Touchless Society

We cant touch. we cant look. That is unhealthy...

I am part of a team of researchers doing an ethnography of YouTube culture for a class at Kansas State University taught by Dr. Michael Wesch (mwesch). We are creating a video documentary of YouTube that will be posted to YouTube at the conclusion of our research. We will also be writing papers and giving conference presentations on this research. To see our work in progress, visit our blog at http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg. If you have any questions or concerns you may contact Dr. Michael Wesch at mike.wesch@gmail.com or Dr. Rick Scheidt, Chair, Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects, 203 Fairchild Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, (785) 532-3224.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• ian
• crossland
• physical
• abuse
• aggression
• violence
• ksudigg

[drschnaggels]

I know what you mean.I like to hug people, i do it in most situations as replacement for a thankyou or a handshake or a simple "Hello". But often people feel initimidated by that :(

[thepoasm]

do you ever have it when someone hugs you just two seconds too long? and its somewhat awkward? then you go to get out of the hug...they dont let go, so you have to re-hug another second or two...the rehugging is awkward for me, so i usually do the sway with that...

[Opinionator52]

When I was younger men, while have having conversation may reach out and somewhat affectionately touch or take hold of the others arm or shoulder or arm. I think this behavior that was once common has become more like what you are saying. Now, hand holding, other than an affectionate hand shake is looked at more sexually as we mature. I do miss the time when most of the men I knew would have more contact while conversing... These days there seems to be litigation around every corner!

[thepoasm]

I know! i miss being a little kid and having the freedom to put my arm around the shoulders of my female friends, hold their hands, climb all over my parents...

[chirpwi]

thanks...i feel ok about touching myself now

[tneshi]

Touch me.

I love watching people too. Most people react pretty awkward to me watching them. Every now and then somebody smiles. And I can live on that for days.

Another thing I got thinking about while I watched is: do we enjoy listening to the thought of a stranger for 5m57s - offline?

[PsychologicalCynic]

I have read up on multiple websites that adolescence who engage in touch with each other... Have a EXTREMELY lower chance of becoming criminals. But just like the top rated comment on this very video, people will not take it, you, me, science, psychology or anything that sounds funny seriously. My advice? Just laugh at them. Laugh while they suffer and don't know what they want in life. That's what i do, and it gets me on well enough.

[PsychologicalCynic]

Meh. That's our society, We (Americans) Hate each other. Say i'm wrong, but i can argue to the grave. We don't want to be around each other, we don't wanna look at each other, we just want to be alone. But when you look at it... We see any kind of touch as sexual, there is not comfort touch for guys. If a girl touches you, she wants your nuts, apart from that, she is a tease. That is how western society is.

[hamberg42]

lol "if two guys held hands" that would be pretty gay.

Your not a guy so I guess you can't get it.

[kingofaikido]

the study of proxemics is interesting...touch, body-space differences across cultures.. i'm living in spain where people kiss each other twice on the cheeks as a greeting... touch is not as aggressive even between males...greetings in letters often end with the words...'hugs' .... funny huh! a study was done across the world on which societies touch more and which less...the English touched least...basically never, i think it was one south american country that clocked 27 touches per hour..

[Mauricioantoniofranc]

I live in Colombia, here, the "touch culture" here is a lot more accepting, the thing is, I think, that people DO need their own personal space, because, if people are invading your space, your privacy, all the time, well... it doesn't leave you much space to define your own ways of interaction, you end up reacting on the actions of others, or, losing the regard you have for the touch itself, I know that last one certainly is the case here.

[kiahcoud]

i just dont touch people cos i just hate people. i dont want to know them and i dont want to be with other people. i dont want to be or have someone be affectionate. whats the point?! as long as youre polite and nice why do you need to touch a person? good points, but i think you should consider the indidual other than just a society in general.

[rustambayli]

great stuff.

[YouKnowMeImJosh]

I don't like to touch people or be touched by them but that's just mostly because I just hate most people. My own issue though maybe, and something separate ol?

[pomb123]

If children don't experience a simple touch at an early age it has a profound impact on their neurological brain structure which is responsible for sensory, emotional and coginitive development. The neurons in a childs brain are formed by sensory experiences which are cruicial to development. 'Untouched' children grow into seriously affected teens and adults. In some cases it can result in child-death as the systems which register sensations both physically and emotionally can crash completely.

[adderbrain5]

i lived in spain for a while and there people kiss on both cheeks whenever they meet even if they have never met before. People always touch when talking to eachother, people you dont know will pat you on the back etc. In spain americans are considered the least friendly/least open to physical contact even more so than northern europeans