Quote from: vertigo on June 03, 2022, 10:03:38Phones, which were supposed to *increase* productivity, and social media, have instead destroyed it.

It is definitely possible to use a phone productively. I use a phone like I used PDAs before. I don't want to return to paper. And I use it as a mobile phone - a device that allows me to be reachable and to reach out when necessary. But only when necessary. However, it's not possible for me to go a week without checking a calendar. Sure, I can check it using a PC but what's the difference?

This is not just about phones. I don't know, perhaps it's just me, but have you noticed how the number of emails buoyed? I know people who spend three hours a day on mail. And they are engineers. What the heck? And then when you need something, people just read three sentences or so and then proceed to ask you needless questions that were already answered in the original letter. And don't get me started on useless meetings or conference calls. Inefficient communication seems to be a serious problem these days.

I quit using my phone months ago, and haven't looked back. It's been freeing and I rarely miss it, though admittedly there are some things it would be helpful for. When I used it, I would spend a lot of time on it, but I was usually actually doing something vs just "checking" it, and I hate social media, so I don't get how people can check it so often. Just seems like it would make it impossible to actually get anything done, but considering how often I see people at work playing on their phones or on Facebook I guess people often aren't being productive. Phones, which were supposed to *increase* productivity, and social media, have instead destroyed it. I'd challenge everyone to try and go a week, or even a few days, with your phone off or, if that's not possible, with it set to only ring for certain, critical contacts and without touching it except to charge it unless it rings.

Quote from: Barebooh on June 03, 2022, 01:05:39
Problem is _MT_, you CHOOSE to spend time on your phone. Rather than do anything else (aka, be productive, daring, creative, ...)

As I wrote, it's a huge drain. I wouldn't get anything done at that rate. And quite a few people would argue that there is no choice involved. That your neural network is deterministic and it is simply wired to respond that way. And those applications are designed to wire you that way, to train that behaviour. It's best to avoid them like the plague they are. Of course, it's terrible to believe that you're not in control, that you're not responsible for your actions. As your beliefs are a factor and people are better when they believe that they are responsible.

But that's a separate thing from finding a phone essential and feeling that you must replace it as soon as possible. If you have clients, children, elderly parents, etc., you can't just disappear. That doesn't mean you have to play with the phone constantly, that you have to constantly message someone. Essentially, I have a high communication threshold. I'm available, but I strongly discourage chit chat. It's bad enough if you fill in-person conversation with nonsense, it's terrible if you drag it into remote communication. Because it scales. A hundred people could be bombarding you with messages. That's why I don't understand social media. Following someone would make sense if the quality was high, just like we did it with RSS. Pumping out a load of nonsense is just going to eat my time and drown anything actually interesting. It's also why I don't understand the obsession with photos and videos - who has the time to look at it given the huge quantities?

Problem is _MT_, you CHOOSE to spend time on your phone. Rather than do anything else (aka, be productive, daring, creative, ...)

While checking a phone every three minutes on average is sick and it's going to be a huge drain, it's no surprise that phones are essential especially when people have only one device. I don't have a paper planner or a phone book. Payphones have practically disappeared. Landlines are disappearing as well. Some messaging software doesn't have a desktop version. And while I can leave phone alone for days, I do bring it with me and I wouldn't want to leave it behind. Not to the bathroom but outside in general yes. You never know when an emergency strikes. That's why we have mobile phones.