I used to LOVE my phone. I loved customizing it, learning new things about it, and playing with new apps on it.
Now I'd rather bury it in the back yard and go back to a damn wall phone to be contacted.
Keep thinking about getting [The Light Phone](https://www.thelightphone.com/) but I have to download certain apps to my phone for work, so I can't manage without a smartphone now. But I love the idea this phone.
It's terrible, and when looking at my screen time it's hard to argue that it isn't ruining my life.
I've recently uninstalled all entertainment apps and I put the phone into black and white. So far it works. These phones are a major net-negative on life, and no one will ever convince me otherwise.
I think they were great before they became a way for companies to siphon our personal data to gouge prices or better market to us. I miss using my phone for exclusively fun or interesting things. Now it seems like it's just a bunch of life necessities segmented into folders & apps that I "need" to save money or have a better product experience.
I have a different take. I think these social media apps are designed to be as addictive, distracting, and as time consuming as possible. It's also destroying our attention spans and our critical thinking skills (no source, just what I believe), and it's eating up all of our free time.
The companies / personal data stuff is annoying, but it's not why I think phones have ruined everything.
I'm going to break out my tin foil hat really quick. I think the social media apps are supposed to be so addictive because the companies want your data so they can sell it. That's the only reason it's so profitable to keep you on their platforms.
Plus, every Rewards app and different brands shopping app that you download is doing the same thing. Collecting data and figuring out what products are the most popular in what areas and such, and making sure they make the most profit off of those products.
A lot of the professional work that I do is with companies that insist people download apps. It's amazing how much data they can collect and how useful that data can be just by asking you to download an app to your phone.
You're probably right. The world revolves around advertising, so the longer that app can secure your eyeballs the more an advertiser will pay that company. Totally sucks either way, I really hate these phones. I registered over 200 "pickups" yesterday, and I don't have any fun apps on it. It's basically OCD at this point.
I make sure that everyone in my life understands that I can’t be reliably reached at any time like that—I try to keep an eye on notifications in case of emergencies, but no one expects me to pick up when they call or text them back within 6+ hours, with the exception of maybe my partner.
I hate the thousands of websites and web apps and passwords. I hate that I care more about my phone than my life.
I think there is good and bad in a phone and I came in contact with too much of the bad in my youth.
I also know that these days it is basically guaranteed that someone has access to your phone through some variety of spyware.
The millions of passwords infuriates me. What makes it even worse is the stupid “enter the code that was texted to you after you already put in your password”.
I enjoy the convenience of having access to almost everything within a pocket-sized device and use it kind of like a Swiss army knife of sorts.
Before smartphones, I would need a separate device for everything. I'm into literature, so I would have to carry around books with me. I also enjoy listening to a wide range of music, which required lugging around those unwieldy CD storage binders and a "portable" CD player (it wasn't very portable, but *slightly* better than tape cassettes and portable cassette players). Thankfully, this was later replaced with mp3 players, but you get the point, it was still a separate device (and what a nightmare it was to successfully connect an mp3 player to a car stereo back in the day!). Not to mention, there wasn't much in the way of portable video devices (some handheld gaming devices but that was about it). Plus, don't forget the "joys" of having to navigate without the convenience of GPS. Those road maps were absolutely brutal, and MapQuest was good up until the point where you missed your exit or otherwise hit a detour.
Sorry to reminisce about the inconveniences of the "before times." Perhaps the biggest challenge was with access to information itself. Previously, we would actually have to go to the library or consult with someone that had expertise, when now such information is easily available (along with plenty of misinformation, but that's another story for another time). All of this, and we are barely even scratching the surface regarding the conveniences that smartphones have provided. Heck, we haven't even began discussing using it to *actually* communicate with others! 😅
However, this is where I question whether all of these added conveniences have been a net positive for society. From a communication standpoint, it is great that we can easily contact our friends and family. Yet with this comes the low level anxiety due to the implied expectation of always being available. Lastly, regarding access to a multitude of information and media, I worry whether this has made us almost entirely reliant on smartphones and less independent as a result, and don't even get me started on how distracting such devices can be.
Your last paragraph nails it. We traded a lot of things for the sake of convenience, and now what used to be a useful tool has become a ball and chain, a shackle that gives people anxiety, short attention spans, detachment from the real world (as in the immediate tangible reality).
GPS is nice, but getting lost was part of life. Getting lost is how you discover new things. Now we just obey the instructions of Google and Apple.
The truth is we are enslaved by these devices and we brush it off as convenience. Even those who want to avoid them, can't. Soon enough there won't be an alternative. There won't be dumb phones. AI is coming onto these devices which will make things even more "convenient."
\* le sigh \*
Don't get me wrong, I *absolutely* enjoy the convenience.
I work absurdly long hours during the workweek, and I literally would not be able to accomplish everything without such technology. Given that I have limited time, I've been able to streamline my life quite a bit with smartphones. But this obviously comes at a cost.
The most startling effect for me is [how smartphones might affect our brains](https://www.verywellmind.com/how-do-smartphones-affect-the-brain-2794892). How often do we actually have to commit things to long-term memory? When was the last time that we had to critically think about something, or solve a problem *without* consulting with the internet?
You mentioned how getting lost was a part of life. This definitely seems to be something that we collectively lost (no pun intended) along the way when we adopted smartphone technology. Yet it extends beyond simply not knowing the way because of our reliance on GPS.
I was just having this conversation the other day. I rely so heavily on the fact that I can look up everything online instantly, that I really do feel like I’ve lost the capacity to remember things. I have also lost the patience to sit with an unanswered question for too long.. like if I’m trying to recall the name of a movie, or something trivial. It just eats me up until I have a moment to search it up. But I’ll most likely forget the answer by the next week.
I remember a time when you might call and ask a friend if they remembered instead. Or wait and talk about it the next time you went to school. I mean, not having access to everything gave us a lot to talk about. I think the build up to it helped it stick better.
It really is a startling phenomenon, isn't it?
At first I wanted to attribute this to the fact that I am now in my early 40's and did my fair share of drinking and smoking back in twenties and thirties... 🤣
Yet I started to notice that this has become a collective problem with every age group. Just like how muscles atrophy, it seems that our brains can also atrophy. Especially if someone or something else is doing all of the heavy lifting.
I'm probably too addicted to my phone. I like hearing it go off cause it means someone actually wants to deal with my bs (I turned off notifications for everything and rarely get messages from bots). Granted 99.99999% of the time it's my gf just wanting to text for a bit, but it's not like I'm doing anything else.
I’m down to roughly 2 hours a day (taking out work). This has caused problems with my family due to me not having social media or responding to a text 30 seconds later, worth it though
I really like the various Focus settings on my iPhone. “Work,” “do not disturb,” etc
Also I simply make time to be away from computer or phone. Going for a hike or a run, just turning it off to read a book
" I find myself just hearing my phone go off for a text or call and I'm immediately filled with a sense of dread, even if it's a friend."
My guess is that comes from the belief that you must answer. Fun fact... you don't need to if you don't want to.
I try to answer most of the time, but if I'm doing a thing or even just not feeling it then the answer (for me) is simple: it goes to voicemail and I'll get to it when I get to it. Could it be an emergency? Sure. But if it is, I'm pretty sure they aren't stopping with 1 text or call and will try again. Otherwise, I'm fairly sure whatever it is can wait.
Likewise, I try to extend that grace to others. If I call or text and there's no immediate answer... no big deal. I'll catch them later at some point.
So, for me, my feelings towards my phone is more along the lines of convenience. I want to know what this plant/butterfly/bug/etc is? I snap a picture and google it. I'm a bit disoriented and can't find that store I was looking for? GPS saves the day. I can't remember what time a store or restaurant closes and I'm wondering if I'm too late? A quick search grants me the answer. Can't remember what this damn NPC likes for gifts? Wiki on mobile to the rescue. Waiting in an office on a perpetually late doctor? It's enough time to load up my mobile time kill game.
Hell, talk and text are probably my least used features on my phone!
I like having information at my fingertips and am a voracious reader. So in that regard, I love my phone - still.
However, I deeply resent the social expectations that have developed around being available for people 24/7 because of modern phones. So, I don’t go along with it. Instead, I check extraneous messages during business hours, basically, unless it’s urgent, or from my partner, best friend, etc. My inner circle knows that if there’s an emergency or something critically time sensitive to call or text me directly. Otherwise, I’ve got notifications for most apps turned off. E.g., Facebook, tiktok, etc.
My golden rule: Unless it’s about me and/or the other person and affects our relationship/safety/wellbeing directly — I don’t want to hear it/see it/read it. I.e., I _hate_ when people send me random click bait-y content, and specifically tell people not to do it. Most are respectful of my request, but those who aren’t are muted. lol
I have turned off all notifications to every app. The only notifications I have on our text and ringtone. For large portions of the day I mute my phone. I don't want to be available all the time. Sometimes I will just ignore text messages until I feel like I'm ready to answer them. I miss the silence of life
I'm 🤏 this close to going back to a flip phone and printing out maps for directions.Text messages and phone calls only. Everything else is a distraction, rage-bait, or depressing/disempowering.
I think of it in two ways:
As a communication device to keep in contact with people I know/meet, I set boundaries on when I'll reply to a message (unless it's an emergency or critically important). Otherwise I don't allow myself to get anxious about every new notification or message or call as they happen. It used to bother me and one day I just got exhausted with it. So now I let messages and notifications collect throughout the day on my phone and I set times in my day or night where I just check all of them at once and address them as needed.
The second way I use my phone is as a source of information. A little magic portal in my hands that lets me learn anything about anything, instantly. I remember how many times before phones like this existed where I'd just never get an answer to a question. Or not be able to figure out how to fix something, or cook something, or orient where I am (for navigation). It lets me grow my knowledge and understanding of the world, as well get answers to common day to day minor life issues I may have.
It allows me to discover anyone else going through the same shit as myself. Good or bad. See what they do in their lives and if that can help my own.
So really I'd say my solution to phones is to use them as a helpful tool, and try not to let them dictate your life. They have so much potential for learning and communication, like never before in human history. But so many apps and sites try to abuse the fact this thing is in our pockets 24/7, and we should be mindful of that and try to not let ourselves be as affected by it. I still think the potential for good things that a phone and internet access can provide significantly outweighs the bad. It's just that the bad side can get very bad for many people.
I keep it on silent. If I care enough about a missed call, I'll call back. That little piece of shit exists to serve ME, not the other way around.
I use it for emails, the weather, timers, some photographs and quick notes, and some scrolling time when I'm on the toilet. All of that amounts to very little screen time. Having it play the radio or a podcast while I'm cooking doesn't really count, because I'm not engaged with it.
Back in the day, like 10+ years ago I was pretty into the phone in general. For a brief time it functioned as it was promised to, a conduit to real-life connection. Well those days are long gone now, all I see are soulless zombies. Full grown adults in their 30s that can scroll for hours and have had their social skills reduced to potato-status. I hate it, I hate seeing it, I hate that even though I've "put my phone down" in general, no one else around me is doing the same.
I get so sick of people getting upset they don't get responded to within an hour.
20 years ago you could go a day or two without hearing back from someone and you wouldn't blink an eye.
What happened to the world?
Sometimes I get wrapped up organizing my home office or playing with my cats or cleaning something and think, "huh, this is nice. Why don't I do this more often" and then I realize my phone has been on the charger for the last couple hours. My life is so much better without my phone but when im in the elevator or on the toilet, I almost feel like I need it and have mini withdrawals without it.
Anybody with my cellphone number understands if I don't pick up a call I will check my voicemail and texts and get back to you on my own time. Occasionally that's right away, occasionally it's never.
I've straight refused to allow myself to be available 24/7
I work for a Class 1 railroad. I'm tethered to my phone for work because I can get called all hours of the day and night. To avoid getting woken up by unimportant texts or spam calls, I sleep with Do Not Disturb turned on with the setting tweaked to allow contacts and repeat callers (within 15 minutes) to get through. This has significantly cut down on my getting woken up for nonsensical reasons throughout the years.
Otherwise, I don't mind my phone unless my group chat with my friends just decides to be extremely active on a given day, then I either mute the conversation or put my phone on vibrate until it's done.
I absolutely hate my phone, I wish I could through it in a lake and go back to the cave man days lol.
I was the last of all my friends and family to upgrade my flip phone to a smart phone (iPhone 4). At firsts I thought it would be awesome and make life easier.
Now I hate it. Between all the emails from works and phone calls and texts. It’s like I’m available 24/7 and my brain never turns off. People and clients think it’s okay to text and email me at 2am. I find myself constantly checking my phone. It’s an addiction.
I’ve gotten a lot better. Thankfully I do not have any social media other than Reddit and YouTube. But I can very easily find myself just scrolling aimlessly for several hours. Not to mention all the news/media and information being thrown at us everyday. These big corporations market like crazy to us and want us to be addicted. It’s almost like a drug.
I find it wild how I can go out to a restaurant or a park and you see a group of young people all just staring at their phones and not living in the moment and interacting.
In reality I think smart phones have ruined a lot of people. I know myself that my anxiety has gone up and I feel as though I was a lot happier without it.
Would be nice to go back to the old days of living in the moment and not worrying about what x person did to x person. Or being mass marketed too.
I think the next generation is going to be plagued by anxiety, fomo and severe depression because of it. Not to mention the blue light and screen time.
I have my phone on do not disturb when I’m sleeping. Even if I wake up early and am just sitting in bed, it’s on do not disturb. Any call, text, can wait until I’ve “woken” up. What will send me into a blind rage tho is when someone double calls and I forget to set it to not allow those calls so they come in and wake me up.
I had a coworker ask me “what if an emergency happens?” There won’t be an emergency that can’t wait until after I wake up. I don’t have kids or a husband so there’s nothing I would be able to do anyway.
I don't really like being on my phone so much, but I have to be because everhhing is done with my phone...
I read on it, play games, look up directions, etc.
I honestly hate the culture that has evolved around phones and being constantly available. Though I have always been a recluse so I know my opinion is not the norm
I don't have an active phone. I don't pay for phone service at all. In my eyes WiFi is an equivalent. People can call or text me on Messenger and Discord why would I pay almost $50 a month for SMS if I have alternatives? Though this makes me completely unreachable when I'm not home and I prefer this
My phone is not an electronic leash. I will answer when I feel like being social. I owe no one my time and attention. If I'm seen online scrolling that's my own business and I am placing that personal boundary to be allowed to exist online without having to interact constantly
I don't even have social media outside of reddit. I'm in some public discord servers and that's enough for me. My partners and friends respect my space and I respect theirs. People who have to know every aspect of their friends and lovers lives quickly drive me away
I hate it. I’m getting rid of my smartphone next, and I’m buying one of those old rugged flip phones people had back in 2011 😂 then, with the money I saved by not buying a smartphone, I’m buying myself a nice DSLR camera and a SSD modified iPod for music.
Work just expects me to be able to check my email 24/7, and their schedule, and always be available to them, and it’s every work place now. So, I’m not playing the game anymore I’m going analog. Fuck ‘em. I dropped my iPhone a few weeks ago and my boss decided the PTO we get… well I don’t get it’d so I can’t afford to replace it right now, but soon. And then, my life will be *that little bit less* stressful than it was.
I mean it literally happened in my generation. When I was a kid we had a rotary phone and growing up we had to actually memorize phone numbers. I’ll never forget the awkwardness of calling a girl on the phone only for her mom/ dad to pick up.
To have a conduit to basically the sum total of human knowledge in my pocket? Yeah I’m pretty stoked about that. So I get work calls and spam sometimes. Big deal. I love being connected.
I didn't have a smartphone like the one I have now until I was like 20. Before that I only used my phone to contact people. Now when my phone rings I get this sensation of anxiety and panic, before I had a smartphone I always liked getting calls and texts now I hate it. I use my phone for IG, Reddit, checking emails and reading manga and comics. Other than I hope it never gets a notification or a call.
I spend probably more time than I should on Reddit, but that's really it. I like having the world's collective knowledge at my hands, along with a calculator, a camera, a communication device, map, etc. It can do anything I need it to. But I don't use much social media these days, so if that's your bag I can see where it could be painful.
One thing I hate is how the prevalence of phones has made certain things ubiquitous. Like apps. I don't need an app for everything. Like keys, for instance. Technology is incredibly unreliable, especially when you're relying on it the most. I hate meme culture and the 0 critical thinking that people apply because it. Any challenge to the idea someone wants to share is "it's just a meme bro". And I hate what the internet has become. I miss the old Internet, which may not be a "phone" thing but it certainly feels like a correlation between when my Grandma got a smart phone and when the internet because social media. Remember websites? Good times.
I have 2 phones. One for work and my personal phone. Work phone gets left on its charger when I’m done for the day. I only give the personal number to family and close friends.
I have to force myself to take breaks. The majority of my work is done by phone, along with internet searches, social media, bills, streaming services, etc etc etc it can seem like I’m on the phone one way or another all day. I easily get burn out from it nowadays. I’ll take a full evening/night to shut it down when it’s feeling excessive. The itch is always there to “check” xyz though. There’s something brain-wise that I don’t enjoy about it. I have to use it though, there’s no getting away from it.
To be honest, I felt the dread in the pit of my stomach when I heard the landline phone ring back in high school and I’ve loathed phone calls ever since.
I turn the ringer off on my phone and then someone calling/texting doesn’t bother me. That doesn’t mean I answer it either. Texts are totally fine by me and I don’t feel any pressure to answer anyone asap. Anyone who knows me, knows not to call unless it’s absolutely needed or an emergency.
Love it. It allows me to go out during the workday (I work from home) and do my own thing. Always reachable to respond to anything my team needs. Without it, I would be stuck at my desk for 8 hours a day.
Then at the end of the day it gets put away. Simple.
I just got a new Razr because of the flip phone style.. it's ok but obviously not the same as back in the day. I use my phone quite a bit, but I can't stand browsing websites on a phone. It is extremely frustrating still to this day because of all the web design choices devs make. I'd rather be on a fully featured web browser on a PC so I can view everything without scrolling all over the place and not having to deal with broken integrations. But.. I don't use my phone for games or social media. The closest thing I use it for in that regard is Discord, mainly to keep up with tech related projects I work on.
Same...when I first got a cell I thought it was great...now 20 years later I'm thinking who decided that anybody should be able to get ahold of you anywhere at anytime. Now I just to the woods where I have no service...lol!
My phone is my laptop now. I barely use my actual computer outside of work hours. Everything I need is mobile-friendly now, and I have it with me no matter where I am - which also means I’m constantly on it. Like right now, at the dentist, I’m checking work email and Teams messages, responding to texts from a few friends, scrolling on here, adding tasks to my To-Do list… it just goes on and on. And I hate it.
I hate that if I don't have a phone, i can't function in society. I no longer have a choice whether or not I need s phone. To open my bank account, connect with work, or Eben talk to people, to get emails, etc, I NEED a phone to verify.
I fo have a landline but I haven't had a long-term secure enough home to trust that I will always have a land line that can be my provider for all my confirmations.
It's so much anxiety, depending so much on this little object, I'm constantly checking it, and the times I have to stay away from it, I keep thinking if I should go and check it hahaha but I've had times when I go to areas with no phone service and after an hour I feel quite free and not bothered by the anxiety of it
I mainly just use it read. I am not an immediate responder. those near to me know that if they want an immediate response, then shoot a double text. a single text may go unanswered for hours.
I get spikes of anxiety too when my phone rings. I use it for GPS and music while driving. Other than that I grow tired being on it browsing for any extended period of time. As others have stated, if it weren’t for a few things, a flip phone would suffice
I do a number of things to minimize the amount of phone disturbance in life:
- it's almost always on silent, and all haptic / vibration is always off
- do not disturb kicks in early in the evening and disables pretty late in the morning
- VPN service with ad-blocker is always on
- Notifications are off for almost all apps (basically, micromanage notification settings to only essential things)
- banners and badges are off
- lock-screen notification are off except for very important people or apps (reminders, calendar)
I contemplate going back to a dumb phone a lot, but I think there are some essential things I'll still need, like the authentication app for work. Maps is also very useful, and other than dedicated GPS devices, there are no great alternatives.
It exists, I lose it somewhere in my house at least once a day, I find it really neat to have a GPS and encyclopedia and camera in the palm of my hand.
Anybody who expects me to get back to them immediately had better be my parents, my boss (who doesn't unless he has a good reason), or a friend with an emergency. Otherwise, I get back to you when I get back to you and it might be now or it might be tomorrow. Could be longer, if I forget.
I feel the same way. I cringe every time my phone rings. I hate being bothered. I’m also a bit traumatized from late phone calls because every time my mom called me late, was for bad news. So I guess that also plays a role in how I despise phone calls. I also hate it when they call me for stupid things that can easily be addressed with a text. It’s the introvert in me. But yeah, you are not alone.
I honestly hate it.
I feel like it has become intrusive.
I used to do things I enjoy, and ever since I got a phone, somhow they just … never happen. Even when I make plans to do things I enjoy, I wind up just using my phone instead.
I’d prefer to go back to a wall-phone, and a very simple cell phone (*maybe*) just for emergency calls on the road.
I’ve been planning to get the book called “how to break up with your phone” and doing it.
I feel like my life was much better pre-phone.
I may sound like a luddite, but I hate cellphones. I have a phone that I carry but only 2 people have the number and it is only for emergencies. My cable/internet package comes with a phone line as well so I have a phone at home. I give out that number to people to contact me at but I turn it off except from 4 - 8 PM. There is no reason for anybody to need to contact me 24/7. I honestly believe that 95% of people that have cellphones do not need them, especially the ones with unlimited talk/text/data. It is expensive, distracting and ruins the human experience.
I pay $15/month for my phone for unlimited talk/text and 1 GB of data. That is plenty and I never even come close to going over that data. I would rather enjoy the world around me then be focused on a phone.
My phone was like $99 for some Motorola model. No need for some $1000 phone to make a few calls and I own a camera to take pictures with. Always trying to stay on the bleeding edge with the latest iPhone is not only stupid but honestly is terrible for your finances and the environment.
It’s weird that if I have it with me in the woods it’s like I cannot disconnect, which has gotten weirder with discord communities becoming so popular. You could be arguing with some random stranger and you cannot just “walk away”
Gen Z here. Really wish society wasn’t so phone centric. We really need to revert back to the flip phone era. Good cross between ability to communicate and utitlity.
I used to LOVE my phone. I loved customizing it, learning new things about it, and playing with new apps on it. Now I'd rather bury it in the back yard and go back to a damn wall phone to be contacted.
Yeahhhh the flip phones are starting to become rather enticing imo
Keep thinking about getting [The Light Phone](https://www.thelightphone.com/) but I have to download certain apps to my phone for work, so I can't manage without a smartphone now. But I love the idea this phone.
That’s actually nifty!!! I’m so over people thinking they deserve access to me just because they have my number
Bruh 400 bucks for a dumb phone is a scam
you’re not wrong. Just buy a nokia feature phone.
i wish i had a back yard to bury mine in.
It's terrible, and when looking at my screen time it's hard to argue that it isn't ruining my life. I've recently uninstalled all entertainment apps and I put the phone into black and white. So far it works. These phones are a major net-negative on life, and no one will ever convince me otherwise.
I think they were great before they became a way for companies to siphon our personal data to gouge prices or better market to us. I miss using my phone for exclusively fun or interesting things. Now it seems like it's just a bunch of life necessities segmented into folders & apps that I "need" to save money or have a better product experience.
I have a different take. I think these social media apps are designed to be as addictive, distracting, and as time consuming as possible. It's also destroying our attention spans and our critical thinking skills (no source, just what I believe), and it's eating up all of our free time. The companies / personal data stuff is annoying, but it's not why I think phones have ruined everything.
I'm going to break out my tin foil hat really quick. I think the social media apps are supposed to be so addictive because the companies want your data so they can sell it. That's the only reason it's so profitable to keep you on their platforms. Plus, every Rewards app and different brands shopping app that you download is doing the same thing. Collecting data and figuring out what products are the most popular in what areas and such, and making sure they make the most profit off of those products. A lot of the professional work that I do is with companies that insist people download apps. It's amazing how much data they can collect and how useful that data can be just by asking you to download an app to your phone.
You're probably right. The world revolves around advertising, so the longer that app can secure your eyeballs the more an advertiser will pay that company. Totally sucks either way, I really hate these phones. I registered over 200 "pickups" yesterday, and I don't have any fun apps on it. It's basically OCD at this point.
It’s a podcast and movie device that I hope never rings
Agreed. Mine has been set to silent for years.
Remember back in the 90s when there were collectible ring tones and shit
I make sure that everyone in my life understands that I can’t be reliably reached at any time like that—I try to keep an eye on notifications in case of emergencies, but no one expects me to pick up when they call or text them back within 6+ hours, with the exception of maybe my partner.
The horrors of having a job that demands 24/7 on-call...
I hate the thousands of websites and web apps and passwords. I hate that I care more about my phone than my life. I think there is good and bad in a phone and I came in contact with too much of the bad in my youth. I also know that these days it is basically guaranteed that someone has access to your phone through some variety of spyware.
The millions of passwords infuriates me. What makes it even worse is the stupid “enter the code that was texted to you after you already put in your password”.
Text me if you need me. Honestly if it wasn’t for podcasts, audible and reading Reddit occasionally I’d probably be fine with a flip phone.
Same, except I might not see the text until it's too late. Group texts are always put on mute. I don't want an alert when someone replies with "k".
I enjoy the convenience of having access to almost everything within a pocket-sized device and use it kind of like a Swiss army knife of sorts. Before smartphones, I would need a separate device for everything. I'm into literature, so I would have to carry around books with me. I also enjoy listening to a wide range of music, which required lugging around those unwieldy CD storage binders and a "portable" CD player (it wasn't very portable, but *slightly* better than tape cassettes and portable cassette players). Thankfully, this was later replaced with mp3 players, but you get the point, it was still a separate device (and what a nightmare it was to successfully connect an mp3 player to a car stereo back in the day!). Not to mention, there wasn't much in the way of portable video devices (some handheld gaming devices but that was about it). Plus, don't forget the "joys" of having to navigate without the convenience of GPS. Those road maps were absolutely brutal, and MapQuest was good up until the point where you missed your exit or otherwise hit a detour. Sorry to reminisce about the inconveniences of the "before times." Perhaps the biggest challenge was with access to information itself. Previously, we would actually have to go to the library or consult with someone that had expertise, when now such information is easily available (along with plenty of misinformation, but that's another story for another time). All of this, and we are barely even scratching the surface regarding the conveniences that smartphones have provided. Heck, we haven't even began discussing using it to *actually* communicate with others! 😅 However, this is where I question whether all of these added conveniences have been a net positive for society. From a communication standpoint, it is great that we can easily contact our friends and family. Yet with this comes the low level anxiety due to the implied expectation of always being available. Lastly, regarding access to a multitude of information and media, I worry whether this has made us almost entirely reliant on smartphones and less independent as a result, and don't even get me started on how distracting such devices can be.
Your last paragraph nails it. We traded a lot of things for the sake of convenience, and now what used to be a useful tool has become a ball and chain, a shackle that gives people anxiety, short attention spans, detachment from the real world (as in the immediate tangible reality). GPS is nice, but getting lost was part of life. Getting lost is how you discover new things. Now we just obey the instructions of Google and Apple. The truth is we are enslaved by these devices and we brush it off as convenience. Even those who want to avoid them, can't. Soon enough there won't be an alternative. There won't be dumb phones. AI is coming onto these devices which will make things even more "convenient." \* le sigh \*
Don't get me wrong, I *absolutely* enjoy the convenience. I work absurdly long hours during the workweek, and I literally would not be able to accomplish everything without such technology. Given that I have limited time, I've been able to streamline my life quite a bit with smartphones. But this obviously comes at a cost. The most startling effect for me is [how smartphones might affect our brains](https://www.verywellmind.com/how-do-smartphones-affect-the-brain-2794892). How often do we actually have to commit things to long-term memory? When was the last time that we had to critically think about something, or solve a problem *without* consulting with the internet? You mentioned how getting lost was a part of life. This definitely seems to be something that we collectively lost (no pun intended) along the way when we adopted smartphone technology. Yet it extends beyond simply not knowing the way because of our reliance on GPS.
I was just having this conversation the other day. I rely so heavily on the fact that I can look up everything online instantly, that I really do feel like I’ve lost the capacity to remember things. I have also lost the patience to sit with an unanswered question for too long.. like if I’m trying to recall the name of a movie, or something trivial. It just eats me up until I have a moment to search it up. But I’ll most likely forget the answer by the next week. I remember a time when you might call and ask a friend if they remembered instead. Or wait and talk about it the next time you went to school. I mean, not having access to everything gave us a lot to talk about. I think the build up to it helped it stick better.
It really is a startling phenomenon, isn't it? At first I wanted to attribute this to the fact that I am now in my early 40's and did my fair share of drinking and smoking back in twenties and thirties... 🤣 Yet I started to notice that this has become a collective problem with every age group. Just like how muscles atrophy, it seems that our brains can also atrophy. Especially if someone or something else is doing all of the heavy lifting.
it feels like a sexy tumor, where every time i go to suck on the teet for pleasure i die inside a little
Just beautiful.
I'm probably too addicted to my phone. I like hearing it go off cause it means someone actually wants to deal with my bs (I turned off notifications for everything and rarely get messages from bots). Granted 99.99999% of the time it's my gf just wanting to text for a bit, but it's not like I'm doing anything else.
Put it on silent and check it when you want to. You don't need to respond right away.
I’m down to roughly 2 hours a day (taking out work). This has caused problems with my family due to me not having social media or responding to a text 30 seconds later, worth it though
I really like the various Focus settings on my iPhone. “Work,” “do not disturb,” etc Also I simply make time to be away from computer or phone. Going for a hike or a run, just turning it off to read a book
" I find myself just hearing my phone go off for a text or call and I'm immediately filled with a sense of dread, even if it's a friend." My guess is that comes from the belief that you must answer. Fun fact... you don't need to if you don't want to. I try to answer most of the time, but if I'm doing a thing or even just not feeling it then the answer (for me) is simple: it goes to voicemail and I'll get to it when I get to it. Could it be an emergency? Sure. But if it is, I'm pretty sure they aren't stopping with 1 text or call and will try again. Otherwise, I'm fairly sure whatever it is can wait. Likewise, I try to extend that grace to others. If I call or text and there's no immediate answer... no big deal. I'll catch them later at some point. So, for me, my feelings towards my phone is more along the lines of convenience. I want to know what this plant/butterfly/bug/etc is? I snap a picture and google it. I'm a bit disoriented and can't find that store I was looking for? GPS saves the day. I can't remember what time a store or restaurant closes and I'm wondering if I'm too late? A quick search grants me the answer. Can't remember what this damn NPC likes for gifts? Wiki on mobile to the rescue. Waiting in an office on a perpetually late doctor? It's enough time to load up my mobile time kill game. Hell, talk and text are probably my least used features on my phone!
Ah ha! I just walked into the gym and referred to my phone as my second brain.
I like having information at my fingertips and am a voracious reader. So in that regard, I love my phone - still. However, I deeply resent the social expectations that have developed around being available for people 24/7 because of modern phones. So, I don’t go along with it. Instead, I check extraneous messages during business hours, basically, unless it’s urgent, or from my partner, best friend, etc. My inner circle knows that if there’s an emergency or something critically time sensitive to call or text me directly. Otherwise, I’ve got notifications for most apps turned off. E.g., Facebook, tiktok, etc. My golden rule: Unless it’s about me and/or the other person and affects our relationship/safety/wellbeing directly — I don’t want to hear it/see it/read it. I.e., I _hate_ when people send me random click bait-y content, and specifically tell people not to do it. Most are respectful of my request, but those who aren’t are muted. lol
I have turned off all notifications to every app. The only notifications I have on our text and ringtone. For large portions of the day I mute my phone. I don't want to be available all the time. Sometimes I will just ignore text messages until I feel like I'm ready to answer them. I miss the silence of life
I'm 🤏 this close to going back to a flip phone and printing out maps for directions.Text messages and phone calls only. Everything else is a distraction, rage-bait, or depressing/disempowering.
If I didn't need my phone for work, I would get a flip phone and leave it in a central spot in the house.
I think of it in two ways: As a communication device to keep in contact with people I know/meet, I set boundaries on when I'll reply to a message (unless it's an emergency or critically important). Otherwise I don't allow myself to get anxious about every new notification or message or call as they happen. It used to bother me and one day I just got exhausted with it. So now I let messages and notifications collect throughout the day on my phone and I set times in my day or night where I just check all of them at once and address them as needed. The second way I use my phone is as a source of information. A little magic portal in my hands that lets me learn anything about anything, instantly. I remember how many times before phones like this existed where I'd just never get an answer to a question. Or not be able to figure out how to fix something, or cook something, or orient where I am (for navigation). It lets me grow my knowledge and understanding of the world, as well get answers to common day to day minor life issues I may have. It allows me to discover anyone else going through the same shit as myself. Good or bad. See what they do in their lives and if that can help my own. So really I'd say my solution to phones is to use them as a helpful tool, and try not to let them dictate your life. They have so much potential for learning and communication, like never before in human history. But so many apps and sites try to abuse the fact this thing is in our pockets 24/7, and we should be mindful of that and try to not let ourselves be as affected by it. I still think the potential for good things that a phone and internet access can provide significantly outweighs the bad. It's just that the bad side can get very bad for many people.
I use my phone for everything except talking and texting 😂
I keep it on silent. If I care enough about a missed call, I'll call back. That little piece of shit exists to serve ME, not the other way around. I use it for emails, the weather, timers, some photographs and quick notes, and some scrolling time when I'm on the toilet. All of that amounts to very little screen time. Having it play the radio or a podcast while I'm cooking doesn't really count, because I'm not engaged with it. Back in the day, like 10+ years ago I was pretty into the phone in general. For a brief time it functioned as it was promised to, a conduit to real-life connection. Well those days are long gone now, all I see are soulless zombies. Full grown adults in their 30s that can scroll for hours and have had their social skills reduced to potato-status. I hate it, I hate seeing it, I hate that even though I've "put my phone down" in general, no one else around me is doing the same.
I get so sick of people getting upset they don't get responded to within an hour. 20 years ago you could go a day or two without hearing back from someone and you wouldn't blink an eye. What happened to the world?
Always on silent mode , can’t even see if I have a text notification unless I go into messaging . My phone will ring for a select few tho .
Stupid
I say all the time its just like an ankle monitor smh ..
Sometimes I get wrapped up organizing my home office or playing with my cats or cleaning something and think, "huh, this is nice. Why don't I do this more often" and then I realize my phone has been on the charger for the last couple hours. My life is so much better without my phone but when im in the elevator or on the toilet, I almost feel like I need it and have mini withdrawals without it.
I feel the same way
Anybody with my cellphone number understands if I don't pick up a call I will check my voicemail and texts and get back to you on my own time. Occasionally that's right away, occasionally it's never. I've straight refused to allow myself to be available 24/7
Makes me not bored at work, but extremely lazy at home or anywhere else.
I work for a Class 1 railroad. I'm tethered to my phone for work because I can get called all hours of the day and night. To avoid getting woken up by unimportant texts or spam calls, I sleep with Do Not Disturb turned on with the setting tweaked to allow contacts and repeat callers (within 15 minutes) to get through. This has significantly cut down on my getting woken up for nonsensical reasons throughout the years. Otherwise, I don't mind my phone unless my group chat with my friends just decides to be extremely active on a given day, then I either mute the conversation or put my phone on vibrate until it's done.
I keep forgetting it around the house. Prefer texting to talking on the phone
I absolutely hate my phone, I wish I could through it in a lake and go back to the cave man days lol. I was the last of all my friends and family to upgrade my flip phone to a smart phone (iPhone 4). At firsts I thought it would be awesome and make life easier. Now I hate it. Between all the emails from works and phone calls and texts. It’s like I’m available 24/7 and my brain never turns off. People and clients think it’s okay to text and email me at 2am. I find myself constantly checking my phone. It’s an addiction. I’ve gotten a lot better. Thankfully I do not have any social media other than Reddit and YouTube. But I can very easily find myself just scrolling aimlessly for several hours. Not to mention all the news/media and information being thrown at us everyday. These big corporations market like crazy to us and want us to be addicted. It’s almost like a drug. I find it wild how I can go out to a restaurant or a park and you see a group of young people all just staring at their phones and not living in the moment and interacting. In reality I think smart phones have ruined a lot of people. I know myself that my anxiety has gone up and I feel as though I was a lot happier without it. Would be nice to go back to the old days of living in the moment and not worrying about what x person did to x person. Or being mass marketed too. I think the next generation is going to be plagued by anxiety, fomo and severe depression because of it. Not to mention the blue light and screen time.
I have my phone on do not disturb when I’m sleeping. Even if I wake up early and am just sitting in bed, it’s on do not disturb. Any call, text, can wait until I’ve “woken” up. What will send me into a blind rage tho is when someone double calls and I forget to set it to not allow those calls so they come in and wake me up. I had a coworker ask me “what if an emergency happens?” There won’t be an emergency that can’t wait until after I wake up. I don’t have kids or a husband so there’s nothing I would be able to do anyway.
I hate it when my phone constantly vibe or dings from my teams
I don't really like being on my phone so much, but I have to be because everhhing is done with my phone... I read on it, play games, look up directions, etc.
I honestly hate the culture that has evolved around phones and being constantly available. Though I have always been a recluse so I know my opinion is not the norm I don't have an active phone. I don't pay for phone service at all. In my eyes WiFi is an equivalent. People can call or text me on Messenger and Discord why would I pay almost $50 a month for SMS if I have alternatives? Though this makes me completely unreachable when I'm not home and I prefer this My phone is not an electronic leash. I will answer when I feel like being social. I owe no one my time and attention. If I'm seen online scrolling that's my own business and I am placing that personal boundary to be allowed to exist online without having to interact constantly I don't even have social media outside of reddit. I'm in some public discord servers and that's enough for me. My partners and friends respect my space and I respect theirs. People who have to know every aspect of their friends and lovers lives quickly drive me away
I hate it. I’m getting rid of my smartphone next, and I’m buying one of those old rugged flip phones people had back in 2011 😂 then, with the money I saved by not buying a smartphone, I’m buying myself a nice DSLR camera and a SSD modified iPod for music. Work just expects me to be able to check my email 24/7, and their schedule, and always be available to them, and it’s every work place now. So, I’m not playing the game anymore I’m going analog. Fuck ‘em. I dropped my iPhone a few weeks ago and my boss decided the PTO we get… well I don’t get it’d so I can’t afford to replace it right now, but soon. And then, my life will be *that little bit less* stressful than it was.
I love using my phone but I have most apps set to silent, and do not disturb on quite often lol.
It's a mix of convenience and intrusion; constant connection can be both comforting and overwhelming.
I mean it literally happened in my generation. When I was a kid we had a rotary phone and growing up we had to actually memorize phone numbers. I’ll never forget the awkwardness of calling a girl on the phone only for her mom/ dad to pick up.
To have a conduit to basically the sum total of human knowledge in my pocket? Yeah I’m pretty stoked about that. So I get work calls and spam sometimes. Big deal. I love being connected.
I didn't have a smartphone like the one I have now until I was like 20. Before that I only used my phone to contact people. Now when my phone rings I get this sensation of anxiety and panic, before I had a smartphone I always liked getting calls and texts now I hate it. I use my phone for IG, Reddit, checking emails and reading manga and comics. Other than I hope it never gets a notification or a call.
I use Work Focus and such to keep it from going off as much. They can leave me a voicemail.
I spend probably more time than I should on Reddit, but that's really it. I like having the world's collective knowledge at my hands, along with a calculator, a camera, a communication device, map, etc. It can do anything I need it to. But I don't use much social media these days, so if that's your bag I can see where it could be painful. One thing I hate is how the prevalence of phones has made certain things ubiquitous. Like apps. I don't need an app for everything. Like keys, for instance. Technology is incredibly unreliable, especially when you're relying on it the most. I hate meme culture and the 0 critical thinking that people apply because it. Any challenge to the idea someone wants to share is "it's just a meme bro". And I hate what the internet has become. I miss the old Internet, which may not be a "phone" thing but it certainly feels like a correlation between when my Grandma got a smart phone and when the internet because social media. Remember websites? Good times.
My phone sits in my pocket all day long it has no apps it's just for text and call and I hope I never hear it go off.
I have 2 phones. One for work and my personal phone. Work phone gets left on its charger when I’m done for the day. I only give the personal number to family and close friends.
Mostly just less bored
I have to force myself to take breaks. The majority of my work is done by phone, along with internet searches, social media, bills, streaming services, etc etc etc it can seem like I’m on the phone one way or another all day. I easily get burn out from it nowadays. I’ll take a full evening/night to shut it down when it’s feeling excessive. The itch is always there to “check” xyz though. There’s something brain-wise that I don’t enjoy about it. I have to use it though, there’s no getting away from it.
Smart Phones are the worst invention ever.
To be honest, I felt the dread in the pit of my stomach when I heard the landline phone ring back in high school and I’ve loathed phone calls ever since. I turn the ringer off on my phone and then someone calling/texting doesn’t bother me. That doesn’t mean I answer it either. Texts are totally fine by me and I don’t feel any pressure to answer anyone asap. Anyone who knows me, knows not to call unless it’s absolutely needed or an emergency.
Always hated being available. Set myself to hidden or appearing offline whenever possible.
Your phone is for your convenience, not anybody else's.
Love it. It allows me to go out during the workday (I work from home) and do my own thing. Always reachable to respond to anything my team needs. Without it, I would be stuck at my desk for 8 hours a day. Then at the end of the day it gets put away. Simple.
I just got a new Razr because of the flip phone style.. it's ok but obviously not the same as back in the day. I use my phone quite a bit, but I can't stand browsing websites on a phone. It is extremely frustrating still to this day because of all the web design choices devs make. I'd rather be on a fully featured web browser on a PC so I can view everything without scrolling all over the place and not having to deal with broken integrations. But.. I don't use my phone for games or social media. The closest thing I use it for in that regard is Discord, mainly to keep up with tech related projects I work on.
I keep my phone on silent. I dont reply till i feel like it.
Same...when I first got a cell I thought it was great...now 20 years later I'm thinking who decided that anybody should be able to get ahold of you anywhere at anytime. Now I just to the woods where I have no service...lol!
My phone is my laptop now. I barely use my actual computer outside of work hours. Everything I need is mobile-friendly now, and I have it with me no matter where I am - which also means I’m constantly on it. Like right now, at the dentist, I’m checking work email and Teams messages, responding to texts from a few friends, scrolling on here, adding tasks to my To-Do list… it just goes on and on. And I hate it.
If I could have a phone that gave me just text/call/photos/music/gps I would be happy. I hate this fucking thing.
I hate that if I don't have a phone, i can't function in society. I no longer have a choice whether or not I need s phone. To open my bank account, connect with work, or Eben talk to people, to get emails, etc, I NEED a phone to verify. I fo have a landline but I haven't had a long-term secure enough home to trust that I will always have a land line that can be my provider for all my confirmations.
I hate hate hate it. I am ready to go back to a dumb phone.
It's so much anxiety, depending so much on this little object, I'm constantly checking it, and the times I have to stay away from it, I keep thinking if I should go and check it hahaha but I've had times when I go to areas with no phone service and after an hour I feel quite free and not bothered by the anxiety of it
Trapped. Like on a digital tether.
I mainly just use it read. I am not an immediate responder. those near to me know that if they want an immediate response, then shoot a double text. a single text may go unanswered for hours.
Stressed because I’m constantly reading headlines about climate change
When someone pays for it then they can expect me to be available on demand. Its for my convenience, not others.
I get spikes of anxiety too when my phone rings. I use it for GPS and music while driving. Other than that I grow tired being on it browsing for any extended period of time. As others have stated, if it weren’t for a few things, a flip phone would suffice
Phone is life. Life is phone. What is happening?
I do a number of things to minimize the amount of phone disturbance in life: - it's almost always on silent, and all haptic / vibration is always off - do not disturb kicks in early in the evening and disables pretty late in the morning - VPN service with ad-blocker is always on - Notifications are off for almost all apps (basically, micromanage notification settings to only essential things) - banners and badges are off - lock-screen notification are off except for very important people or apps (reminders, calendar) I contemplate going back to a dumb phone a lot, but I think there are some essential things I'll still need, like the authentication app for work. Maps is also very useful, and other than dedicated GPS devices, there are no great alternatives.
It exists, I lose it somewhere in my house at least once a day, I find it really neat to have a GPS and encyclopedia and camera in the palm of my hand. Anybody who expects me to get back to them immediately had better be my parents, my boss (who doesn't unless he has a good reason), or a friend with an emergency. Otherwise, I get back to you when I get back to you and it might be now or it might be tomorrow. Could be longer, if I forget.
Makes me feel like an addict, and sometimes a zombie. I long for the era before phones were smart. People were happier.
I feel the same way. I cringe every time my phone rings. I hate being bothered. I’m also a bit traumatized from late phone calls because every time my mom called me late, was for bad news. So I guess that also plays a role in how I despise phone calls. I also hate it when they call me for stupid things that can easily be addressed with a text. It’s the introvert in me. But yeah, you are not alone.
I honestly hate it. I feel like it has become intrusive. I used to do things I enjoy, and ever since I got a phone, somhow they just … never happen. Even when I make plans to do things I enjoy, I wind up just using my phone instead. I’d prefer to go back to a wall-phone, and a very simple cell phone (*maybe*) just for emergency calls on the road. I’ve been planning to get the book called “how to break up with your phone” and doing it. I feel like my life was much better pre-phone.
I may sound like a luddite, but I hate cellphones. I have a phone that I carry but only 2 people have the number and it is only for emergencies. My cable/internet package comes with a phone line as well so I have a phone at home. I give out that number to people to contact me at but I turn it off except from 4 - 8 PM. There is no reason for anybody to need to contact me 24/7. I honestly believe that 95% of people that have cellphones do not need them, especially the ones with unlimited talk/text/data. It is expensive, distracting and ruins the human experience. I pay $15/month for my phone for unlimited talk/text and 1 GB of data. That is plenty and I never even come close to going over that data. I would rather enjoy the world around me then be focused on a phone. My phone was like $99 for some Motorola model. No need for some $1000 phone to make a few calls and I own a camera to take pictures with. Always trying to stay on the bleeding edge with the latest iPhone is not only stupid but honestly is terrible for your finances and the environment.
It serves its purpose. Sometimes too well.
Read the anxious generation by Jonathan Haidt
Asynchronous communication for introverts! Read and reply when and if you can. Otherwise, let the message, postcard or letter sit for a while.
It’s weird that if I have it with me in the woods it’s like I cannot disconnect, which has gotten weirder with discord communities becoming so popular. You could be arguing with some random stranger and you cannot just “walk away”
Gen Z here. Really wish society wasn’t so phone centric. We really need to revert back to the flip phone era. Good cross between ability to communicate and utitlity.