4 ms·

Allow me to offer an opposing anecdote: smartphone means fuck all to me. It changed nearly nothing in my life. Most of the time I don't even know where my smart

by Radim 5y ago

Allow me to offer an opposing anecdote: smartphone means fuck all to me. It changed nearly nothing in my life. Most of the time I don't even know where my smartphone is (except for car navigation). Do people really consider smartphones "more impressive" / impactful than the World Wide Web?

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
wott 5y ago
> smartphone means fuck all to me. It changed nearly nothing in my life. Sure, that's the same to me, I don't even own one. But that's not how the majority feels and acts. And there's been another acceleration in the last 2-3 years, where more business and, worse, official administrative stuff is pushed on the smartphone (as mobile-first). One fresh anecdote. 2 hours ago, I watched the news, and the presenter was explaining how you didn't actually need to have you Covid Pass on your mobile: "you can have it on paper, on a sheet you know, and then er... you fold it and put it in your pocket, er... like we used to do in ancient times." "Like we used to do in ancient times", she said. And she felt the need to explain how to carry a stupid paper... (she was that close to tell people how many times they should fold it, and how to unfold it.) At home, we were like WTF? For many people, doing everything and the rest on the smartphone has become not only normal, but the primary way of doing, and the only way of doing they know. Other ways are already being marginalised.
- Radim 5y ago
  I guess you're right. TBH I didn't expect that offering my point of view would unleash such storm of downvotes. Clearly many people consider their phone not only a useful device, but a core part of their identity. To each his own.
Gibbon1 5y ago
That computers don't seem to be correlated with productivity improvements is a thing. And also despite the huge valuations of tech companies, their secondary effects on the economy appear to become negative quickly. That's very much unlike for instance GM in the 1950's. Where GM had a huge valuation. And spawned secondary businesses that themselves had large collective valuations.

by Radim 5y ago

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

wott 5y ago

> smartphone means fuck all to me. It changed nearly nothing in my life. Sure, that's the same to me, I don't even own one. But that's not how the majority feels and acts. And there's been another acceleration in the last 2-3 years, where more business and, worse, official administrative stuff is pushed on the smartphone (as mobile-first). One fresh anecdote. 2 hours ago, I watched the news, and the presenter was explaining how you didn't actually need to have you Covid Pass on your mobile: "you can have it on paper, on a sheet you know, and then er... you fold it and put it in your pocket, er... like we used to do in ancient times." "Like we used to do in ancient times", she said. And she felt the need to explain how to carry a stupid paper... (she was that close to tell people how many times they should fold it, and how to unfold it.) At home, we were like WTF? For many people, doing everything and the rest on the smartphone has become not only normal, but the primary way of doing, and the only way of doing they know. Other ways are already being marginalised.

Radim 5y ago
I guess you're right. TBH I didn't expect that offering my point of view would unleash such storm of downvotes. Clearly many people consider their phone not only a useful device, but a core part of their identity. To each his own.

Gibbon1 5y ago

That computers don't seem to be correlated with productivity improvements is a thing. And also despite the huge valuations of tech companies, their secondary effects on the economy appear to become negative quickly. That's very much unlike for instance GM in the 1950's. Where GM had a huge valuation. And spawned secondary businesses that themselves had large collective valuations.