I just came across the result on a survey about mobile phones and I just had to share it! The survey was made by a a company specialising in phone cases and they asked the mobile phone users about their relationship to their phones. Some of the result are worrying, to say the least: "22% confessed they would prefer to live without their partner than manage without their phone." "38% admit the cost of repairing a broken phone upsets them more than anything else." Here's the full result poster: ONE IN 5 WOULD PREFER TO LIVE WITHOUT THEIR PARTNER THAN THEIR PHONE!
I swore for years I would never get one, then ended up bowing to peer pressure. The only reasons I use it are to receive emergency calls, or to tether my Kindle or net book to it so I can browse/research wherever I am. The internet has pretty much done away with my need to communicate via phone... if it wasn't for using it as a mobile hot spot, I'd likely not bother with one.
I have one on 'pay as you go' so I can phone taxis, etc, but I keep it turned off unless I'm expressly intending to meet somebody out and about, and want to be able to communicate if something goes haywire. I think it's a great invention for things like this, but to go around with it beeping constantly, or having it clutched in my hand 24/7? No. That's just too strange. People say to me ...well, how can I get hold of you if you don't keep it turned on? I say ...you can't. That's the point. I don't want to be contactable when I'm out. When I'm out, I'm out. How on earth did we ever manage our lives before these things appeared? I have a landline that takes messages. Phone me on that! I just returned from a 4-hour bus trip up north, and in both directions there were people on the bus yapping constantly into their phones the whole way. It was VERY irritating, as they spoke louder than they would have done to somebody sitting next to them. It was impossible to ignore the gist of what they were saying. Next trip I'm taking earplugs.
Yup... I get that all the time. I just don't like to be at peoples beck and call 24/7. A friend and I had lunch today, and I was on the verge of hiding his phone when he nipped to the gents. Seriously, I had to listen to several calls from his place of work, his mother, his sister, a couple of mates. All I wanted to do was sit and eat my Korean braised lamb in companionable silence.
Ooh, I think that's the height of rudeness. Unless there is a real emergency, to talk to somebody on your phone while you're out with somebody else at the time is NOT on. Grrr. I get mad if they're texting all the time as well. Dammit. Freaky.
@jannert The worst thing is that he felt really awkward, but thought he would appear rude if he didn't take the calls. Personally, I don't bow to being complicit in the destruction of my privacy.
Well, you could have removed his guilt by chucking the thing down the toilet for him. Always nice to spare somebody's blushes...
I do have a mobile phone, though it is not a smart phone (still has touch screen though). I only use it when I've made an appointment with someone or if we're out somewhere and might get separated. When we're traveling I rarely bring any kind of tech with me, a good book is enough, and there is always sightseeing to do. @jannert, I agree with everything you said. It's horrid to go to restaurants nowadays, people all around you just sit with their goddamn phones, ignoring their company (which does the same). Actually it wouldn't surprise me if those "sitting at that table over there" were texting with each other... Same thing in school, and oh even in the streets! People who just keep walking while texting, crossing streets and turning corners without ever looking up to see where they are going! Maybe we should legislate against using phones in public places...
I got a pay-as-you-go cell phone 8-9 years ago (maybe longer), simply because having a phone in the house (not even using it, just having it there) was costing an arm and a leg each month. No internet, no camera thingy, just a few basics like calendar, calculator, phone book. I still have it, still use it. I have caller ID, so unless it's someone I really want to talk to, I don't usually answer; they can leave a message if it's that important. The only reason I leave it on is in case of emergencies.
I've had two different phones, both inherited from my father. The first one was probably close to 10 years when I got it, and a few years later I found the exact same in a museum... A couple of years after that I received a newer one (which I'm still using). I think I has a camera and there is an internet browser on it, but I never use it. Also, I've been wondering for quite a while what would happen if the Mobile Network and the Internet were shut down for a week. Anyone willing to help me find out?
I actually must admit that my phone has a good bit of control over me. I work as an independent contractor in a field (interpreting & translating) that is brutally competitive. When a commission comes in, my response time needs to be measured in single digit minutes; else, someone else will be tapped for it. My smartphone lets me receive the commission, download the documents, scan them quickly in order to ensure that satisfying the commission fits in with other commitments already on my plate, and respond no matter where I am. It's not a toy for me; it's part of my livelihood.
These tools are at our disposal to use as we see fit. Yours keeps you living in the style to which you have have become accustomed, in the face of competition. Nothing wrong with that... it's a means to an end. My last place of work had to enforce a mobile ban on its employees due to work not getting done. Some people would rather mooch off in a dark corner and play Candy Crush on FB, than doing the job that pays them enough to have a decent smartphone in the first place. Of course, these people made out like their civil rights were being violated. I remember a time when my mother's house didn't even have a land line. I'm still here. The earth didn't get struck by a giant meteor. I really do think the advent of the smart phone and peoples attachment to them has a lot to do with internet addiction, rather than matters of security, or reassurance. A hit on a leash, so to speak. If my phone was to break tomorrow, I reckon most of my time would be spent trawling second hand book shops and paying library visits. I'd be doing the same things, just would have to go to more effort to do so.
I find it very odd to watch two (younger usually) people out for dinner together and they think nothing of stopping a conversation in mid stream to answer a text. Unfortunately, I think that people read less because of them as well. The reams of banal comments passing back and forth between friends and lovers is too daunting for my imagination to handle.
I'd be lost without my phone. Since I haven't finished my thesis yet, I'm not a "real" teacher so I sub a lot, which means I get calls from different schools, and I want to be able to pick the call up when it comes just in case it turns out to be a good, doable gig. I also read ebooks with it. Funny how the person sitting opposite me on the train with a "real" book doesn't get the stinky eye from the older folk even though we're doing the same thing. I might even be a little more ecological with my ebook, despite the electricity usage. Sometimes I go shopping etc. with the handsfree on and chat with my husband. I look like a crazy person talking to herself, but somehow that's more annoying to others than if I was talking to someone next to me. I make less noise alone, so what gives? I read from somewhere that the reason people get pissy about other people on the phone on trains and buses etc is 'cause they can only eavesdrop on half of the conversation. When I tear my eyes off my smartphone and look around the packed train, most of the people who haven't found a seat are immersed in their phones. Before phones they just stared blankly ahead. No one said anything anyway. I don't know why we should go back to staring blankly ahead. Finns don't start talking with strangers, we don't do smalltalk (well, I do, and sometimes make people feel weird and annoyed), so I think it's just a good thing we have something more or less productive to do with our phones while standing 10-20 mins in the packed vestibule of the train. But people who walk with a book in hand are so much better, right? I see those from time to time, usually a twenty-something black-clad boy/girl with a fantasy novel open in their hands as they weave their way through the throng. The only place where phones really piss me off is the classroom. Unless you confiscate the damn thing, kids do nothing but listen to music, play games, show funny vids on youtube to each other etc.
I can totally understand how a mobile phone is a godsend to certain people, and for certain jobs. Before I retired, I worked as an Old Dragon in my local doctor's surgery, and it was fantastic when they finally got mobile phones, and we could phone the doctors when they were out, without having to try to track them down via patients' private phones. I also think they're great to have while traveling in case of emergencies. I wouldn't be without one. However, I keep mine turned OFF unless I need it for something ...which usually occurs about twice a month. It's a decidedly StupidPhone that doesn't even take photos. It was interesting to read @KaTrian's observation that she makes less noise talking alone than she would talking to someone face-to-face. You'd think so, wouldn't you? Strangely, that's not been my experience. On my recent long distance bus trip, the ONLY conversations that rang out loud and clear were the people gabbing loudly into their mobile phones. The folks sitting side by side talking were only murmuring, and it wasn't the least bit disturbing. Just background noise. However, the near-shouted mobile conversations were clear as a bell, and believe me I did NOT want to 'eavesdrop.' The one way conversation was uninteresting at best, scream-inducing at worst. The he-said-then-I-said-then-she-said-then-I-said kind of 'exchange'—if you could call it an exchange, because I don't think the other person ever got a word in edgeways. I felt like warbling 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall as loudly as I could, or reciting The Yarn of the Nancy Belle, to see if they'd take the hint. I did find myself muttering (not as loudly as I should have done, but I didn't want to get flung off the bus) "Shut up, shut up, effing SHUT UP...!"
That is annoying, but I really can't say if it's a trend; that people who're on the phone speak louder than those with "real" company. Must do some observing next time I'm out and about... On the other hand, if some people speak too loudly nearby, I put on the earphones -- if I haven't already. Then I can listen to what I want.
@KaTrian - Well just from your behaviour on this forum, I imagine you're one of the courteous users who doesn't get up everybody's wick with your phone. Earplugs ...believe me, I will be carrying them next time. Earphones, no ...I don't have an iPod either. I just like to stare out the window and let my mind wander while I'm traveling—hence the 'staring blankly ahead' look. Not only am I paying attention to the scenery (which in Scotland is pretty fine) but I also come up with story ideas, character interchanges, actual snippets of dialogue, find many solutions to story problems and other writing-related issues. In fact, I carry a notebook and pen to jot ideas down. So I was REALLY annoyed this trip that the intrusive yakking destroyed my ability to daydream. I got to Inverness with nothing entered into my notebook, and on the way back I only managed to jot one or two thoughts down before the yakking started again. It wasn't the sound level so much as the fact I couldn't drown out the words. "Look, look at me folks, aren't you impressed? I have a phone AND a friend...!" Yes, yes. Goo goo.
Im not overly big on constant socializing but I like my phone nonetheless. I don't need one the fancy ones but I appreciate a nice touch screen when texting. I use it for like 4 things, so I am on the cheapest plan I could get. 50$, little less actually, and unlimited everything. 1, keep on touch with my man. We can't see each other everyday, so its nice to still be able to say good morning or how was your say. 2, music. I enjoy listening to.it on when im on the go. 3, work related calls. I don't pick up half the time, though 4, GPS, banking, and taxis. I NEED my phone but I could easily live without it. I'd just have to change my habits or plan certain.things differently Anyone wonder whether phones and social media are conditioning us to have a.constant need of.contact or proximity to those around us? Like a virtual community where loss of contact is stressful or panic inducing?
@KaTrian: I personally find nothing wrong with people using a handsfree when calling people, just as I have nothing against people talking with their friends over the phone the non-handsfree way. What does disturb me, however, is those who text/look at their phones all the time, neglecting their company; people answering calls or texts in the middle of conversations or meetings; and people who does not watch where they are going because they have to look at their screens 24/7. In short: Why would people use their phones in the company of friends or family? Come on, you're supposed to socialise with them, not play Candy Crush! Umm... Didn't think of that one. I actually can't remember ever seeing it... Though of course it would be just as annoying as someone poking around on a screen, and thus a legislation would have to prohibit usage of more or less everything in public places. Not a good idea.
Lol, I hear ya. People have different ways to travel, I suppose By staring blankly ahead I meant these gray-faced Finns who kind of like look at nothing or possibly at the floor, not at the beautiful landscape outside (what beautiful landscape? I haven't even seen daylight today!). I daydream with the earphones on, I like my dreams to have soundtracks I also tend to read something with the phone 'cause often I can't fit even a paperback in my bag what with all the school books and folders and the laptop... Yeah, I know. The having dinner with someone and texting -behavior is a bit weird. I think I've become pretty good at dodging objects while tapping on the phone. With the touch screen you can't feel the keys so it's less tactical-practical, but the human eye is a funny thing, catches a lot. I don't do it much though. Too paranoid for that (there're pickpockets and such in the city center which I frequent a lot). My dad's 60yo wife is mad about Candy Crush. Even I can't get excited about that. Another thing I like about phones and texting: I never used to really keep in touch with my Dad. Then he learned to text.
I can't say I've seen that many people walking around reading a book - most seem to like to settle in some place to read. As to the eavesdropping - god, you can't help it! As mentioned, people don't just talk to the person on the phone - they seem intent on letting the whole world in on their conversations. And some of the intimate things they talk about - gag me. I still haven't gotten used to those handsfree things - unbelievable how many glares I get because I say "Excuse me?", thinking they're asking me a question when they're actually talking to the air - er, phone.
I once went on a date. The guy was on his phone, texting his sister non-stop. He even admitted to being a little drunk.. I was bored and annoyed as hell. I left pretty quickly, and he texted me to apologize and say he'd like to do it again and wishes he had kissed me... One.. do what again? text your sister for an hour? And I wouldn't have let him get that close to me.. I was pissed. Same thing for dinner at a restaurant or whatever. Put your phone on the table on silent with no vibrate. Feel free to glance at if you get a text or call, and pick up if its someone important like your boss or you need to hear from your parents or something. Other than that, I think it's rude to interrupt an outing because some random person texted/called you without any urgency...
It annoys the hell out of me when I see a parent on their smartphone ignoring their child, and then producing a second phone for their child to play with. Pay attention.
