Living Without a Cell Phone

[minimalistgeneration]

Cell phones came with a promise to change our lives and make communication convenient at all times while reality suggests the contrary. The purpose of this invention has been defeated since we started using it as a means of entertainment and these days our lives depend on them. Every second of our waking lives is linked to our cell phones in one way or another; it serves for every task except the one it was designed for i.e. communication.
The modern age brought us smart phones, which really is a complete waste of time and energy if you scrutinize how they are being used. Every man and his dog uses a cell phone, the communication gap has increased instead of getting bridged, two people living in the same house do not talk for days because hey!
Who needs to talk when you can text? Our emotions, opinions and greetings have been reduced to text messages. We have become socially inept while trying to be socially active. http://www.minimalistgeneration.com/living-without-a-cell-phone.html

[Miss Cellane]

Classic blaming the technology.

If two people living in the same house choose to text each other--and it is a *choice*, the phones are not forcing them to text--it is because they prefer that method of communication to face to face speech.

The phones appear to be the problem. But what's really happening is that the phones are highlighting existing problems.

And thanks to technology, I can Skype with my brother and his family, who live on another continent. Back when I was a kid, in the 1960s, and the military stationed my father overseas, he had to make an appointment with the phone company to make a long-distance call back to the US on holidays, so we could talk to our grandparents and extended family. Now I can email my brother and get an answer in less than 24 hours, instead of the weeks that sending a letter and a reply would take.

Thanks to smart phones and tablets, my nephew was able to participate in some school activities when he was home-bound for three months after surgery.

The technology is not good or bad. It simply is.

It is how people use it that can be good or bad.

[ToomuchStuff]

Classic blaming the technology.

The technology is not good or bad. It simply is.

It is how people use it that can be good or bad.
+1, but this goes with money and other things as well.
Of course there still are normal landlines one can choose. Also, some of us use a non smart phone type of cell phone. (and I have texting blocked)
Be responsible for your own choices and actions, your not being forced.

Realistically though, your (the original poster) a cross between a spammer and a journalist. You want to get attention to your site, without posting anything here, that doesn't link back to it. (spammer) You want drama, in hopes that it brings back people to your site (journalism).

[SteveinMN]

The original post does have a whiff of clickbait about it.... Interesting how so many of this poster's posts end in a link to his/her blog. I wonder if the blog links to Finnish lending institutions....:devil:

I know lots of people who do not own smartphones. I do not know a single dog who owns a cell phone (though I'm sure they wish they had thumbs so they could use one). I know lots of people who own smartphones who do not have them glued to their faces at all hours.

The poster also seems not to recognize why the behavior the (s)he dislikes so much might be so wildly popular. As an example, the idea of younger people generating hundreds of texts a month is a bit mindboggling at first contemplation. But texting is much easier than calling someone, waiting for their answering machine message, leaving the message, and waiting -- for the "I'll call you right back" or checking my voicemail because the person I contacted responded but I could not get to the phone. I can respond to a text in far more places than I can respond to a voice call.

Honestly, in a world fouled by pollution and greed, I can think of better causes than fighting the telephone habits of billions. At least these folks are trying to connect with others.

[Gardenarian]

Of course some people get sucked into their cell phones, having the internet in their pockets, feeling they have to videorecord every moment of their lives, playing games while waiting in line. As for the young people who are so attached to them - well, I vaguely remember being a teenager myself, and strictly preventing anyone from making calls while I was hoping someone would call me.

Most people use cell phones to replace activities they would be doing anyway: checking the time, taking photographs, making phone calls, listening to music, checking their email. If you wouldn't be annoyed by someone looking at their wristwatch, listening to their iPod, or taking a photo, why should you be annoyed if they do so with their phone?

I'm actually quite fond of texting. It encourages people to be concise and respond in a timely manner, without the awkwardness of a phone call or the negative energy of an email (I don't know why it is; texts are generally well received, but emails just tend to go to the dark side.)

In the meantime, television viewing is going way down. :)

[ToomuchStuff]

The original post does have a whiff of clickbait about it.... Interesting how so many of this poster's posts end in a link to his/her blog. I wonder if the blog links to Finnish lending institutions....:devil:.


Can you list ANY that don't contain a link back?

[SteveinMN]

Can you list ANY that don't contain a link back?
A search found maybe half-a-dozen posts by the OP. I didn't look at all of them, but every one I saw had a link back. Call it giving the benefit of the doubt... ;)

[Greg44]

I had a "pay as you go" flip phone -with pull out antenna! ;) But I found I rarely used it. I am either at work or home, so that is about as connected as I want to be. PLUS my boss is a HUGE smart phone guy and routinely calls co-workers at home about work. I did not want to get sucked into that one. With that said, there have been times when a cell phone would have been very convenient.

1. waiting for my dd in the car, could call her and tell her I AM READY NOW! 2. Finding my dw at the factory stores. 3. Having a sense of security when I am on a long bike ride or driving in my "older car" home some dark and rainy night.

[rosarugosa]

Hey Greg: It sounds like we're trading places. DH & I made it up to about a month ago without any cellphone at all. We managed quite well for the most part. Never having that connectivity meant that we planned our logistics accordingly, so it didn't really feel like any kind of an inconvenience. In the past few months though, we've had some situations where the subway really failed to deliver, and DH was waiting patiently for me - for hours - while I was going all over the place trying to make my way home. It was frustrating to know he would have come to pick me up anywhere if he had only known, and of course it was extremely tedious for him just sitting there. So now we have a $30. pay-as-we go flip phone that DH takes when he goes to the train station to get me. (There are still pay phones in all the train stations, so I should be able to make a call if necessary). The phone came with 20 free minutes, and I think we still have about 17 of them.

[awakenedsoul]

Gregg, I know what you mean. I canceled my land line to save money. I use a Jitterbug cell phone now. When I had my bike accident, I used it to call 911. It was such a relief to have it at that time. I keep it on vibrate when I'm in public. It sure is convenient, though.

[larknm]

DH and I have never had a cellphone. Our landline is sufficient, no problem.

[JaneV2.0]

I wouldn't not have a cell phone; they're cheap insurance and a lot more convenient (not to mention sanitary) than the soon-to-be-extinct pay phone. I may not ever have a smart phone, but I may update my pay-as-you-go flip phone for one with a camera.

[rosarugosa]

Jane: Our $30. Tracfone has a camera, believe it or not.

[JaneV2.0]

Rosarugosa--perfect!

[kib]

I have actually come to the conclusion that my cell phone is one of my most valued possessions. Ok, not as priceless as the two darling pudge balls who insist on sharing my chair, providing so much hum it's like getting a massage, but nevertheless, very high on the list of practical appliances.

I know a lot of people complain of "phone zombies". I'm not into the whole constant interaction mode of phones, the selfie generation, but I don't see even that as evil, it's just a different way of communicating - and expressing oneself - to other real people who aren't in the room. For me, this device just takes the place of two dozen items no one ever complained about, and i don't see the problem. It's my solitaire deck. it's my library book, my magazine, my newspaper. it's my tv and my vcr. it's my camera and my photo album. it's my address book. it's my sears catalog. it's my calendar. it's my dictionary, my encyclopedia and my research textbook. it's my alarm clock, it's my watch. It's my walkman, it's my transistor radio, it's my record collection. it's even my flashlight. And, oh yeah, it replaces a large box of landline phone equipment and a collection of payphones. So what?? Frankly, as an environmentalist, I think that even though it's a resource beast, it's a lot less of one than the mountain of manufactured goods it replaces. It also makes it possible for me to have all that "Stuff" with me anywhere.

Clue for the clickbait: different font (and not one that enhances the reading experience). This was probably cut and pasted with a few edits for our tastes.

[JaneV2.0]

I'm still amazed that such a tiny instrument contains such a wealth of functions. I would add voice recorder, GPS, language tutor. and translator. I finally got around to adding Wi-Fi (only bought the gear a year or so ago), so now I can play around with a tablet. Ich bin eine Frau!

[ToomuchStuff]

I wouldn't not have a cell phone; they're cheap insurance and a lot more convenient (not to mention sanitary) than the soon-to-be-extinct pay phone. I may not ever have a smart phone, but I may update my pay-as-you-go flip phone for one with a camera.

On the soon to be extinct part, that may depend on local laws. In Missouri, if you have a 24 hour gas station, that isn't manned 24 hours (people can pay with cc/dc at night), it must have an emergency shut off, and a working pay phone for emergency notification. (a fire at the station)
Inside of a mall is the only other place I know of a couple of pay phones, otherwise.

[Selah]

I really enjoy having a smartphone. Would the original poster be as outraged if people were glued to paperback books while standing in line, as I used to be? Now I can just use my e-reader on my phone to read the same books and articles. Or if loving couples left notes for each other to enjoy reading while in another part of the house? Of course, people are slowly developing their own sense of phone use etiquette when in social situations, but that will come in time. One thing my phone can do for me is to give me voice-guided driving instructions and, even if I mess up and miss a turn, can get me back on track. This has saved me enormous amounts of time, money, stress, and opportunities I might have missed had I not been able to arrive on time. My car has also broken down in the past, and it's far safer and more convenient to call the towing service from the car, than to risk walking along the highway in 20F-degree Michigan weather in the middle of the night, hoping to find an exit ramp with an open truck stop, as I did in my college years.

[HappyHiker]

Maybe it's a question of whether we own the technology -- or the technology owns us. Many use tech wisely, some don't and are rather addicted.

Me, I live a life where a cell phone/samrt phone is not necessary...had one, never used it.

Now DH and I now share a Trac phone which we take along when traveling mostly. Comes in handy sometimes.

I know some who cannot be without some electronic device in their hands at all times and their minds are elsewhere. Kind of sad, little human interaction.

[JaneV2.0]

...
I know some who cannot be without some electronic device in their hands at all times and their minds are elsewhere. Kind of sad, little human interaction.

I imagine most of the people you see are interacting with another party at the other end of their phone; there's a whole lot of texting going on out there.

[Gregg]

A smart phone can be a huge time suck if you let it. No different than the machine most of you are probably reading this on. That's operator error, not the fault of the tech.

I got an iPhone 6 about a week after they came out. I am by no means a phone zombie and only make/receive a few calls on any normal day. What I can do is text my daughter, answer almost any question, read or write in languages I do not know, turn down the stereo, check the forecast for anywhere before I leave on a trip, make a reservation at the kennel, pull up any song or almost any book I want to listen to or read, turn up the kitchen lights over the stove when I'm cooking, turn down the thermostat when I'm cooking, figure out all the details of my next golf shot, lock the garage door, leave myself notes, get birthday reminders a week ahead and on and on... Almost all of that can be done with voice commands. I could even call someone if I wanted to! To each their own, but I love the technology. I'm still on the learning curve regarding the apps I will use in my work, but have no doubt the phone will (FAR) more than pay for itself as soon as I get up to speed.

The only annoyance I have with any of it is the, IMO, over-use in social settings. We implemented a rule when we entertain. No devices at the table or in the mix-and-mingle areas. I usually have to hand out a few gentle reminders, but that's about it. Works for us.

[Tiam]

Classic blaming the technology.

If two people living in the same house choose to text each other--and it is a *choice*, the phones are not forcing them to text--it is because they prefer that method of communication to face to face speech.

The phones appear to be the problem. But what's really happening is that the phones are highlighting existing problems.

And thanks to technology, I can Skype with my brother and his family, who live on another continent. Back when I was a kid, in the 1960s, and the military stationed my father overseas, he had to make an appointment with the phone company to make a long-distance call back to the US on holidays, so we could talk to our grandparents and extended family. Now I can email my brother and get an answer in less than 24 hours, instead of the weeks that sending a letter and a reply would take.

Thanks to smart phones and tablets, my nephew was able to participate in some school activities when he was home-bound for three months after surgery.

The technology is not good or bad. It simply is.

It is how people use it that can be good or bad.


Yep, I go with this. I have a cellphone. It's nice that it takes pictures, and texting is convenient for quick communication. Other than that, I can take it or leave it. When I work, I leave it in my desk while I'm in the classroom. I don't look at it often, and actually don't like getting messages or calls for that matter. For me, it's just like the landline. It hasn't changed my life other than I can have with me to call AAA if I get a flat.

[ToomuchStuff]

Greg, let me ask you this ettiquette question.............

Are you on your cell phone when your interacting with others? (cashiers, bank tellers, etc)

When I run into people I know, and see them at a table in public, with their heads stuck in their phone while with someone, I give them grief and tell them they don't need to text the person on the other side of the table. But I also find it not only rude, but also not to their benefit, to not be paying attention to who they are dealing with. I've seen order that have been wrong (the taker either thought something they said on the phone was part of the order, or the phone user didn't hear the other party repeat back and incorrect order). Seen at both restaurants and the bank.
I did get a chuckle a couple of times when a casheir (once at a grocery store), just stood their and when the phone user said something, they pointed to us and the line and said we will wait.

Now emergencies happen (seen someone on the phone when they heard their wife went into labor), and in those cases, I just hope they don't drive (distracted driving isn't good).

[Reyes]

I have an old flip phone and pay a low monthly amount (no contract). If I'm going on a road trip or out of town for work I'll charge it up, but in day to day life don't have it with me.

[simplelife4me]

Cell phones are too cheap and good for an emergency to not have one, imo.