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I'm personally against using any instant messaging app, even more so if it's on a smartphone rather than on a desktop computer. I don't care how private they ar

by Funes- 7y ago

I'm personally against using any instant messaging app, even more so if it's on a smartphone rather than on a desktop computer. I don't care how private they are. Why? Well, I think it's an inefficient communication tool, and thus a huge waste of time. Modern instant messaging applications work by interrupting people and being interrupted by them constantly throughout the day, since there's no way to turn it off—in contrast, MSN Messenger didn't allow for offline messaging until 2005; most of the time you found yourself in front of the computer with the program opened if somebody sent you a message, ready to engage in conversation instead of dealing with anything else. Of course, you can turn the notifications off and check messages at a specific time every day, but good luck with that! If nested conversations without a subject attached to them, no character limit, and no formal way of telling when they either start or end aren't already put off enough and stretched out unnecessarily, imagine setting a time restriction to your responses. Imagine setting up a meeting or a date: as cumbersome and as long as it takes as it is, you'd spend a week trying to meet with somebody. Believe me, I've been there. I've tried it all: installing WhatsApp on a virtual machine with Android_x86 and only using it at night didn't solve a thing; still, a phone call was always faster and much more efficient in dealing with anything you can conceive. However, most people didn't want to pick up the phone; texting, on the other hand? I'd receive texts from people wanting to start full conversations there, to which they would respond every two or three hours. How can anyone do anything efficiently or be productive enough at work, or even enjoy hobbies, while doing that? I know I'm alone on this one, but it's really frustrating seeing how something that isolates us and separates us from our own lives, immediate environments, and thoughts will probably never stop growing. End of the rant.

papreclip 7y ago
> How can anyone do anything efficiently or be productive enough at work, or even enjoy hobbies, while doing that? by replying every 2 or 3 hours, when you're waiting in the elevator, or have some other idle time to fill >you can turn the notifications off and check messages at a specific time every day, but good luck with that some people simply ignore their notifications until they're ready to deal with them. they don't toggle some setting on their device, they simply choose to ignore the whole device. it varies from person-to-person and you might just not be personally suited to this kind of technology. personally, i read every email i get as soon as i get it, but i realize this is not the norm.
- Funes- 7y ago
  >by replying every 2 or 3 hours, when you're waiting in the elevator, or have some other idle time to fill Most people don't seem to do that. Most people I know, in fact, check their phones while driving, during lectures, during meals with friends and family, walking the dog (poor things), in the gym, walking down the street... I mean, you see it every day. Those aren't ideal times at which you should be checking your phone. Moreover, idle time can be hugely beneficial to rest our minds, relax, or to quietly reflect on important things about our lives. >some people simply ignore their notifications until they're ready to deal with them. they don't toggle some setting on their device, they simply choose to ignore the whole device. it varies from person-to-person and you might just not be personally suited to this kind of technology. If having your smartphone around occupies some of your cognitive capacity [0], imagine trying to "ignore notifications". You are keeping your mind busy with endless conversations kept on the air. I don't think anyone is suited to this kind of devices, because the software they run on has been designed to keep you glued to it [1]. I just don't tolerate it as much as other people, I think. [0] https://news.utexas.edu/2017/06/26/the-mere-presence-of-your-smartphone-reduces-brain-power/ https://news.utexas.edu/2017/06/26/the-mere-presence-of-your.... [1] Tristan Harris has talked at length about it, among other people.
scalio 7y ago
You're not alone, I feel you. The pendulum will swing back. Let's hope it does so quickly.
- Funes- 7y ago
  Thank you, I really appreciate it.

by Funes- 7y ago

papreclip 7y ago

> How can anyone do anything efficiently or be productive enough at work, or even enjoy hobbies, while doing that? by replying every 2 or 3 hours, when you're waiting in the elevator, or have some other idle time to fill >you can turn the notifications off and check messages at a specific time every day, but good luck with that some people simply ignore their notifications until they're ready to deal with them. they don't toggle some setting on their device, they simply choose to ignore the whole device. it varies from person-to-person and you might just not be personally suited to this kind of technology. personally, i read every email i get as soon as i get it, but i realize this is not the norm.

Funes- 7y ago
>by replying every 2 or 3 hours, when you're waiting in the elevator, or have some other idle time to fill Most people don't seem to do that. Most people I know, in fact, check their phones while driving, during lectures, during meals with friends and family, walking the dog (poor things), in the gym, walking down the street... I mean, you see it every day. Those aren't ideal times at which you should be checking your phone. Moreover, idle time can be hugely beneficial to rest our minds, relax, or to quietly reflect on important things about our lives. >some people simply ignore their notifications until they're ready to deal with them. they don't toggle some setting on their device, they simply choose to ignore the whole device. it varies from person-to-person and you might just not be personally suited to this kind of technology. If having your smartphone around occupies some of your cognitive capacity [0], imagine trying to "ignore notifications". You are keeping your mind busy with endless conversations kept on the air. I don't think anyone is suited to this kind of devices, because the software they run on has been designed to keep you glued to it [1]. I just don't tolerate it as much as other people, I think. [0] https://news.utexas.edu/2017/06/26/the-mere-presence-of-your-smartphone-reduces-brain-power/ https://news.utexas.edu/2017/06/26/the-mere-presence-of-your.... [1] Tristan Harris has talked at length about it, among other people.

scalio 7y ago

You're not alone, I feel you. The pendulum will swing back. Let's hope it does so quickly.

Funes- 7y ago
Thank you, I really appreciate it.