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Life is too short to waste distracted by a smartphone. I prefer to use a the large screen and keyboard of a laptop for communication. I am still using a 2G phon
by throwaway74737 5y ago
Life is too short to waste distracted by a smartphone. I prefer to use a the large screen and keyboard of a laptop for communication. I am still using a 2G phone with a B&W display for emergencies, for example if I get lost or held up meeting friends. Even then I'll have discussed a contingency with them - the old-fashioned way. I pay next to nothing to keep the account open, and the tap-texting naturally limits my desire to use it for more. Rue the day that GSM is shut down. I also have some text alerts set up from a script running at home to let me know about urgent things.
- whoibrar 5y agoDid you never get a smartphone (in a way most people do) or have you gone back to good ol days ? If former, what other ways you've adapted for essential stuff that need a smart device. If later, do you ever plan on getting a smartphone again ?
- GoblinSlayer 5y agoMy sister has a typical android smartphone and says the screen is too small for youtube and web browsing and prefers a notebook for those tasks.
- tester34 5y agoI've never bought smartphone because felt no need but the only things that make me really, really strongly consider getting smartphone is some form of Maps - let it be Google or something and ability to send&receive pictures (MMS suck) It's definitely possible to live with dumb phone, but stuff like maps, sending pictures and maybe access to email are sometimes incredibly handy
- jamix 5y agoKaiOS devices have all those features, they are just slow and not as convenient as on a smartphone.
- throwaway74737 5y agoI have tried them, iPhones are elegant, but I still don't need a golden ball and chain. In most cases, I can use the applications I need on the web, like my bank. I figure out destinations beforehand, writing things down, print directions out, or buy a paper map for a holiday. Lyft has a site called https://ride.lyft.com/ https://ride.lyft.com/ which lets you call a car on a normal browser. Open to using a car service or public transit. I would prefer not to have the burden of carrying a smartphone around with me. Once I took a month-long road trip with a friend. My camera broke, so all I have are journal entries written on hotel notepads. Best time of my life.
- L0in 5y agoCan you share more advice for a 23 year old who wants to dump the "social internet?"
- throwawaynay 5y agoPersonally I use an app/domain blocker on my android phone, and I block social networks from /etc/hosts on my laptop, I also use the command "chattr +i /etc/hosts" to make it harder to unblock the social networks I blocked. Now the only social network I still use is Linkedin. But I also "waste" my time on other stuff now, so I don't know if it's better, the brain always find new ways to procrastinate I guess.
- throwaway74737 5y agoHappy to. It requires being willing to change anything in your life to make the whole thing better. That is frightening. A smartphone and social media can end up being a kind of security blanket, it gives you a cheap dopamine hit, so remind yourself that cowboys did without not long ago. Religious Jews still give it up for a day and a night every week, getting together to eat and talk face to face, and maybe play a board game. It means being willing to reorient yourself so that you have a different circle of friends. That does not mean that you are giving up on your current ones! You might try different things and find that you find meaning in boxing, doing something physical in your neighborhood, or making a craft or music. When you set boundaries up front - "hey, I won't be using Insta, but we can still make plans by phone/email, rehearse, play these gigs, and post our recordings to Bandcamp" - you will discover who is good enough to allow into your life, because they respect your time by keeping appointments.