Well, is it? It?s something that popped my mind recently. In this day and age there?s a lot of digital stuff going on and less involves actual contact with (excuse the redundancy) actual people.
A few examples
- Recently I read an article about cutting back on the government instated company that does the disability benefits. They?re cutting back on people, meaning people who need said benefits will have to get behind a computer and keep track and use their files digitally. It also meant that getting appointed a coach to help you get reintegrated into the working circuit takes on average, 9 months.
In general, I don?t see a problem with this, however, and that?s why I?m putting it on a blog on an aspie site. If I?m not social cause of my Asperger?s (or autism, or any other social impairing disorder), having me behind a screen, 200 miles away from a coach who has never seen me, talked to me, and as such might not even be aware how much of a social ?klutz? I might be. That?s the big issue with cutting back and making it digital.
- While some of you might know that I play a game with? well toy soldiers, I?m also into a card game , which is quite popular, called Magic: the gathering. Been playing that for about 14 years now. Back in 2002 I believe (don?t quote me on exact year) they started that game online. Same game, friendly user-interface, kept track of rules and game states?pretty nifty. Beta tested that back then, and as such at some point I got into the game. My account information states 2008. Anyway? as tie progressed I didn?t buy a lot of paper cards and bought more virtual items to play online. At some point I sold off my collection of paper cards and migrated pretty much exclusively to online play. I have some cards around for a friendly game here or there, but I rarely play against? again? actual people.
I could go out to do that, that?s not the problem. I have in the past. I played national tournaments, did qualifiers for international tournaments (never any big success though). I could go to a place in my area for some casual playing, but I could do it online. At any given moment (and jokingly I once remarked; pants optional). Not just casual, but just like poker, for prizes? I could even, if I invest time and money in it, sign up for qualifiers for the next big tournament in whatever country they?re doing it in now.
The online variant has it?s pros and cons as well. And a lot of people point out ?I like to play against people? I like the interaction?. Well, I?m an aspie and I don?t like that. I don?t like to sit across the table playing cards that much. I also don?t like it when people sitting next to me for their game, talk and distract me. Or if people sit/stand around my table to watch our game. I don?t care for ?that look on his face? when I do something interesting during the game. I?m all about pure data? I play this card, will you respond? No? Fine, move on. I barely make eye contact with my opponent, I play my cards nothing more nothing less.
And that?s what most people I talk to about how good the game is online, don?t understand. Mind you, I?m talking about people who play it anyway, because to others it might be ?just another game?.
- A while ago I read an article about people working from home. 2 articles below there was a study that said that people who work at home feel lonely and they miss the social interaction. Reading further on related articles, it was pointed out they want less traffic and more people working from home.
I read the articles, discussed it with my girlfriend a bit and then figured. If you need a job to keep up your social skills, how does this add up for doing your job effectively? Also, how does this work for people that don?t care for social skills. Or just don?t have well developed social skills? I?m honest about it if I state that I don?t care about people at work. I never have. It annoys me a lot to have people around, to have people chatter? and let?s not forget breaks and that fake interest people show. It puts me in a near psychotic rage and restraining myself is hard? I?m not even not social, I?m a hazard to those who are.
If you need a job to keep up your social skills, isn?t it either A. that job is taking too much of your time to be a social being? Or B. You aren?t actually that social to begin with and just need to be put on the spot on a constant basis.
It also makes me wonder if ?social behavior? is something that should be a requirement for jobs. Because if I?m not, I?m not welcome on the job, but it?s also an auto-assumption you are likeable and social and therefore it?s a bonus employers expect? for free.
It?s something I ranted about a while ago on my blog, where I had a session with my therapist who went through the process of job requirements and I politely asked him to define them all, and to not expect anything, not even ?being friendly?. Heck, we can?t measure that, and we surely can?t measure how social someone is on an exact scale. The best we can do is let others judge for us, but I believe they?re not qualified experts to state I?m NOT social? they just might not like me, and therefore are biased as well.
But I?m diverging too much on definitions again.
I do want to stress the age of isolation, where people all people are expected to be social have practically no training on the field and are expected to have it regardless of whatever your issues are.
A few examples
- Recently I read an article about cutting back on the government instated company that does the disability benefits. They?re cutting back on people, meaning people who need said benefits will have to get behind a computer and keep track and use their files digitally. It also meant that getting appointed a coach to help you get reintegrated into the working circuit takes on average, 9 months.
In general, I don?t see a problem with this, however, and that?s why I?m putting it on a blog on an aspie site. If I?m not social cause of my Asperger?s (or autism, or any other social impairing disorder), having me behind a screen, 200 miles away from a coach who has never seen me, talked to me, and as such might not even be aware how much of a social ?klutz? I might be. That?s the big issue with cutting back and making it digital.
- While some of you might know that I play a game with? well toy soldiers, I?m also into a card game , which is quite popular, called Magic: the gathering. Been playing that for about 14 years now. Back in 2002 I believe (don?t quote me on exact year) they started that game online. Same game, friendly user-interface, kept track of rules and game states?pretty nifty. Beta tested that back then, and as such at some point I got into the game. My account information states 2008. Anyway? as tie progressed I didn?t buy a lot of paper cards and bought more virtual items to play online. At some point I sold off my collection of paper cards and migrated pretty much exclusively to online play. I have some cards around for a friendly game here or there, but I rarely play against? again? actual people.
I could go out to do that, that?s not the problem. I have in the past. I played national tournaments, did qualifiers for international tournaments (never any big success though). I could go to a place in my area for some casual playing, but I could do it online. At any given moment (and jokingly I once remarked; pants optional). Not just casual, but just like poker, for prizes? I could even, if I invest time and money in it, sign up for qualifiers for the next big tournament in whatever country they?re doing it in now.
The online variant has it?s pros and cons as well. And a lot of people point out ?I like to play against people? I like the interaction?. Well, I?m an aspie and I don?t like that. I don?t like to sit across the table playing cards that much. I also don?t like it when people sitting next to me for their game, talk and distract me. Or if people sit/stand around my table to watch our game. I don?t care for ?that look on his face? when I do something interesting during the game. I?m all about pure data? I play this card, will you respond? No? Fine, move on. I barely make eye contact with my opponent, I play my cards nothing more nothing less.
And that?s what most people I talk to about how good the game is online, don?t understand. Mind you, I?m talking about people who play it anyway, because to others it might be ?just another game?.
- A while ago I read an article about people working from home. 2 articles below there was a study that said that people who work at home feel lonely and they miss the social interaction. Reading further on related articles, it was pointed out they want less traffic and more people working from home.
I read the articles, discussed it with my girlfriend a bit and then figured. If you need a job to keep up your social skills, how does this add up for doing your job effectively? Also, how does this work for people that don?t care for social skills. Or just don?t have well developed social skills? I?m honest about it if I state that I don?t care about people at work. I never have. It annoys me a lot to have people around, to have people chatter? and let?s not forget breaks and that fake interest people show. It puts me in a near psychotic rage and restraining myself is hard? I?m not even not social, I?m a hazard to those who are.
If you need a job to keep up your social skills, isn?t it either A. that job is taking too much of your time to be a social being? Or B. You aren?t actually that social to begin with and just need to be put on the spot on a constant basis.
It also makes me wonder if ?social behavior? is something that should be a requirement for jobs. Because if I?m not, I?m not welcome on the job, but it?s also an auto-assumption you are likeable and social and therefore it?s a bonus employers expect? for free.
It?s something I ranted about a while ago on my blog, where I had a session with my therapist who went through the process of job requirements and I politely asked him to define them all, and to not expect anything, not even ?being friendly?. Heck, we can?t measure that, and we surely can?t measure how social someone is on an exact scale. The best we can do is let others judge for us, but I believe they?re not qualified experts to state I?m NOT social? they just might not like me, and therefore are biased as well.
But I?m diverging too much on definitions again.
I do want to stress the age of isolation, where people all people are expected to be social have practically no training on the field and are expected to have it regardless of whatever your issues are.
