitled to your opinions; feel free to share them in the comments.

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Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 37: Last Seen…Addicted to Technology

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Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 37: Last Seen...Addicted to TechnologyRecently, Louis C.K. was on Conan O’Brien, talking about how smart phones destroy one’s empathy. We begin talking about that, asking each other if we agree with Louis C.K.’s thinking. Then it’s on to the physical ways smart phones make us feel when we ask each other if we’ve ever felt separation anxiety when not able to use our phones.

Like it or not, the Internet (and easy access to technology) has changed the way we do so many things. We talk about why we’re online and, as writers, we take a few moments to ask if online promotion has been worth it for us…or if having a “brand,” “platform,” whatever we’re calling it this week is all hype.

Speaking of hype, a lot has been written about how always having access to information has degraded human focus. We ask if we had more focus before or after technology became such an available thing. By reading this online, it’s clear that on some level, the gorilla men are okay with technology, but what technology makes us cringe? Do we feel the need to keep up with everything? Can we make it through a lunch without checking for or answering a text message — find out!

Back to technology’s physical effects…we take a few minutes to ask if checking Facebook and other things is a reflex. Do we play games on our phones, or is that the line we draw where we say, “Nope, that eats up waaaaaaaay too much time!”? Then it’s on to our biggest tech weakness and a discussion if we can — or even want to — change it. Have we ever been so connected that technology has affected our sleep?

Thoreau had Waldon; now, simply taking a one-week social media break is cause for writing articles…we discuss taking social media breaks and ask if we could sit in a cabin all weekend without any tech. Finally, we wrap it all up by asking what is gained (and lost) by always being connected.

If you’re reading this and listen to the show, you obviously have feelings about technology and the way we’ve all come to use it. We’d love to hear your thoughts about this episode in the comments.

 

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