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EDIT: One might say, "How is it any different? You are constantly on the Net!" But am I? In the morning, I make a post, I go elsewhere but the computer with its Net link is left in its one room in the house, it doesn't follow me around, it is not there for that "Oh, it is just 2 minutes!" to check, to post a thought.
But with the cell phone, most of us can do that at any time.....all the time. To me, that's an addict and I subscribe to "If temptation cannot be resisted, then it must be avoided.".
What makes you think everyone keeps their phone with them everywhere in the house ? In the morning I might make a post then go off and swim and the phone is in the kitchen , I work in the studio the phone is downstairs If I’m hiking for safety and tracking info I’m going to carry it sure.
Not everyone has addictive personalities.
And you state you are not constantly on the net but assume those with a phone are. Why assume they are on social media platforms such as this all day. Some people are reading their news subscriptions.
There is nothing superior about not using a cell phone or using one, they are just another tool in the long list of technological tools we can use or not use.
Most of us can, but most of us don't.
And just because you cannot avoid the temptation doesn't mean others cannot.
There are times I use my phone a lot.
There are days it is not even turned on.
It is a useful tool for me, not an addiction.
some project their inability to control temptation to everyone else
Some technology makes life easier , some isn’t useful, some is unavoidable.
One of the most frustrating things for me is not only the need to download all these apps onto my cell phone, but to deal with all the requirements after you do that. There are often requirements that one upload personal documents like passports, drivers licenses, etc. Its standard to require everyone to create a personal account with a very strong password that includes characters, numbers, capital letters. Often that is not enough either to obtain access to an account. Many secure apps insist on sending a code number to your cell phone that has to be entered each time you access the account.
Yeah, it gets stressful.
I also am still working and because of clients who just love text messaging I have to frequently convert photos from text to jpg so I can view them online or add them to a document or such. Some people these days cannot imagine another way of communicating other than through text. I've reached a point where I find people who cannot pick up a phone to make a call annoying. However, many want to limit all exchanges to text messaging. Nothing is more irritating than a twenty-something client who texts you "whassup". Its their way of asking for an update about their case.
Many older lawyers, like myself, are realizing that the most difficult thing about our job is not practicing law. Its trying to understand all the technology we are forced to use.
I'd probably ignore "whassup" on principle alone.
Never had an app require a passport except for the Canadian app in place during the COVID border closure for people with exemptions and for a while after. No longer in use. Since you are a lawyer, though, I could understand how you might be dealing with situations that the average person does not encounter.
Thankfully folks are not THAT ignorant at my gym. Or maybe they just have been reminded enough times that they know that others won’t put up with that. And we don’t.
I was in Europe in April and my experience was that I only saw people using their phones to take pictures. When on the bus people were looking out the windows and when outside enjoying the scenery. Some of our meals were with the group and everyone was enjoying the food and talking.
It was a small group of 25 woman and everyone was very interested in Europe and we had such a great time. Of course the tour was expensive so can’t imagine paying for the trip and then not experiencing it.
I'm outside just about every day, as I said, in the wooded areas or by the ocean, and I see very few people looking at their phones in those places. Maybe it's just here, where people walk a lot at those locations for exercise.
I DO see people wearing earbuds or headphones, though, so listening to books or music and sometimes talking to someone...or at least I assume they are talking to someone else, but ya never know.
Sometimes though I don't want to listen to anything but the sound of the ocean. We make choices.
Oh, another cool use of the smartphone is in the spring and summer listening to bird calls. Then I use an app called SongSleuth to record and isolate the song, and it identifies the bird. Then I look up in the trees to try to spot the bird. That's fun, although I realize not everyone might think so.
More than once, though, another walker has come along and seen me peering up into the trees. They'll stop and start looking up, too, and then we end up in a conversation about birds. Bird people find one another. That is a way that technology and being in nature work harmoniously.
Honestly It seems to me that it's more just folks that hate smartphones against those that use them all the time and find them very useful.
Or, to put it another way...
...it's more just folks who are unconsciously addicted to smartphones against those who prefer to live without them insofar as and for as long as possible.
Last edited by otterhere; 10-20-2023 at 11:31 AM..
...it's just folks who are unconsciously addicted to smartphones against those who prefer to live without them insofar and as long as it's possible.
I know those addicts.
One is addicted to paychecks. He uses his phone for work and can't seem to cure that addiction.
Another is addicted to his mother. He configured her phone to remind her when it was time to take her pills and can't seem to cure that addition.
Another is addicted to his family. He uses the GPS tracking feature that pinpoints his exact location when he goes for a hike in the wilderness and can't seem to cure that addiction.
Another is addicted to monitoring his HVAC system so that toxic mold, which makes his family sick, doesn't grow when he is away for two months. He installed a smart thermostat that works through his phone and can't seem to cure that addiction.
Another is addicted to keeping his family safe from crime. He installed a security system that works through his phone and can't seem to cure that addiction.
Another is addicted to his kids. He uses various features on his phone to communicate with them and can't seem to cure that addiction.
...it's just folks who are unconsciously addicted to smartphones against those who prefer to live without them insofar and as long as it's possible.
Dunno. I have a “smart” phone, but they get worse the newer they get, and the software upgrades are usually a downgrade. They keep adding features I don’t use and can’t delete, and some of them - like Game Center - are downright disruptive. There’s no headphone jack anymore. I think I’ve messed with Siri but never used it to do anything useful. I still swipe to unlock the phone instead of hitting the home button, that’s a change which answered a question nobody asked. And at some point I won’t be able to get a new one with a home button anymore, which is just going to be an awfully confusing bit of useless “improvement”. I have a junk folder where I keep the useless stuff like the wallet, health app, the movie app, etc., but I’d rather not keep having to shove new “features” in there.
In other words, I have a “smart” phone and find it useful, but I’m not a power user and really, really wish there were a more basic setup than the iPhone SE, slimmed down without all the extra stuff and fluff.
Last edited by jcp123; 10-20-2023 at 11:37 AM..
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If I’m hiking for safety and tracking info I’m going to carry it sure. 
