Let's Not Allow The Internet To Make Us Terrible Human Beings
Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio broadcasting out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 5 to 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly to SoundCloud, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up on listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry and Heather B. morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.
This week we discussed:
CHOM program director, Andre Lallier, passed away this weekend. He was 52, and had stomach cancer. Andre was responsible for getting me on-board to do this weekly segment. Without him, I wouldn’t have the privilege to do this. He also became a friend. We would often chat about music, culture and more. Very tough loss for our community. Wishing his family peace and comfort during this very hard time.
Do you have an issue with Yelp? The place where you can criticize restaurants. What about something like Rate My Professors or Rate MDs for doctors? Fair ball to do that? The Internet went crazy last week when something called, Peeple, was announced. a Yelp for people. Yes, a place where anyone can rate anyone else, the same way we rate hotels. Is this a smart idea or the worst possible idea ever? Well, maybe the developers listened?
We are becoming a very sucky species. Last week, The New York Times ran an editorial piece titled, Stop Googling. Let’s Talk, by Sherry Turkle (the author of Alone Together). It’s based on her upcoming book titled, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, which comes out tomorrow. From the article: “Studies of conversation both in the laboratory and in natural settings show that when two people are talking, the mere presence of a phone on a table between them or in the periphery of their vision changes both what they talk about and the degree of connection they feel. People keep the conversation on topics where they won’t mind being interrupted. They don’t feel as invested in each other. Even a silent phone disconnects us.”
Every year, I walk in this charity event for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada called, Light The Night. It’s a national event that pays tribute and brings hope to all of those affected by blood cancer. There are 110,000 people affected by blood cancers in Canada. It’s on Oct 17, 2015 @ 5:00 PM at Parc Jean-Drapeau. I’m walking because my best friend’s daughter is in remission (she was diagnosed when she was 5 – back in 2010). Sadly, we lost one of my children’s classmates nearly two years ago, when he was in kindergarten. Please help out, if you can.