Social awkwardness

[♞RedLotus♞ 360]

Have you guys ever been in a situation where some people might annoy you with their social awkwardness? 

 

It seems to me that everyday, we teenagers who used to be portrayed as wild, young, happy, and fun, are now becoming more shy, awkward, and introverted.

 

More and more teens are having panic attacks just because they were exposed to a little bit of sunlight. We are loosing our ability to communicate with the public. Everyone just wants to get their groceries done as fast as they can, so they can head home asap and get on the computer. 

 

I have alot of friends, and I'm starting to see that alot of them have trouble speaking for themselves. They can hardly hold a conversation, dress nicely, or take care of their bodies. These social skills are very important, and will help you on the way you are looked at by other people. Dressing nicely, and making a conversation flow can be very essential when finding a job. 

 

Don't get me wrong, buying a new video game once in a while, or watching some ponies is pretty darn relaxing and good, but my fellow youth is loosing that spice that kids back then used to have! 

 

So my question to you guys is... have you ever experienced social awkwardness by other people? Do you feel like our generation is becoming smarter, but losing its charm? Share your stories and opinions. 

[Silver Letter 1,832]

I am socially awkward and a shy person. I have reasons for that but I understand that pursuing friendship is important and I hold it as a priority.

Edited August 8, 2013 by ILetThePoniesIn

[Orablanco Account 3,707]

I am extremely awkward around other people, especially in formal situations like job interviews. Hell, sometimes buying a soda at the cash register can be uncomfortable for all involved.

 

But I wouldn't consider myself someone who spends all his time playing video games in a dark basement while getting dumber, thank you very much. Some people are just naturally, painfully awkward.

[Zygen 6,066]

Well i'm pretty shy and kinda awkward myself, however my awkwardness is more due to being homeschooled till i went into 8th grade, so i'm just lacking in having quite as much social experience chances anyways.

 

It depends on the conversation though. And the day.

 

I think the reason people are becoming more introverted and shy and awkward is because alot of people seem to be jerks to them, or have been jerks and they don't feel like being social anymore.

 

There are good people, its just bad people make you lose hope for the good, ya know?

 

i know theres good people out there, and I want to make some good friendships, but its kinda hard. :/.

 

Some people just aren't good in social situations though, it doesn't annoy me frankly, its not like everyone is a social genius.

 

People have different traits and talents.

 

Oh and me, i'm not introverted really that much, i'm just shy, i still talk to people a good bit if i feel comfortable enough.

 

Now i don't hang out with people really ever, but thats more because i'm never invited to.

Edited August 8, 2013 by Zygen

[Winona the Dog 1,984]

I am such a person who is socially awkward and rarely likes to speak at all. I don't know I just can't hold a long enough conversation with another person. I don't have many interests and I doubt my interest are something I should be talking about.  

[Orablanco Account 3,707]

I think a part of it is that I mumble when I'm not talking to people I feel comfortable talking to. At Bronycon, I had no problem talking to everybody, but as soon as I went to Subway and got up to the register, the mumbling began. It's so bad that I used to be classified as having a speech impediment and possibly special ed and had to go to a speech class.

 

Weirdly enough, the possibility that I may have an anxiety disorder only came up around 7th grade. I've gotten much better, but the mumbling can be a problem.

Edited August 8, 2013 by CITRUS KING46

[Dark Moon 965]

 

I would identify as being very socially awkward. I have a lot of deep trust issues that I'm not going to go into, plus a genetic disorder that I may or may not have that are working against me so yeah. I try, I really do, but conversations don't come naturally to me at all. :l. I'm kind of a shut in, meaning that I like love my privacy. But that doesn't mean I don't like being outside, I actually prefer being outside, but people are outside and they try to hold awkward conversations with me. I actually take my breaks at work in solitude, usually on our back dock. I actively avoid the break table. 

 

I also seem to have a mumbling problem, although no one ever thought it was worth dealing with, yeah trust issues. Basically I was a door mat most of my childhood.

[AS41 100]

I had a job on the bad sides of town for at least 8 years and dealing in customer service as well as car parts.  Let me tell you, when you deal with druggies, when you get constantly yelled at, when you do nothing every day but stand in front of other people and take their B.S. you get over any social awkwardness you`ve had.  It`s very depressing at first, but what makes it worth it is when the cool people come in and just chat, or you can actually help somebody out.

 

I used to not even be able to pick up the phone to buy something simple with a credit card because I was so worried about it.  Now, I could care less, I will stay on the phone for 30 minutes with you just to make sure you don`t screw up my order.

Edited August 8, 2013 by AS41

[Rockymoo 2,137]

Yes, but I actually get along with them better than "normal" people. They're way more interesting to talk to and be chummy with.

[Smarts 1,622]

I am the most socially awkward person alive. I'm willing to place bets on that. I can't start or carry a conversation to save my life, I keep to myself, and you know what? I'm fine with this. Being social is just something I'm not capable of and I accept that. Doesn't mean I'm dumb though. I'm a smart individual who is a bit athletic every now and then...when I'm alone that is.

 

Edit: Socially awkward people are nicer and more attractive I find than those "normal" people. Don't judge me.

Edited August 8, 2013 by SmartyPants

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Honestly, I'm probably that socially awkward person. I can't start a conversation with someone without panicing about it or prepping myself for it. Even then, I still get nervous. I'm okay at keeping a conversation going if the other person is talkative enough or talks about something I can think of a response to, but I do have a lot of awkward silences. I just have this irrational fear when it comes to starting conversations, so I'm super shy. I have absolutely no room to judge others in that department, so I don't. I've gotten better over the years, and I can still function, but I'm certainly not winning any awards for social skills. 

 

I don't think teens a whole are becoming more socially awkward though. I can think of tons of people I knew from school that were well socially adjusted. They talk, get outside, all that good stuff. I'm one of the odd exceptions.

 

I guess technology has affected the social habits of this generation. There are plenty more distractions to get a person away from reality. Smartphones can put up barriers when hanging out with people. I've noticed that people get more absorbed in their phones and that can make communication more difficult. Then again social networking makes it easier for people to connect and such. 

 

I think our generation is fine. I see plenty of people with social skills, and honestly it's normal for some teens to have trouble in that department. We're still figuring socializing out. It gets better with practice. I should also add that there's nothing wrong with being introverted. It's just the way some people like myself work. I function better when I can have a break from socializing. 

Edited August 8, 2013 by lincolnshirepony

[Sapphire Quill 1,186]

I myself am probably one of the most socially awkward people you'll meet, Yet, I still try to look after myself, I agree we are becoming smarter but losing our charm.

 

It's nothing big that's affecting anything really, it's just something that needs to change.

[AS41 100]

Speaking of previous generations, I`m on a motorcycle forum and the topic of Bronies gets brought up, a man creates a thread about it and it goes something like this:

 

Thread title : Any `Bronies` in the hangout?

 

Jeebus I hope not.

I feel so much pain for a friend that has a 16/17 year-old male/boy son that is profoundly interested in cartoon horses.

At sixteen I was listening to punk-rock, chucking beer-cans out of car windows onto other people's lawns with no phucks given, riding dirt-bikes down neighborhood streets and rattling windows out of their frames, and coming home underage and drunk and getting in shouting matches and sometimes even fist-fights with my dad.

Me and my friend PJ showed up at a party one time and were rejected because our intended female teen-aged host didn't think we "fit-in" at her gathering- Remedy? While I took a p!ss all over her hallway, Peter famously sh!t in her elevator as we departed for what turned out to be a much better party in the nearby park. Somehow animated ponies never came up during that elevator ride, but the notion that he should have waited until we reached the ground floor before the defiling of said elevator was hotly debated.

How cartoon horses manage to captivate a male teen-age market is appalling. What's with kids today? Where's the discontent and angst and what Émile Durkheim called "Anomie" that should accompany a normal male adolescence? This is against the natural order of things. Or maybe I'm just transitioning into "old man" mode as I enter my forties.

Now I've either "sold-out" or "bought-in" depending on your perspective and somehow managed to become pretty accomplished at my position in our company, so while I hate the grown up me for being so lame, I fear for the next generation that never had a proper adolescence.

 

 

 

I`ve hosted parties before, I`ve been to quite a few in my day.   If this is the crap people are judging the next generation by I don`t think I will take part in it.  I can tell you, some jack hole like that would never be welcome anywhere near me or my establishments.  I will take somebody Socially awkward any day compared to this man.

[AegisReflector 886]

What exactly constitutes being "socially awkward" anyways? Just not fitting in with the norms of the people that surround you or just doing something that is completely foreign to any situation just because you don't understand how to react?

 

It's like how doctors classify anybody who doesn't like to express their feelings and whatnot a victim of the "Autism Spectrum". It doesn't mean anything if these symptoms are so vague/basic that you can pretty much label them to anybody who isn't a so-called "social butterfly".

 

I mean, yes, sometimes when I'm with a group of friends or in an atmosphere with strangers, sometimes they can get on my nerves with their behavior, but I wouldn't necessarily classify them as "awkward" unless I actually see signs of them having a problem through use of body and face movement. I usually act in a reserve manner around my family but I get unleashed when I'm with my friend circles. So, I don't know, I don't think I'm socially awkward and I've never encountered a situation with anybody else being it.

[Night Shadow 54]

Social awkwardness all the time.  Of course I have pretty high standards when it comes to conversations so anything short of a full on debate will probably be a 'waste of time' to me.  I don't like talking to people irl, simply for the fact that most people where I live are ... for lack of a better word 'illiterate'.  

 

I think today's teenagers need to get off their cellular devices and do something, anything else.  If I can walk into the food court of a mall, I never go to malls but for very rare occasions, and not find a group of teenagers sitting together texting, then ya'll might be on the right track.  Seriously, who texts the person sitting right next to them?! Just say hi!

 

This definitely isn't on my list of things that are a 'must fix' but it could definitely use some work.  I guess parents are partially to blame, but if your life would come crashing down if you lost/broke your phone then you have a serious problem.

 

Computers are a big one too.  I love the little buggers, but it's not good by any means for these young kids to be on them constantly.  I'm anti-social as can be, so texting/messaging is superb for me.  That is to say I can talk with people face to face, I just prefer messages.  Messages don't slip up in the middle of an important conversation.

 

Anyway ... Technology is to blame, in my opinion.

 

I'm normally out and about all day, even though I'm anti-social.  A little daylight isn't going to hurt you little vampires.  You're not gonna sparkle like a disco ball.  Try it, you might like it.

 

(Didn't intend any insults at all.  Everything I said is in jest.  The point I was making was technology is causing the children to become ... hmm, what do you call a step above anti-social?  Well, anyway, that.)

[Radost 76]

I feel where your coming from, i have allot of friends that put in a situation that they don't know someone, they don't know how to react and are very silent. Some of them sit on facebook all day and chat but in person they seem really dry. I think i am one of the most social people i know, i hang out with people almost everyday. Ill spark up a conversation with anyone, but i wasn't always that way. When i was younger i was a little shy, it took a few years for my social skills to develop, i was probably around 14 when my social skills developed. I feel like some peoples social skills, however, have not and i feel like that is a  big problem today because social isolation can lead to lack of self respect, with can lead to lack of respect for other people and underdevelopment of  basic social skills. It can also ruin peoples self esteem, and cause them to stop taking care of themselves because their is no reason to ready their presentation for anyone because they are behind a screen all day. I feel like part of our fandom is a victim to social awkwardness, cloppers. I REALLY don't mean to offend anyone, and this a very controversial, sensitive issue. i am not saying every clopper is socially awkward, but i remember reading a study were they asked 100 random cloppers if they are in a relationship, or ever have been a relationship and i think it came up somewhere near 85 of them not ever being in a relationship in their entire life. I feel like lack of social involvement can lead to some types of social disabilities that form because while the brain is developing it doesn't have the social stimulation it needs to fully mature. I don't feel like this issue is getting any better as time goes on, in fact, i feel its getting worse. i feel like people just need self motivation to involve themselves with other people, maybe even external from a parent or friend.

Again i don't want to offend anyone, i am just stating my opinion.

What exactly constitutes being "socially awkward" anyways? Just not fitting in with the norms of the people that surround you or just doing something that is completely foreign to any situation just because you don't understand how to react?

 

It's like how doctors classify anybody who doesn't like to express their feelings and whatnot a victim of the "Autism Spectrum". It doesn't mean anything if these symptoms are so vague/basic that you can pretty much label them to anybody who isn't a so-called "social butterfly".

 

I mean, yes, sometimes when I'm with a group of friends or in an atmosphere with strangers, sometimes they can get on my nerves with their behavior, but I wouldn't necessarily classify them as "awkward" unless I actually see signs of them having a problem through use of body and face movement. I usually act in a reserve manner around my family but I get unleashed when I'm with my friend circles. So, I don't know, I don't think I'm socially awkward and I've never encountered a situation with anybody else being it.

social awkwardness is more of a lack of knowledge of how to interact with other people. it could just as easily be called social ignorance  It is common in people who don't find their "click" or people who are considered an "outcast" but even then their is usually a group their. Based off of what you said, i don't think you are socially awkward. you don't need to be a social butterfly to not be socially awkward, usually socially awkward people cant carry on a conversation for very long and they also might have social exiguity when they are around other people, especially if they do not personalty know them, but that means they are afraid, and normally would not put themselves in that situation at all and if they did they would try to get away and wouldn't talk, they would be "awkward" around other people.

[Galen 1,354]

I wouldn't consider myself socially awkward or anything. I really like hanging out with people at gatherings and I don't really have trouble keeping up a convo. My issue has more to do with actually wanting to make friends, particularly in a big city like London where the vast majority of people consider regular pub nights being sociable. And pub nights here necessarily mean getting drunk beyond cognitive capacity, so much so you don't even remember what even happened last night. I want to go out and do more productive things rather than just getting wasted every night, but then there's this perception I have where people don't want to be friends with you unless you drink with them and aren't their workmates. A consequence of knowing the wrong people in university :/

 

 

 

I`ve hosted parties before, I`ve been to quite a few in my day. If this is the crap people are judging the next generation by I don`t think I will take part in it. I can tell you, some jack hole like that would never be welcome anywhere near me or my establishments. I will take somebody Socially awkward any day compared to this man.

 

Yeah. Getting drunk and being angst is not a good thing. How anyone could think such is beyond me. Of course they wouldn't "fit in" when their idea of fun was pissing in the hallway and defacating someone's property. Some people really have a poor idea what it means to have fun.

[Betez 1,734]

I'm a total introvert around people I don't know, but a total extrovert around those I do. I'm trying to work on this, because it's keeping me from getting to know people, because I never make an effort to talk to them.

 

Fortunately, most of my friends are pretty un-socially awkward.

[Onylex 2,837]

I dont really see myself as being a socially awkward person, I cant hold a very stable conversation with someone that I cant relate to. Its almost like a comfort thing, if Im around somebody whom I feel that I can talk to and relate to, things dont become as awkward.  

 

Let me put it this way... say you are a red block born and raised in a pit full of other red blocks. Naturally, over time you would find it easy to relate to them but, if someone comes along and throws you into a pit of blue triangles; you will feel like you stick out and have know real way to relate to them. You'd be an outcast amongst the blue triangles.

 

~that probably didnt make to much since but, I hope you get the idea of what Im trying to say.  

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

I am quite introverted myself and somewhat socially awkward, but I try to get around that in certain situations. I don't have a reason to be like that other than because I've been this way all my life. I try to extrovert myself a little more but it just doesn't work really because I get embarrassed pretty easily.

I still can somewhat keep up with a conversation with someone I know but even then I find it difficult.

Edited August 8, 2013 by Gamer P0N3

[Sky Warden 2,243]

I'm can't be specified as a social awkward. I can carry a conversation and I dress decent dresses. Yet, I'm a loner and never hang out with my friends or people. Why? I hate society and any unnecessary waste of time for the sake of 'fun'.

 

I can't stand how people go on a vacation with their friends, maybe to a place like a mountain, a forest, or a beach, but instead of lying on that grass, or tree, to be held above the earth, brushed by the wind, they only talk, like they always do in the city. What's the point of going to a beautiful place if you just ignore it? I prefer staying on my computer, reading productive shits, or at least, rest.

 

That's all.

 

By the way, if this 'smarter' is about technology, then yes, but if it's about emotional intelligence (how to react to things and how to behave), then hell no.

Edited August 8, 2013 by Sky Warden

[. eris . 1,661]

I know how you feel, OP. It seems like I'm constantly surrounded by people who are introverted and awkward, or even downright shy, so it takes a lot of work to try and hold a conversation with them. I'm one of those people who tries to have conversations with people, but it takes a lot of courage for me to just walk right up to someone and strike up a conversation. So when that does happen, I kind of want to have a darn good conversation. Instead, I usually get awkward silences and avoiding eye contact. 

 

I mean, I don't blame people for it, per se. But I definitely know where you're coming from. It seems like my generation is definitely getting smarter - okay, maybe not smarter, but certainly more clever. But they're also getting much more introverted. 

[Super Derpy 535]

I'm definitely socially awkward.  With my friends and family I can start and carry a conversation but with anyone else I never talk to them unless they talk to me first and I can never keep the conversation going. I just prefer to be left alone but some people don't seem to get that.

[AS41 100]

I can't stand how people go on a vacation with their friends, maybe to a place like a mountain, a forest, or a beach, but instead of lying on that grass, or tree, to be held above the earth, brushed by the wind, they only talk, like they always do in the city. What's the point of going to a beautiful place if you just ignore it? I prefer staying on my computer, reading productive shits, or at least, rest.

 

That's all.

 

 

Different people have fun in different ways.  Some people like to buy a $200k setup and drive across the world, only stopping at tourist locations.  Some people like to see the mountains with their friends and just talk.  I did just that exact same thing with my buddy last year, we had intercoms on and we talked whenever we felt like talking.  You don't need to be completely silent, still, or swimming in lakes or climbing trees to have fun in mountains.  Also, a lot of the time we aren't ignoring the mountains or what's around us, but pointing it out as we enjoy it.  "Look at the deer off to the left,"  or more often then not "Should we go up this hill, or down that one?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2013 by AS41

[Sky Warden 2,243]

 

 

Different people have fun in different ways.

 

And different people can't stand different things. I, for example, can't stand loud people who can't shut up and talk louder than necessary. Some people won't mind that, I know, but people are different, like you said.

 

The point of my post is that not all of us be a loner because we're socially awkward or has lost our conversational nature.