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Oh yay, another "people can't stop with the cell phones" thread. On the internet, while bemoaning the fighting on social media, the irony is palpable.
I always have my phone. I have kids, older parents, etc. I am glad you are enjoying your disconnect, I am less glad instead of just enjoying your disconnect you feel the need to come on the internet and complain about people who cannot disconnect. Maybe you should go outside instead.
Do you really not see the hypocrisy?
I never complained about people who dont disconnect, except for the ones who feel the need to look at the phone during movies and the like. I started this thread because this was new for me as well, and wanted to see if other members of this board have felt similar. I never was anti technology. I feel its done some great things, but I was thinking about the back to basics so to speak if even part time.
I spend plenty of time outside. I just mentioned how I wondered what a long term cabin in the woods life would be like. I could watch sunsets, mountains and trees daily over TV any day. But I have established roots in one of the biggest cities in the U.S. and still live a certain way. No hypocrisy here. Just wondering, experiencing, and living in an often turbulent world, seeking the light, quiet moment's and peace as much as possible. A cold beer optional at these times too.
Life is short. We realize this most at the halfway point usually. Or the end. The reduced chaos of life is woth gold. Nuff said.
My friend had her purse stolen while eating at a NYC restaurant. The police officer she reported this to was amazed that her phone was in her purse and not on the table as she was dining with friends! And sure, in hindsight, that would have been preferable in this instance---one less thing that would have been stolen....but she wanted to be present and fully engaged with her companions and her food, the way we used to enjoy dinner out with friends!
People need to stop being so concerned about what other people are doing with their phones in restaurants. I was at dinner with a friend a couple years ago, and I happened to be using my smartphone. The obnoxious woman at the next table told her friend (in a very intentionally loud voice) "I would NEVER be so rude as to use my phone while I'm having dinner with a friend!"
Ummmm ... my friend and I had just decided that we should go to a movie after dinner and she had ASKED me to look up movie times and purchase tickets.
I couldn't help myself ... "I would NEVER be so rude as to ignore my friend and concern myself with what's going on at someone else's table!" Unfortunately, this caused my friend to snarf her Coke. But we both agreed it was worth it.
I know I'm late joining the game but yes I do this all the time and I am trying to encourage my fiance to do the same.
She is much more addicted to her smartphone, particularly facebook, than I have ever been. I have always detested social media and cell phones.
I am always forgetting to bring my phone with me when I go out (except when I'm going to work).
On the weekends my phone usually dies by Saturday morning or midday because I forget to charge it the night before and I usually don't realize it is dead until Sunday evening. I literally do not touch my cell phone at all on the weekends. It just gets left on the couch in the living room or on my desk in our home office.
My fiance has started to purposely disconnect but choosing to leave her phone at home when we go to the movies or out on a little date. Or she'll leave it upstairs in our bedroom when we're downstairs watching TV together or something. It's really nice she's making the effort.
I personally think the standard is different depending on if you're married or in a serious relationship vs single. If you're single and don't have any significant romantic relationships, do whatever you please, but if you have a significant other and ESPECIALLY a spouse and ESPECIALLY kids in school etc your phone needs to be with you just about all of the time. I can't imagine EVER leaving my phone at home on purpose to where my wife could be trying to get a hold of me for almost the entire day and not be able to do so. She's never done that to me that I can recall, and if she did I'd verbally tear her to shreds for doing it.
Even if I'm out with my wife on our anniversary or such, my phone is STILL going to be with me and I STILL may pull it out some. Naturally I'm apt to pull it out significantly less, but our relationship isn't going to be threatened by a phone. That's silly to me. I don't need to risk not having the means to call AAA or 911 and leave a phone at home to prove to her I'm there for her. On top of that, my phone is my personal organizer like a Palm Pilot PDA, the very nature of such a thing is to have it with you just as you'd have your wallet with you. I certainly don't leave my phone in a separate room from my wife because of a need to "focus" that much on her. If she needs more intense attention, I can simply silence the phone for an hour using a "timed profiles" app and keep it in my pocket or on the coffee table etc and let it be. Heck I even answered it on vacation last March when we were going out of town, it was my mother asking if she could visit from out-of-state in the next few days and I told her we were going out of town for a short vacation. To me that was much better than ignoring her and her not finding out until nearly a week later. In this day & age that sort of thing is silly to me.
I will say that I think some of this disconnection and I stress SOME of it is selfish in terms of possibly not being there for other people, even with single people. I think we are morally obligated to be reasonably available when our friends need us for something important. Friendships require cultivating. I'm not saying everytime your friend calls you have to answer right away, but if you're going to put off a call for awhile then at least have the decency to return it in a reasonable period of time. I've noticed more and more people in recent years who don't return calls and think there's nothing wrong with that. Nonsense. Even with single people, there's EVERYTHING wrong with that.
As for work, I interact with customers and they officially expect you to stay off the phone and yes I avoid "chitter-chatter" type of calls, but if my wife calls I AM GOING TO ANSWER, especially since despite my requests to the contrary they are always working me at night instead of at least half days/nights alternating and she works days and on such occasions she needs to "touch base" with me when she gets off for knowing which sitter has the kids, did I cook anything before I left or should she stop at a place while she's in town, etc.
Sometimes I dream of taking my phone out to my literal chopping block, grabbing my axe, and just going to town. Of course I would never do that as it would greatly inconvience me, but I do dream about it.
My phone IS my computer. There is no computer back up to use. Just the phone. It's my connection to the outside world. I justify using it that way. To me my smartphone = internet. If anyone doesn't use the internet, they are free to scold me on my phone use, of course that would be impossible to do on here .
Sometimes I dream of taking my phone out to my literal chopping block, grabbing my axe, and just going to town. Of course I would never do that as it would greatly inconvience me, but I do dream about it.
My phone IS my computer. There is no computer back up to use. Just the phone. It's my connection to the outside world. I justify using it that way. To me my smartphone = internet. If anyone doesn't use the internet, they are free to scold me on my phone use, of course that would be impossible to do on here .
If I can, I wanted to reference this. I don't mean to judge, if I'm doing that forgive me, but I have noticed more people (especially young people) not having computers at all and simply having a phone and I have to say that puzzles me at times. I've tried, I've really tried, but I've found there are things which a PC does WAY WAY better than a phone or even a tablet. That especially goes for managing the 14 years worth of photos I have on the hard drive, typing a longer email or a resume, downloading MP3s (I don't stream, I like actual DOWNLOADED MP3s) and managing their "tags" etc. I can't tell you how many times people have spoken of losing their phone and then all their photos & videos are gone because they didn't cloud or PC backup. Also when people come in and ask if we're hiring they get upset that they can't apply by paper. Why should a company accommodate PAPERWORK in the year 2017? And yes that sort of thing goes much better on a PC than a phone, try doing an assessment or filling out a job application on a phone's tiny screen and without a proper keyboard and mouse.
Simply enough, I find it to be that often-times only a "full-sized" experience (as in a PC) will do. I think that's why tablets seem to be fizzling and devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro are doing better, because sometimes only a Windows or MacOS device with full-sized desktop applications will do and all a tablet is is basically a larger phone with no full-time data connection in the case of the Wi-Fi models or an extra monthly expense if it's a 4G model.
^ I really don't own a computer and I'm able to do 99% of what I need to do computer wise on my phone. I'm not big into computers anyways and don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. I'm not against having a computer or saying that phones are better, but for me the phone really does suffice.
I will use a library computer if I ever have to print something out (maybe a half dozen times a year) otherwise just the phone.
I don't have any stats to back it up, but I wouldn't be surprised if many people are starting to ditching the laptops and PC's and just using their phone for everything.
^ I really don't own a computer and I'm able to do 99% of what I need to do computer wise on my phone. I'm not big into computers anyways and don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. I'm not against having a computer or saying that phones are better, but for me the phone really does suffice.
I will use a library computer if I ever have to print something out (maybe a half dozen times a year) otherwise just the phone.
I don't have any stats to back it up, but I wouldn't be surprised if many people are starting to ditching the laptops and PC's and just using their phone for everything.
Yes I sense that too, and I don 't care except when you deal with the ignorance sometimes like people thinking we're supposed to provide PAPER applications for applying for jobs and they act like using a computer is akin to using a horse and buggy when it fact using PAPER is like using a horse and buggy. Paper is for peons to me, I DESPISE any form of paperwork whatsoever. I don't even handwrite letters to my mother, I TYPE them.
I don't mind such things so long as it doesn't mean my choices become limited; i.e., if enough people do that then I may have less choice with what I can get since there isn't as much of a market for it anymore. For instance I don't want music downloading to disappear just because people stream so much. To me streaming is inferior, you have to have a connection for it to play and the song/title etc could be "pulled" at anytime. I truly don't get why people would want to stream Netflix vs downloading a file given the HUGE amount of data which streaming consumes every single time you watch the same selection. You download a video, it's YOURS forever and you never have to use another byte of data to watch that selection again. Either that or I buy/rent the DVD then "rip" it then convert it to an .mp4 file which I can then play on a tablet even if that tablet isn't connected to a WiFi hotspot (such as in the car). I want DVDs to still be an option I don't want everything existing only in the "streaming world" of things.
Pardon me for changing the subject.
Then again this sort of explains my take on the topic--smartphones to me aren't so much about media consumption as much as they are the PDA functions such as notes, calendar appointments and to-do lists, the GPS etc, which is a main reason why I almost always have mine with me, similar to a wallet. I even track my spending on there in a "checkbook register" type of way and do my shopping lists--again, I don't mind seeing others use paperwork for that other than shaking my head at the inferiority of it, my main concern is the prospect of app developers no longer making such apps if not enough other people use those features. I'd hate for my superior methods to take a hit on account of the inferior habits of others. I guess I'm worrying for nothing though, traditional desktop applications and PDA apps in phones seem as alive as ever.
I am married, have three kids, and work for myself. While not common, I have client calls occasionally on the weekend when it's something urgent.
Personally, I don't feel as if I'm a slave to the thing.
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