I've Freaking Had It With Smart Phones! (wife, spouse, adults)

[MTQ3000]

I just don't get those younger folks who absolutely refuse to have a phone conversation. Instead, they must communicate by text. Do you know how much longer that takes on a phone keyboard? What happened to talking? I have no idea when this change came about.

Or maybe I am just getting old and grouchy.

Mick

[catdad7x]

Originally Posted by MTQ3000

I just don't get those younger folks who absolutely refuse to have a phone conversation. Instead, they must communicate by text. Do you know how much longer that takes on a phone keyboard? What happened to talking? I have no idea when this change came about.

Or maybe I am just getting old and grouchy.

Mick

That's probably it with me too. I'm waiting for some catastrophic cosmic event (solar flare, EMP, etc.) to knock out a large number of satellites and put an end to Wi-Fi for an extended period of time. I can imagine that a lot shrinks & mental health pro's will be laughing all the way to the bank. That is if they aren't doing their banking electronically.
The downside to any man-made technology is that it can, and probably will at some point, fail. The more we become addicted to it, the harder it's going to be to deal with that failure.

[The Big Lebowski Dude]

Originally Posted by FeelinLow

All these posters who are getting pissy about critical comments regarding cell phones just exemplify what a lot of us are talking about. Some people are truly addicted, out of control, socially inept/inappropriate cell phone addicts.
Yes, I said ''addicts''.
In recovery programs for addiction some of the hallmark signs that a person is addicted are: does it impact negatively on your relationships, social life, work role, health? Do you become defensive when others remark that your usage is excessive or that you should cut back or give up this behavior? Are you neglecting family members because you are so focused on this activity that you ignore their presence in your life? Are you neglecting your health to the point that you do not exercise, eat right, otherwise attend to your health because this activity takes precedence over any of that? Have you become withdrawn, socialy isolated? Could you totally stop doing this behavior for an hour? A day? A week? A month? Forever? And not become anxious, angry, depressed, feel empty inside?

Well put, well said. As I mentioned in an earlier e-mail, I'm sure that if some people's I-phones/Smart phones went out for any length of time (i.e., if the electricity goes down & they can't charge them up), then I'm sure these same people would be going to the emergency room or mental hospitals because they would be having nervous breakdowns - and I'm 100% serious about this; I'm not joking or being sarcastic.

Note I'm sure not everyone is like this, just some people.

There was a great & underrated TV series called Revolution (2012-2014) that lasted for two seasons a while back. The basic storyline of the show was that electricity all over the world shut down completely at the same time due to a cataclysmic event. When this happened, people were initially startled & had a tough time coping. But, eventually, they moved on and society had to re-build itself. In the process, however, there were civil wars, outbreaks of horrible diseases, etc. Very interesting show that got cancelled way too soon...

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by The Big Lebowski Dude

Well put, well said. As I mentioned in an earlier e-mail, I'm sure that if some people's I-phones/Smart phones went out for any length of time (i.e., if the electricity goes down & they can't charge them up), then I'm sure these same people would be going to the emergency room or mental hospitals because they would be having nervous breakdowns - and I'm 100% serious about this; I'm not joking or being sarcastic.

Note I'm sure not everyone is like this, just some people.

There was a "News of the Weird"-type thing that went around a few months ago--apparently Facebook went down for a short time and people (as in more than one) called 911.

East Bay Dispatchers Ask That Residents Stop Calling 911 When Facebook Goes Down « CBS San Francisco

[breeze823]

my husband and i went out to dinner recently and there was a family at the table next to us. a mom, a dad and a teen son...all 3 whipped their phones out as soon as they sat down...even stayed on them when the waitress came to take their orders...i said something to the waitress about how rude it was of them and she said it happens all the time...i haven't really paid much attention to it but i'm sure it does. we don't use our phones when we are sitting at a table to eat. in fact, my husband and i don't even have ours nearby when we are home...our kids of course all have theirs on them but they know better than to pull them out when we are sitting at the table...it's crazy isn't it?!

[Drake744]

I can never go anywhere without my phone (and charger if I'm gone awhile) and am rarely not using it in some capacity..........and couldn't care less what anyone thinks of it.

[ATG5]

I'm glad some of you that aren't tethered to your phone are doing more important things, such as being nosy and worried about what other people do in their personal space, lol.

I'm not the most friendly person ever, nor do I care about being sociable, and I was that way before smartphones existed. I don't make small talk with random strangers, unless I absolutely need to.

One thing I love is the assumption that people think since we're buried in our phones, we must be doing mind-numbing tasks in our mundane and boring lives.

Yeah, because people like me don't use their smartphone/devices to:

• WORK. Some of us have jobs, in which we may need to be on our phone after hours
• Check email/work email
• Respond to messages from family or friends
• Check the weather
• Check stocks/mobile bank accounts/mobile accounts/pay bills
• Read an article (or post on C-D, like the rest of you)
• Get directions or read reviews on a place
• Make a purchase/reservation
• Facetime or Skype a someone in another city
• Set reminders/calendar events
• See what family and friends are up to on social media sites
• Check sports related items/fantasy leagues

Now if you're with a SO or a child or whatever, and they're buried in their phone, playing a game or laughing at snapchats while you're trying to have a conversation, that's one thing. But if they aren't bothering anyone, then I'm not sure why it's so bothersome to the anti-smartphone crowd.

I have a date tonight, and will have my phone face down on the table, just in case I receive an important message, or want to reference something that I can pull up on my phone. And I don't give a Massachusetts if anyone has a problem with that.

[cindersslipper]

Originally Posted by TheWiseWino

First, I'm no Luddite. I love my iPhone, it let's me do a lot of incredible things and saves me an incredible amount of time but...


(not my family just a picture I grabbed off the net)

I am sick and tired of family dinners where everyone is sitting around the table texting. I've tried everything from confiscating all the phones - you'd have thought I was a the wicked witch coming for their first born - I even suggested that the next time we would order food to be delivered to everyone's house and then we would just eat together using Facetime!

The use of smart phones and freaking social media has just become freaking nuts!

Its beyond rude.

I remember the First Time I was Actually Ignored, out for lunch with a new "friend" who much much preferred checking her Facebook than conversing with me.

It was the last time I dined with her.

[bus man]

Originally Posted by tijlover

I had texting blocked on my phone 5 years ago.

Where I work, the Director of Nurses does blanket texts when she wants to gather us up for a mandatory meeting. And I've never received one yet!

"Did you get the DON's text? You weren't at the meeting!"

In 4-5 years now, I've never been reprimanded for not showing up at a meeting!

I honestly cannot imagine why you have an issue with this. It is so much more efficient, and time-effective, for the DON to send out one text and convene her nursing staff, then have to try and chase everyone down individually. And maybe, just maybe, the time that everyone saves in this manner can be used to improve the care that everyone can give to their patients.

And she is being far nicer to you about your lack of meeting attendance than I would be.

[ocnjgirl]

Originally Posted by FluidFreedom

I very much agree that technology (phones, ipads, etc) have gotten way out of hand. I hate when my kids have friends over and all they do is sit around on their phones. No one talks to each other any more. It drives me crazy how kids are more interested in the latest facebook or twitter update than actually playing a board game or watching a movie with their friends. It's definitely a problem.

I hate walking into the breakroom at work and seeing every person on their phone. It's ridiculous!

I hate it too. I went on a cruise with a friend a few years ago, and whenever we were in port everyone went nuts because they could finally get on FB again. So we'd be sitting in Key West having lunch, and she's on her phone looking at FB while I sit across from her bored and dumbfounded by her rudeness.

When we took my mom out to eat on Mother's Day this year, the 12 year old sat in the restaurant playing a game on his phone the entire dinner. When the baby (1.5) started getting fussy, my niece pulled a TV show up on her phone and plopped it in front of her...then marveled at how "good" and "quiet" she was being...of course she's quiet, she's in a little addicted trance...I'm not sure how good that is, though. I find it sad.

That said, I do have a smart phone, and I don't want to live without it now but I don't have FB and I don't generally go online with it. I use it mainly for reminders, music, talk to text and Siri. I do try not to look when I hear a text chime and I am with someone, because it is rude, if you are out with someone they deserve your full attention.