Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/07/18/the-joy-of-missing-out.html
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I do not and never have owned a smart phone, so this is all news to me.
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So, yet another article that blames the tool for problems created by how people misuse the tool.
My smartphone (Iphone SE) needs charging once every five or six days. I use it to keep track of my shopping list, as a memory aid, and to take photographs. Oh, and sometimes as a phone (well, text message machine). It’s far more useful to me than the dumbphone that it replaced.
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Sounds exactly like the opposite of local radio commercials for store sales. Also, -
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The Joy of Missing Out
I’m missing out right now.
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Roger that!
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I’ll admit to being an info junkie who spends a lot of time on-line for work and pleasure. It’s difficult for me to go more than three hours without looking at a screen.
I do put a lot of effort into indulging in my vice on my own terms, though. Avoiding social media sinkholes like FB and Twitter goes a long way toward that goal, as does turning off most notifications on my phone and laptop and using apps that don’t rely on cloud access to function. Then there are the social and psychological hacks: setting clear expectations and boundaries with family, friends, co-workers and clients when it comes to digital communications and having a healthy perspective on my on-line interactions with strangers.
The thing that worries me is that we seem to be barreling toward a Chinese-style social credit future where a lot of that won’t be possible.
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An you can TOTALLY QUIT ANY TIME YOU WANT, amirite?
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That sounds an awful lot like me, though I do like to keep certain notifications (calendar and weather-related apps). But Twitbook just isn’t for me under any circumstances, and I’d much prefer to use a desktop or laptop for discussion forums, not the least because then I have an actual keyboard. I used to check Google News when I ate out for lunch, but a) I don’t eat out much anymore and b) Google has ratfucked Firefox on Android with their latest changes to Google News.
I do run Strava for my bike rides, but I use a handle. If they ever demand my real name, *poof* it’s gone. I also run the Blitzortung lightning monitor, but set it to use coarse location. I set it to show an icon if lightning is within 50 miles, and start annoying me if there’s any within 25 miles.
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quote=“GoatCheezInfrno, post:9, topic:124557”]
I used to check Google News when I ate out for lunch, but a) I don’t eat out much anymore and b) Google has ratfucked Firefox on Android with their latest changes to Google News.
[/quote]
I use Feedly to get my news direct via RSS from the reputable sources I trust rather than having Google curate it for me (I do use Google News as a search engine). I use the Feedme app on my mobile so that I can review it offline before re-syncing, and use Pocket to save longer articles to be read offline on my mobile later. A healthy media diet heavy on text is also one of the things that keeps my info addiction manageable.
I turn location-tracking off on my phone for apps like that. I’m sure they know roughly where I am anyhow but why make things easier for the slow AIs?
I completely concur with this philosophy. If I did not need a smart phone for work I would not have one at all. When I am not at work, it is turned off and I disengage as much as I like. I spend much of my free time writing and frankly, I only have a handful of good friends with whom my social interaction is pre-planned during the work week. Unless you have my Ooma VOIP number, you can’t reach me on the weekends. Ahhhh… serenity.
And we know where you are comrade. You’re friend, Donald trump.
Yay! This is at least 9 characters.
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I use a free Sky Map app to look for stars and planets at night - that’s nice to have. But apart from that my use is probably similar to yours. I think I use the camera the most; I gave away my old digital camera after I’d had the phone for a year.
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I’ve stopped watching TV and i rarely make time to watch shows. Honestly i’ve been perfectly happy about it, occasionally i do make time for some shows but they’re few and far between. And if something really is must-see i’ll watch it eventually, either that or i just read enough about it that i don’t need to watch the show to get it. Looking at you Game of Thrones.
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Lies, needs more toxicity and/or porn
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I’m a smartphone addict and I hate myself for it. A few days ago I was enjoying beautiful scenery in the California redwoods and there I was, like an idiot, taking pics with my phone and texting friends. I’m seriously considering a flip phone or something but I would hate to get rid of GPS apps.
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I have a smart phone, however 1.) it’s very outdated and slow, 2.) I don’t have any apps installed except the ones it came with, most of which I don’t use, ever, because it’s so slow (only google maps and occasional internet lookup) . I don’t even like texting people unless it’s important, the phone is primarily a phone for me.
I’ve been thinking recently about how my grandparents (who grew up in rural Europe in the 20’s with no electricity) used to complain about us watching TV all the time as kids, and how I basically had the jones for TV back then, I needed to watch every night. Then at college I didnt have access to a TV every night, and I was fine. Now I might occasionally watch, but mostly I have other stuff to do. I see people watching TV shows on their smartphones on the subway all the time, while I read books (not to brag about how intellectual I am, it’s just nicer to read than look at that tiny screen.)
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I have certain rules about smartphones. They don’t come out on dates, over the dinner table, during face-to-face meetings and discussions. When I’m touring someplace new or exploring someplace beautiful my mobile, when it comes out as all, acts only as a camera, a guidebook, and a map.
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