3 ms·

funny thing, I forgot to bring my phone today, at first I was a bit "Oh Crap!" but I've realized :- 1) I don't actually need it for anything important and I'm

funny thing, I forgot to bring my phone today, at first I was a bit "Oh Crap!" but I've realized :- 1) I don't actually need it for anything important and I'm super connected via computers for most of the day except when commuting 2) It is a security blanket that feels a bit odd to be without, but I did live most of my life without one 3) Now that I'm forced to look at my fellow train commuters I can see that everyone is looking down at their phones and I have to look at the scenery :)

mehrdadn 8y ago
Not sure if this is different based on the culture, but I feel like commuting on a train is the time when having a phone to keep your mind occupied might actually have some of its highest usefulness. In a lot of other social situations you can hope to strike up a conversation with someone you actually might interact with again instead of constantly staring at your phone, but when commuting, people just want to work or sleep or chat or otherwise just be left alone, and the one that tries to strike up a conversation with strangers ends up looking like a weirdo way too frequently, if not being outright bothersome to those around them trying to sleep or focus.
- johnpowell 8y ago
  When I was a kid we used books for this. And I still do since I am to cheap to pay for data on my phone.
  - mehrdadn 8y ago
    Books are obviously fine too! I was just trying to say the phone is handy here due to the inability to socialize, not that there aren't other things that you could do.
- dudul 8y ago
  It is also very healthy to be able to be alone with your own thoughts once in a while.
ullarah 8y ago
Flip phones are also generally limiting in terms of accessibility though (unless they've changed??). Using the phone as a magnifier, or text to speech comes to mind. I think at the end of the day it comes down to the sheer willpower of using the smartphone when you need it the most.

mehrdadn 8y ago

Not sure if this is different based on the culture, but I feel like commuting on a train is the time when having a phone to keep your mind occupied might actually have some of its highest usefulness. In a lot of other social situations you can hope to strike up a conversation with someone you actually might interact with again instead of constantly staring at your phone, but when commuting, people just want to work or sleep or chat or otherwise just be left alone, and the one that tries to strike up a conversation with strangers ends up looking like a weirdo way too frequently, if not being outright bothersome to those around them trying to sleep or focus.

johnpowell 8y ago
When I was a kid we used books for this. And I still do since I am to cheap to pay for data on my phone.
- mehrdadn 8y ago
  Books are obviously fine too! I was just trying to say the phone is handy here due to the inability to socialize, not that there aren't other things that you could do.
dudul 8y ago
It is also very healthy to be able to be alone with your own thoughts once in a while.

ullarah 8y ago

Flip phones are also generally limiting in terms of accessibility though (unless they've changed??). Using the phone as a magnifier, or text to speech comes to mind. I think at the end of the day it comes down to the sheer willpower of using the smartphone when you need it the most.