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They act like I am completely insane for not having a SMARTPHONE
Heh, this is my sister. She's been trying to convert the family for a while now. I plan on getting one, probably when my current phone dies/wanders off. I'm not a huge fan of the more expensive plans. I just don't want to end up becoming even more of an internet junkie than I already am, ha ha. It would be really nice to have internet access when away from home, but at the same time sometimes I go out to a cafe or the library to get work done because I don't bring the internet with me.
My sister claims she's not addicted to her phone. But about two years ago she came to visit, and we met up with some of her friends at a pub, friends she hadn't seen in months. As soon as we sat down at a table, they all whipped out their iPhones and were scrolling away.
I also want a folding smartphone. Surely Apple can manage that.
Smartphones have MANY benefits! They can actually help you increase your productivity, organize your life, and communicate more effectively. Do people abuse them? Sure. But, the phone isn't the problem. When people make inane arguments like the OP's, I wonder if they think we should also reject all the technological advancements of the 20th and 21st century because they get abused. Maybe we should even get rid of the Internet. When we had encyclopedias, people didn't spend their time on anonymous message boards criticizing each other. SMH
Unless you are living the OP's life, you do not know that. You are making assumptions, and then badgering him for YOUR assumptions.
People get harassed all the time for not owning the latest and greatest thing. People were on me forEVER because I hated cell phones. I personally know someone who hates the internet, he won't get on it. And people give him a hard time about it.
Here's a thought: Why don't we just let people enjoy what they enjoy, and leave them the hell alone if they don't enjoy the same things that you do? (General you)
Just because YOU have never experienced it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen....because it DOES.
Yes, these last two sentences are right on and could be applied to zillions of things and the world would be a better place.
"You don't have a SMARTPHONE, what's up with that?
That question is asked of me countless times by friends, family and neighbors. They act like I am completely insane for not having a SMARTPHONE.
I try to explain to them that while it would be nice once in a while to have access to the Internet while I am traveling or just out in about, it seems too expensive for what I would get. I don't text and while I would use the phone on and office, my old fashioned flip phone with time paid by the minute does just fine.
I tell them that I am philosophically against what SMARTPHONES have done to how people communicate today. I am against:
How kids and young adults will sit together at a social event and everyone is ignoring each other playing with their SMARTPHONE
How I go to a seminar or workshop or adult education class and people are ignoring the Instructor and playing with their SMARTPHONE
Going to a movie in a stadium style theatre, sitting high up and looking over a sea of SMARTPHONES lighting up a dark theatre.
What impact SMARTPHONES have had on young people's ability to talk to each other face to face.
YES, I think that SMARTPHONES have destroyed communication in America and non romantic relationships.
This may be a repeat: LET THEM PAY FOR IT!! heehee. I love my flip. My daughter has THE phone that every one who is cool has and HATES THE BILLS. Two of her friends lost theirs to theft and it cost them plenty. whatever.
Its a phone people.
I like the $40 a month bills for mine, thank you. Don't need to be hiding behind it when I am feeling insecure around people. Don't need to be on facebook. Oh, I got rid of facebook, when it was no longer fun, last year.
Don't need it at all. And Im loving my extra money! *I don't do games, either. I don't have cable. I DO have alot of extra money tho.
Be your own person. There are enough sheeple doing what everyone else is doing because they don't have the balls to be their own person. Not necessarily directed at anyone here. In myopinion.
Having spent many rides on commuter rail trying to tune out small groups of people prattling on about nonsense I welcome the trend of people burying their noses in smartphones.
I don't have a smartphone. I normally don't even like using the computer much, but I started to make my living at home with a business that requires internet. I now find myself not taking care of some of my personal problems, nor do I accomplish what I want; I end up using the internet as a distraction. This I see as a problem, but it is good that it gives me a chance to rest when I otherwise would not allow myself to do so.
I also don't have a television because I feel that it is not good for my mind, and I try to be very selective when I occasionally listen to music because of the awful concepts that penetrate the subconscious with the lyrics in the majority of songs (I know it's off topic, but I had to say it..).
I think that before all of these things existed, people were much more productive, and communities were more tight knit and strong. This of course is good and bad, just like smartphones. Smartphones may have taken an essence of life away, just like radio and television did. This isn't neccessarily bad, it is just a different experience of life. Life will always change.
People do seem to be very distracted though. Something does seem out of place. It is as if people are no longer experiencing physical life at the same level that they used to. They seem to be connected to the electronic and digital world more than ever. Is it one step closer to "the matrix"? When, in the future, you are connected directly to the computer, you will not need the physical world anymore. It seems to be not so important for these people now anyways.
You are bold to bring up this concept when obviously just about everyone is going to take it as a personal offense, and some will lash out at the attack they perceive. Perhaps your attempt is to shed light on a concept that you feel is not perceived by these mass users of the smartphone.
What's with that name anyways? Perhaps because the phone is smart, the user no longer needs to be? Let's hope not!
We have Consumer Cellular. For service for 2 phones, 1 smart, 1 dumb, we pay around $55/month with shared minutes and data. The cool thing with Consumer Cellular is no contract and you can change your plan limits anytime, even mid month if you are going to go over. They notify you when you reach 80% of your plan minutes or data and ask if you want to upgrade before going over minutes so you won't get slammed with any high per minute or per gigabyte charges. You can downgrade if you find yourself using far less than the plan gives. This is great if you're going to be on the road for awhile and need to upgrade for just a month and then go back down to a lower plan when you get home. They also don't bundle the data with the minutes. So if you use a lot of call minutes but little data, you can mix and match your limits to suit the way you use your phone and you can always change it when you need to. They use AT&T towers so coverage is not as good as Verizon, but cheaper and no contract, plus better customer service.
If you're being ridiculed about smart phones, I suspect the people ragging on you do it just to get you foaming at the mouth about how smart phones are destroying the world ...
FYI, it's people like you who give us seniors a bad name.
Really. OP, I don't suppose it occurs to you that it's easy to yank your chain. Just going by your other threads on here, it seems you get upset and go on tirades about things very easily.
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