Cell Phone Addiction?

**luftfluss** · 08-12-2011, 10:46 AM

Originally posted by stevewig

Yes, I remember (vaguely) a recent incident where a girl walked into a mall pool whilst texting and then sued the mall!

Yeah, I saw the video. Funny.

**luftfluss** · 08-12-2011, 10:50 AM

People are social and define themselves thru their social connections. I'm a Luddite in the guise of a "tech dude", have a simple cell phone and don't text.

Tech stopped being truly fun about 10 years ago, and I've been slowly drifting away ever since.

NKK · 08-13-2011, 12:47 AM

Originally posted by Lex Madera

It seems to be more of an American phenomenon, as far as I can tell. You don't see this sort of obsessive behavior, certainly not to the degree here, at least in Europe. Note that you have a signal there EVERYWHERE, and WiFi is plentiful. But when people go to a public place, people socialize with the company that brung them.

I have a pay-as-you-go plan, make maybe 2 texts a day, and rarely make more than two brief calls a day. 99% to my SO. Thankfully, neither is she an addict.

That statement don't fit the Europe i'm living in :-)
It's insane how addicted people are to their phones.
Answering it everywhere, texting in the midle of conversations etc...

It is really annoying that people are not able to be without it for just a short time.

This is sent from my WP7 ;-)

TaoMaas · 08-13-2011, 07:11 AM

People ARE addicted to their cellphones. Frankly, I think it's narcissism run amok. Nobody really cares that much about what you do!! Your friends are only clicking "like" because it makes them look like they give a rat's ass about your every move, when they really don't!

Parallax · 08-13-2011, 10:33 AM

Originally posted by TaoMaas

Frankly, I think it's narcissism run amok.

Every time I see somebody going about their routine business with a Blue Tooth thingy stuck in their ear I can't help but wonder what gave them such an over inflated sense of self importance that they think they not only can't afford the risk of missing a phone call, but they have to make sure everybody knows it.

Rupert · 08-13-2011, 12:51 PM

I hate phones...home phones, cell phones, any phones. They are an indispensable nuisance.

The young......they are totally addicted and would surely die without their phones. I guess that like most things, there is both good and bad in their addiction. As an old guy, there are a lot of changes I have seen...some fantastic, some not so good. You just live with it.....

Regards!

redrockcoulee · 08-13-2011, 04:01 PM

I spend more time looking for my cell phone than using it, by a long way. I hope I left it at work Thursday otherwise I will have to phone it and hope I had it turned on. Cell phones have their purpose but if someone wants to visit me and uses their phone the entire time then have they actually visited?

Luddites were not anti technology they just did not want to be replaced by it. See no reason to use any technology that does not provide me with a benefit. Used tablets years before iPad for downloading off high speed cameras when in the sunlight because laptops could not be read. That was a good use for the tablet, using it because it is cool does not seem like a good reason. Getting more telemarketing calls is also not a good reason for a cell phone.

stevewig · 08-15-2011, 05:34 AM

Originally posted by redrockcoulee

I spend more time looking for my cell phone than using it, by a long way. I hope I left it at work Thursday otherwise I will have to phone it and hope I had it turned on. Cell phones have their purpose but if someone wants to visit me and uses their phone the entire time then have they actually visited?

Luddites were not anti technology they just did not want to be replaced by it. See no reason to use any technology that does not provide me with a benefit. Used tablets years before iPad for downloading off high speed cameras when in the sunlight because laptops could not be read. That was a good use for the tablet, using it because it is cool does not seem like a good reason. Getting more telemarketing calls is also not a good reason for a cell phone.

I think you and I probably agree!

Like everybody else I have a cell phone and it stays at home unless I have a specific need to take it with me - which is very, very rarely.

I pay "pay-as-you-go" and it costs me $100 a year and no more. If I pay my next $100 before the end of the year I retain the remaining balance from the previous year. So far I have over $300 available to me and I can dip into that when I am in South America or USA or Europe.

The convenience of a cell phone is worth that $100 a year - but NO MORE!

I also do not wish to be AVAILABLE to anybody and everybody 24 hours a day. There is a freedom in not scrambling for that phone every time and anytime some body wants me to. People know that I do not carry a cell phone and they leave me a message.I always deal with it in due course and people know that.

I hate walking around with a cell phone in my hand and I am bored by watching so many people sitting around "diddling" with their cell phones or having stupid conversations that I am trapped and forced into listening to.

It doesn't matter which part of the world you are in - same thing!

I always have ways of dealing with my spare time because I do not have CPA and, additionally, I am never bored!

If that makes me a Luddite then so be it!

**ChrisPlatt** · 08-28-2011, 05:59 PM

You Tube

Chris

Clicker · 08-28-2011, 06:25 PM

Wasn't there a news post early this year about a guys love of photography causing his accidental death here in Toronto?
Point being; don't look at the tool, look at the user.

stevewig · 08-30-2011, 08:17 AM

Originally posted by Clicker

Wasn't there a news post early this year about a guys love of photography causing his accidental death here in Toronto?
Point being; don't look at the tool, look at the user.

Hey Clicker (just noticed your post) - I thought that is exactly what we were doing!!

We were looking at the user of the cell phone - not the machine itself.

(more to the point - the addicted user!)

MRRiley · 08-31-2011, 04:03 AM

I personally do not see cell phones as an evil addiction. They simply enable us to be more connected to the people or things we want to be connected to. If that also makes us less connected to the people immediately around us, why is that a problem if they are not part of our lives? As for me, I use my cell phone frequently both for phone calls and for surfing the net (checking PF) or looking for restaurants, etc. It enables my friends and family to reach me when they need me and visa versa. I do try not to use it in the car but if it rings I will answer it using my hands-free device. And I pull over if I have to initiate a call that's not in the phone's voice-activated directory.

I do not however use a blue-tooth headset. Those have always bothered me when I notice someone looking at me and saying something and I initially assume he is talking to me. Then I see the head-piece and realize he is on the phone. Sometimes I think Joan of Arc was really a time traveler who was merely talking on her phone to her 22nd century controllers. Burned at the stake because no one understood the tech. Sad! LOL

Mike

RioRico · 08-31-2011, 09:12 AM

Originally posted by MRRiley

Sometimes I think Joan of Arc was really a time traveler who was merely talking on her phone to her 22nd century controllers. Burned at the stake because no one understood the tech. Sad! LOL

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from sorcery." Especially invisible browser cookies. Burn the wizards!!

No, cells aren't evil. But any remote communications device removes us from here-and-now. Talking on a phone, any phone; or engaging in chats, real-time or delayed like our forums; our minds and concentration are no longer contained within our brains, but in some non-space located between here and there. That is why walking, biking, driving, any sort of active movement whilst phoning or texting, is so hazardous -- we're removed from local situational awareness. We need training to deal with the schizophrenic disconnect. Most of us don't get that training, so we're dangerous to ourselves and to others. Oh bother.

There's no cell coverage at my primary residence, spotty coverage at my secondary, and I'm often traveling in null-zones. IF I'm some where with coverage AND IF I want to be contacted THEN I may switch on the cell. But often when traveling, I don't WANT to be contacted. I've driven all over Mexico and Central America without a cell; email at net.cafes works just fine (and can be ignored if desired). We've bought cells just twice, and for the same reason: So a realtor can tell us of offers on a house we're trying to sell. The previous one sold. The current one... well, does anyone here want a historic adobe in Old Bisbee AZ?

An always-on cell is a slave-bracelet tethering us to the wills and whims of others. Me no like that. Me reject that. Ssshhhhh...

Lex Madera · 08-31-2011, 12:08 PM

Here's one for you:

Driving home yesterday afternoon I see a soldier on his hog going the opposite direction with a bright pink smartphone trying to drive and text at the same time.

I don't know which I found disturbing - the fact the was texting while riding his motorcycle, or the fact that a soldier had a pink smartphone. . . . .

RioRico · 08-31-2011, 02:03 PM

Originally posted by Lex Madera

I don't know which I found disturbing - the fact the was testing while riding his motorcycle, or the fact that a soldier had a pink smartphone. . . . .

It's a fashion statement.

Meanwhile... Some years ago I spend a few weeks around Naples, Italy. One day I was in Positano, lusting after an Italian-voiced Furby. (I thought it might be a good language-learning tool. Right.) A slick guy rode by on his Vespa scooter. He had a tall stack of boxes behind him, two poodles on the floorboard between his feet, a cigarette in one hand, and a phone in the other hand, texting -- and steering with his elbows. I think the phone was red. Whew.

Hopefully, the next generation of texting phones will have speech-recognition warez so users can speak hands-off and have the text auto-generated. Something like that.

08-31-2011, 09:12 AM	#43
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Originally posted by MRRiley Sometimes I think Joan of Arc was really a time traveler who was merely talking on her phone to her 22nd century controllers. Burned at the stake because no one understood the tech. Sad! LOL "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from sorcery." Especially invisible browser cookies. Burn the wizards!! No, cells aren't evil. But any remote communications device removes us from here-and-now. Talking on a phone, any phone; or engaging in chats, real-time or delayed like our forums; our minds and concentration are no longer contained within our brains, but in some non-space located between here and there. That is why walking, biking, driving, any sort of active movement whilst phoning or texting, is so hazardous -- we're removed from local situational awareness. We need training to deal with the schizophrenic disconnect. Most of us don't get that training, so we're dangerous to ourselves and to others. Oh bother. There's no cell coverage at my primary residence, spotty coverage at my secondary, and I'm often traveling in null-zones. IF I'm some where with coverage AND IF I want to be contacted THEN I may switch on the cell. But often when traveling, I don't WANT to be contacted. I've driven all over Mexico and Central America without a cell; email at net.cafes works just fine (and can be ignored if desired). We've bought cells just twice, and for the same reason: So a realtor can tell us of offers on a house we're trying to sell. The previous one sold. The current one... well, does anyone here want a historic adobe in Old Bisbee AZ? An always-on cell is a slave-bracelet tethering us to the wills and whims of others. Me no like that. Me reject that. Ssshhhhh... Last edited by RioRico; 09-01-2011 at 11:57 AM.

08-31-2011, 12:08 PM	#44
Lex Madera Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Virginia, Austria, Ukraine Photos: Gallery Posts: 188	Here's one for you: Driving home yesterday afternoon I see a soldier on his hog going the opposite direction with a bright pink smartphone trying to drive and text at the same time. I don't know which I found disturbing - the fact the was texting while riding his motorcycle, or the fact that a soldier had a pink smartphone. . . . . Last edited by Lex Madera; 09-01-2011 at 03:14 AM.

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08-12-2011, 10:46 AM	#31
luftfluss Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,619	Originally posted by stevewig Yes, I remember (vaguely) a recent incident where a girl walked into a mall pool whilst texting and then sued the mall! Yeah, I saw the video. Funny.

08-12-2011, 10:50 AM	#32
luftfluss Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,619	People are social and define themselves thru their social connections. I'm a Luddite in the guise of a "tech dude", have a simple cell phone and don't text. Tech stopped being truly fun about 10 years ago, and I've been slowly drifting away ever since.

08-13-2011, 12:47 AM	#33
NKK Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Malmö, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 583	Originally posted by Lex Madera It seems to be more of an American phenomenon, as far as I can tell. You don't see this sort of obsessive behavior, certainly not to the degree here, at least in Europe. Note that you have a signal there EVERYWHERE, and WiFi is plentiful. But when people go to a public place, people socialize with the company that brung them. I have a pay-as-you-go plan, make maybe 2 texts a day, and rarely make more than two brief calls a day. 99% to my SO. Thankfully, neither is she an addict. That statement don't fit the Europe i'm living in :-) It's insane how addicted people are to their phones. Answering it everywhere, texting in the midle of conversations etc... It is really annoying that people are not able to be without it for just a short time. This is sent from my WP7 ;-)

08-13-2011, 07:11 AM	#34
TaoMaas Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,574	People ARE addicted to their cellphones. Frankly, I think it's narcissism run amok. Nobody really cares that much about what you do!! Your friends are only clicking "like" because it makes them look like they give a rat's ass about your every move, when they really don't!

08-13-2011, 10:33 AM	#35
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,332	Originally posted by TaoMaas Frankly, I think it's narcissism run amok. Every time I see somebody going about their routine business with a Blue Tooth thingy stuck in their ear I can't help but wonder what gave them such an over inflated sense of self importance that they think they not only can't afford the risk of missing a phone call, but they have to make sure everybody knows it.

08-13-2011, 12:51 PM	#36
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	I hate phones...home phones, cell phones, any phones. They are an indispensable nuisance. The young......they are totally addicted and would surely die without their phones. I guess that like most things, there is both good and bad in their addiction. As an old guy, there are a lot of changes I have seen...some fantastic, some not so good. You just live with it..... Regards!

08-13-2011, 04:01 PM	#37
redrockcoulee Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Medicine Hat Posts: 2,306	I spend more time looking for my cell phone than using it, by a long way. I hope I left it at work Thursday otherwise I will have to phone it and hope I had it turned on. Cell phones have their purpose but if someone wants to visit me and uses their phone the entire time then have they actually visited? Luddites were not anti technology they just did not want to be replaced by it. See no reason to use any technology that does not provide me with a benefit. Used tablets years before iPad for downloading off high speed cameras when in the sunlight because laptops could not be read. That was a good use for the tablet, using it because it is cool does not seem like a good reason. Getting more telemarketing calls is also not a good reason for a cell phone.

08-15-2011, 05:34 AM	#38
stevewig Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 773 Original Poster	Originally posted by redrockcoulee I spend more time looking for my cell phone than using it, by a long way. I hope I left it at work Thursday otherwise I will have to phone it and hope I had it turned on. Cell phones have their purpose but if someone wants to visit me and uses their phone the entire time then have they actually visited? Luddites were not anti technology they just did not want to be replaced by it. See no reason to use any technology that does not provide me with a benefit. Used tablets years before iPad for downloading off high speed cameras when in the sunlight because laptops could not be read. That was a good use for the tablet, using it because it is cool does not seem like a good reason. Getting more telemarketing calls is also not a good reason for a cell phone. I think you and I probably agree! Like everybody else I have a cell phone and it stays at home unless I have a specific need to take it with me - which is very, very rarely. I pay "pay-as-you-go" and it costs me $100 a year and no more. If I pay my next $100 before the end of the year I retain the remaining balance from the previous year. So far I have over $300 available to me and I can dip into that when I am in South America or USA or Europe. The convenience of a cell phone is worth that $100 a year - but NO MORE! I also do not wish to be AVAILABLE to anybody and everybody 24 hours a day. There is a freedom in not scrambling for that phone every time and anytime some body wants me to. People know that I do not carry a cell phone and they leave me a message.I always deal with it in due course and people know that. I hate walking around with a cell phone in my hand and I am bored by watching so many people sitting around "diddling" with their cell phones or having stupid conversations that I am trapped and forced into listening to. It doesn't matter which part of the world you are in - same thing! I always have ways of dealing with my spare time because I do not have CPA and, additionally, I am never bored! If that makes me a Luddite then so be it!

08-28-2011, 06:25 PM	#40
Clicker Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,241	Wasn't there a news post early this year about a guys love of photography causing his accidental death here in Toronto? Point being; don't look at the tool, look at the user.

08-30-2011, 08:17 AM	#41
stevewig Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 773 Original Poster	Originally posted by Clicker Wasn't there a news post early this year about a guys love of photography causing his accidental death here in Toronto? Point being; don't look at the tool, look at the user. Hey Clicker (just noticed your post) - I thought that is exactly what we were doing!! We were looking at the user of the cell phone - not the machine itself. (more to the point - the addicted user!)

08-31-2011, 04:03 AM	#42
MRRiley Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sterling, VA, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,275	I personally do not see cell phones as an evil addiction. They simply enable us to be more connected to the people or things we want to be connected to. If that also makes us less connected to the people immediately around us, why is that a problem if they are not part of our lives? As for me, I use my cell phone frequently both for phone calls and for surfing the net (checking PF) or looking for restaurants, etc. It enables my friends and family to reach me when they need me and visa versa. I do try not to use it in the car but if it rings I will answer it using my hands-free device. And I pull over if I have to initiate a call that's not in the phone's voice-activated directory. I do not however use a blue-tooth headset. Those have always bothered me when I notice someone looking at me and saying something and I initially assume he is talking to me. Then I see the head-piece and realize he is on the phone. Sometimes I think Joan of Arc was really a time traveler who was merely talking on her phone to her 22nd century controllers. Burned at the stake because no one understood the tech. Sad! LOL Mike

08-31-2011, 02:03 PM	#45
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Originally posted by Lex Madera I don't know which I found disturbing - the fact the was testing while riding his motorcycle, or the fact that a soldier had a pink smartphone. . . . . It's a fashion statement. Meanwhile... Some years ago I spend a few weeks around Naples, Italy. One day I was in Positano, lusting after an Italian-voiced Furby. (I thought it might be a good language-learning tool. Right.) A slick guy rode by on his Vespa scooter. He had a tall stack of boxes behind him, two poodles on the floorboard between his feet, a cigarette in one hand, and a phone in the other hand, texting -- and steering with his elbows. I think the phone was red. Whew. Hopefully, the next generation of texting phones will have speech-recognition warez so users can speak hands-off and have the text auto-generated. Something like that.