What's the matter? Think I'm not hip? I don't have enough vo-dee-oh-doo?

[Monty_Burns]

thats exactly how i feel every time the current Simpsons staff shows or says a reference about facebook, youtube or smartphones.

nuff said!

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

what

[parklife]

apparently not enough was said

[The Governor]

I'm surprised the writers don't think CD's are "hip and cool."

[irvine_11]

I'm surprised the writers don't think CD's are "hip and cool."

Because they still think 8-track tapes are hip and cool.

[The Governor]

Because they still think 8-track tapes are hip and cool.

The writers should just have a joke about social media be this:

HOMER:
I have to carry around this new smart phone from work and I posted a video on youtube about how I just tweeted about my Facebook update link that I wrote in my MySpace blog on the social media newsgroup alt.smart.phone. in regards to Wikipedia.

MARGE:
Huh!?

HOMER:
It means my phone makes more money than I do.

[Dark Homer]

so should they just ignore those things that have become a huge part of modern society?

[The Governor]

so should they just ignore those things that have become a huge part of modern society?

In the early 90's, we didn't get an episode about how everyone in Springfield was participating in the hot trend of wielding around brick-sized cellphones, banning all paper communication as the fad of email took over, and Tim Berners-Lee didn't appear in a 2nd Season episode.

[Bert Stanton]

Agree with Rango. OFF were always behind the times slightly, just see the computer wore menace shoes.

[Old painty-can Ned]

The only problem is they aren't doing the parodies properly. There is no reason they shouldn't satirize/parody or whatever modern technology/current trends. They often did in the early seasons we just don't really realize it that much (they also did it really well).

[Jesse Pinkman]

they can parody whatever they want, it's just the way they've been doing it hasn't been funny or clever or anything

like the show used to be

[The Governor]

they can parody whatever they want, it's just the way they've been doing it hasn't been funny or clever or anything

like the show used to be

Yeah, it's like the writers think they're being satirical just because (insert person/trend here) is on/guest starring on the Simpsons, it's automatically a parody.

[Haoie]

I still, to this day, have never heard that Burns expression anywhere else.

I get what it means from context, but who knows what the phrase's origin is?

[Bert Stanton]

I still, to this day, have never heard that Burns expression anywhere else.

I get what it means from context, but who knows what the phrase's origin is?

From Monty Can't Buy Me Love when Marge and Bart are talking about the radio

[B*O*R*T]

The problem with what they're trying to do now is that parody and satire doesn't simply mean mentioning something. It'd also be nice if they put a bit more thought into what they're trying to parody - Apple into Mapple is just lazy.

[Magaggie Simpson]

When they make these references it just feels awkward. It was better when the characters used outdated technology.

[Knightboat]

When they make these references it just feels awkward. It was better when the characters used outdated technology.

'Awkward' is probably the best word for it.

I would argue it's got a lot to do with Family Guy. That show has a popular culture reference every thirty seconds and kids lap that shit up. Let's be honest, when that show became a hit a lot of the young viewers of The Simpsons started watching Family Guy instead. The show lost a large portion of its audience to Seth MacFarlane's steaming pile and has been able to keep them by the Family Guy writers proving they're hip and cool.

I'm only twenty and I think this is pathetic.

[Monty_Burns]

'Awkward' is probably the best word for it.

I would argue it's got a lot to do with Family Guy. That show has a popular culture reference every thirty seconds and kids lap that shit up. Let's be honest, when that show became a hit a lot of the young viewers of The Simpsons started watching Family Guy instead. The show lost a large portion of its audience to Seth MacFarlane's steaming pile and has been able to keep them by the Family Guy writers proving they're hip and cool.

I'm only twenty and I think this is pathetic.

yes, but not even family guy throws technology at our faces every other scene like The Simpsons do now, you know why? because is totally unnecessary.

[Diversity Pumpkin]

I was watching The Telltale Head recently and it was so surreal to see Bart listening to music on a walkman, what with all the episodes on mypods and mypads and stuff. It doesn't sound too surreal now that I've typed it out, but hopefully somebody knows what I mean.

[Financial Panther]

[Frightened Inmate No. 2]

The show trying to seem hip by adding references to social media and cell phones is one of the worst parts of the current show. The jokes that involve them never work. Just look at Lisa Goes Gaga, and that whole flash mob scene, which was awful.

[Knightboat]

Good point, @Monty_Burns.

[Lance.Uppercut]

Bart listens to music with a stereo or mp3 player now because cassette and CD players were popular back then; the technology now is that which could hardly have been anticipated in the 90's. Their usage of current technology will likely look just as awkward in 20 years when... oh, I don't know... televisions, entertainment devices like video game consoles and stereos, phones and computers will be just one household unit and no longer single entities at all. What's considered "old" or "new" technology changes over time. Remember when Homer and John listened to records?

As for references to technology, it's indeed a little overboard. I do find it hard to believe that the characters all go with the latest trends now; their lower-middle-class status was a lot more apparent in earlier seasons, but they're keeping up with the Joneses just so they can make myPod and Mapple jokes.

They've featured or parodied tech moguls in the past, like Bill Gates, and some episodes reflect entirely on the new or developing technology. Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment is about cable, but it still works. One could associate cable-stealing not so much with... uh, cable-stealing, but, say, streaming illegally from the Internet. It still kind of works, but it can irk me at times as well.

[Itchy]

I can tolerate it as long as they don't use parody brand names like Mypods or Funtendo Zii.
Cause then it feels like the writers think the audience is to stupid to figure out what they're referencing so they have to hammer it in and make it as obvious and clear as possible.
It would be like calling Itchy and Scratchy Jim and Terry or Mayor Quimby Ken F. Johnnedy.

[Flimpson Tide]

The staff says they only try to incorporate timely technology when absolutely necessary, but I feel like they don't go by their own word. I've been seeing way more iPhones and tablets and whatnot used on the show lately. It's sad to think that a struggling TV family that was once middle class at best is now ahead of my own - not one of my family members owns a smartphone, tablet or iPod Touch.

[Haoie]

Mapple isn't funny.

That's probably the worst of it. And the oddest part is that it just keeps getting referenced over and over again.

[Ernie]

It's just the writers "writing along technology", which I don't like because it is over-referenced. (My guess is that they are targeting the younger viewers.)

I think they should reference more of the 20th century instead of the 21st century--plus, The Simpsons using outdated technology would probably bring lots of joke. I remembered the earlier Simpsons where they'd reference from things large to small, history to technology--there's really a large variety they reference to. There were actually connections between references and the plot (Like the rotating door prison from Slideshow bob's campaign ad). What we see now is a random compilation of the newest up-to-date technologies being tossed all over the story (Mr. Burns using the trapdoor app, etc...Really?!)

[The Governor]

GOOD JOKE: "VHS Village, Formerly Beta Barn"

BAD JOKE: "Mii, Mapple, etc."

[irvine_11]

Somebody on tv.com said that those puns sounded like a senile old man trying to find something at Wal-Mart. I, for one, agree.

[The Governor]

Somebody on tv.com said that those puns sounded like a senile old man trying to find something at Wal-Mart. I, for one, agree.

That was me, I think.