I'm considering tossing the smartphone for the quiet simple life.

[Porn Shop Clerk]

maybe the smartphone abuse is just a symptom of larger emotional and psychological issues

[Chimera]

My poo breaks would only be like 2 minutes long without my phone.

[Captroop]

Here's why I would like to ditch my smart phone; I would have an excuse for ignoring people.

 

When we only had land lines and answering machines, you could ignore people for weeks on end. Now with our primary means of communication constantly on our hip, it's hard say, "Oh, I didn't get your text that you wanted me to help you move. Yeah, I've been using the phone for a week since you sent it, but somehow I didn't notice that icon in the top left corner telling me I had an unread text. Sorry, bro."

[Darth Biscuit]

I only ignore people that aren't worth talking to.

 

I love my smart phone.  It helps me with work and it provides information all the time that is insanely useful to me.

 

We are teaching our kids to not over use them, but kids flock to tech like flies to poo.

 

I personally have no problem interacting with people face to face smartphone or no.  What's the difference in sitting in a waiting room (best example I can think of) browsing your smart phone than browsing a magazine or newspaper?  None.  I don't typically have the desire to talk to perfect strangers anyway.

 

 

Now I've never been one for talking on the phone myself, so texting is a big plus for me.  What's the point in a 5 minute phone call to determine when someone will arrive when they can simply text "be there in 5" and I can say "OK" and be done?

 

Just like anything, they can be abused and overused...  if you don't want one, don't use one.  Pretty simple concept.

[dos poptarts]

Exactly. The smartphones are a high tech version of the Southern phrase "fixin too". We read and comment on so many things that OTHERS seem to be doing.

 

I don't know. I had a epiphany about two weeks ago about time best spent and doing things i enjoy.

 

A interesting indication of how far we come(or gone down) with our usuage of cell phones is memory. Not the phones but our own. I use to could memorize close to a dozen phone #'s. Now I'm lucky if I remember 2 or 3. I have to look at my phone.

 

Also, there is something cool and serendipitous about getting lost and having to ask for directions if your map doesn't get you where you want to go. You meet cool and interesting people and end up off the beaten path to perhaps a better place than your original destination.

 

Maybe it's my contrarian blood.

 

Heh. my friend is very similar....especially when he travels to other countries. he asks for directions instead of a map. He will note the first 3-4 instructions and follow those. He will then ask someone at the end of those, rinse, repeat. He meets alot of people this way. It wasn't entirely for that purpose...he can't really remember complicated instructions, but he makes it work for him.

 

[Happy Panther]

I need mine for work but If I didn't run a business I would leave it behind often.

[Montsta]

I'm with you pstall. I recently had a conversation with my 12 year old daughter about not becoming a drone like everyone else by being tied to her iPhone 24/7. I absolutely do not allow phones while we eat dinner, and if we go out to eat they are left in the car. Once a year we go camping in the cuts with zero cell service, and it's the best 4-5 days of my whole year. My parents go, family friends and people on my dad's softball team. We go fishing, play games, and sit around the fire at night just talking. It's the only time I get to actually interact with people and I love it.

My dad's buddy was an asshole for as long as I'd known him and he came camping with us last year and I had a blast with the guy. He was down to earth and had a great time. I'm trying to stay off my phone more and more while I'm with people and interact.

For as much as I use my phone during the day, if a phone only emp blast knocked them offline for a week, I sure wouldn't lose any sleep.

[pstall]

i was browsing for some "dumb" phones today. I'm leaning more towards it.

 

i refuse to be a robotic follower in life. i just don't have it in my DNA.

[SZ James (banned)]

what if you just used it in moderation? is that possible?

[lightsout]

I have a straight talk. $50 a month for unlimited talk and text and about 2 GB of data that I hardly use for anything at all.

I only use it for talking and texting, and I do both relatively little (though, that has gone up for me, as my dating life is finally giving me results that have progressed to "text throughout the day when we're not busy and call each other at night" phase). It's refreshing to not be as "plugged in" as other 20-somethings. I literally go outside to just sit on the porch and enjoy the weather and scenery. I talk with people when I go out in public. I pay attention to the road and traffic so I don't miss a chance to bitch at old people turning at 2 MPH after riding half a mile with their blinker on.

[Brooklyn Bully]

I have a smart phone but don't live my life through it. It's easy to do. But it's sad how it's become people's whole entire life.

[Goondal]

I have no smart phone and have no interest in one.  Take the extra money and buy something important, like alcohol.

[nickzz]

crazy people itt

[Murph]

I've been cutting back myself. I just got my first and only smartphone last fall and quickly got hooked. Over the past few months I have backed off a little.