Real Time Web Considered Harmful...Or Not

Earlier today, TechCrunch posted (http://tinyurl.com/yh6kzqx) an article about how "the real time web" is a bad thing because people are constantly posting photos and tweeting about where they are / what they're doing instead of actually being in the moment. Examples: photo-blogging from a concert (instead of enjoying the show), tweeting at a conference (instead of learning something), or tweeting in the jury box at a trial (no, that's not a joke).<p>Now, the point that the author is making is that this is a transformative phenomenon--this is the early wave of the future, and there is no stopping it. The whole tone is mournful and surprised: "oh, look at this horrible thing I've discovered." Throughout it, I kept thinking "why is this a problem? Just put your phone down." It left me with a feeling of cognitive dissonance because I have not the slightest interest in real-time blogging and don't understand the appeal.<p>So here are the scenarios I see:<p>1) I'm an outsider. This is a real phenomenon, this is the direction that the future is going, but by virtue of age (38), location (NYC), friends group, or whatever, I don't happen to be part of the group that is already inside the shaded area.<p>2) I'm an outlier. This is a real phenomenon and I <i>am</i> in the shaded-area demographic, but I personally am a statistical abnormality.<p>3) This is NOT a real phenomenon, it's a fad followed mostly by teenagers and a small percentage of compulsively hypertasking adults. Most of the teenagers who are doing it now will stop doing it as they get older.<p>What does Hacker News think?