Man As Recovering Chimp: Another Silly Piece About Life Without A Smartphone
In the LA Times, Roy Germano, who "teaches international relations" at NYU, has an op-ed about how his iPhone got stolen and then his life was no longer controlled by a tiny rectangle of technology.
Most Americans take it for granted that smartphones make life better, but the research says otherwise. Addictive apps are rewiring our brains, wasting our time and making it harder to focus. Social media make us more anxious and depressed. The light from our screens reduces melatonin and disrupts sleep. Distracted driving leads to more collisions and fatalities.Worst of all, smartphones are making us forget how to have a conversation or sit and think without distraction. Go to any restaurant these days and you'll observe entire families staring at devices rather than talking to each other, or parents shoving screens in front of their kids' faces rather than teaching them that life isn't always entertaining.
I decided to try living for a time without a smartphone. Perhaps just a week, or two weeks. I was willing to give it a shot, so I bought an old, $30 flip phone at a pawn shop and began my post-smartphone life.
The benefits of this decision became apparent about a week after I made the switch. My wife, stepdaughter and I were in Washington visiting the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. For the first time in seven years, I didn't have internet access all day.
By midafternoon, I started experiencing withdrawal symptoms and, like a true addict, I used my wife's smartphone to check Gmail. The initial rush of seeing so many unread emails was spoiled by a work-related message. For the next half-hour or so, I walked around thinking about that message instead of being present at the museum. I was physically there, but my mind was focused on work that didn't deserve my attention on a weekend.
The most immediate advantage of not owning a smartphone, I quickly learned, is the ability to immerse yourself in social situations. Without a smartphone to look at, you don't have much of a choice but to be present, and other people -- whether it's a colleague or a stranger on social media -- can't insert themselves as easily into your life at inopportune times. Even when we resist our smartphones in social situations, they're always there in our pockets buzzing with notifications, begging us to check them. Just by virtue of being there, smartphones occupy a large space in our minds.
I'm a smart person, so I don't let my smartphone control my life. It's mostly on airplane, so no one can bother me. Friends are told that the way to reach me is by email -- which I can answer when it's convenient for me. All notifications are shut off on my phone, save for the few alerts I input into my calendar when I'm going to be on the radio, because I never want to forget and miss a show.
I don't live a life without rational choice. It's stupid and chimp-like. I engage with people when I'm out with them, and I keep my phone off and away. Likewise, when I'm hungry at night, I drink some powdered bovine gelatin (collagen!) in some chicken broth rather than faceplanting in a ginormous bowl of Cheetos or a box of chocolate cake. (Plus the glycine in it probably helps me sleep better -- and seems to.)
Here's a helpful smartphone manners tip from "Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck" (which, by the way, makes a fantastic Christmas present.):
Cellphone manners on dates (your cellphone should be not seen, not looked at, not heard). "Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck" https://t.co/Noxk5eSyRt pic.twitter.com/QjUOuspuO9
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) November 16, 2017
Why get married when I can find someone I don't like, buy a house and give her half my stuff?
Wut?
I R A Darth Aggie at November 20, 2017 8:33 AM
No cell phones are not rewiring your brain. If you lack the self control to put the stupid piece of glass and plastic down then that is on you.
Ben at November 20, 2017 8:56 AM
A smartphone is a tool. Use it to make life easier. If it’s making life harder/less pleasant, that’s on you.
Yes, they create the expectation that you can be reached immediately and needy people will try to take advantage of that. But it’s on you to set boundaries. That’s not hard. It’s possible to see a text and not respond until the next day.
sofar at November 20, 2017 9:47 AM
File under "We don't even have a TV."
Kevin at November 20, 2017 10:16 AM
I do have to laugh at people that go for some kind of moral superiority because they seem to think they are different and better than others, because they "are not attached to their phones". They seem to think there is no middle ground. I like my phone and what it can do just fine, and I do spend time on it doing a variety of things. I also do a variety of other things, like most people.
Stormy at November 20, 2017 10:45 AM
Stormy, I have to say I know some well-educated families that simply cannot put a foot down when it comes to teaching kids that when you're with people, it IS a clear violation of common courtesy to pay attention to your phone instead of to them, whether you're the guest or the host. Two families didn't seem to make their kids learn that at all, and the third had firm restrictions on screen time in general - UNTIL the older kid (of two) hit her teens. I couldn't believe it when she was texting at lunchtime. (She was 15 when I saw her last.)
So, I ask, just what percentage of families DO make their kids stick to that simple rule?
I will say that when I was at Old Sturbridge Village a year or more ago (a living museum of the 1790-1839 era, for those who don't know), there were maybe hundreds of kids with their parents - and I don't recall seeing any of them being allowed to play with phones - or even any of them WHINING about that! So there's hope, I guess.
But again, IS there really any middle ground that's big enough to be visible?
lenona at November 20, 2017 11:14 AM
Much like opioid painkillers, I suppose. A boon to some, a burden to others.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at November 20, 2017 12:08 PM
I still use an old style flip phone, but IF I were to get a 'smart phone', I'd get this app Flightradar24 and use it to track airplanes spraying chemtrails.
I recently saw a camera phone video of a man on his own smart phone, watching the Santa Rosa fires. A very quick laser burst homed on his phone while he was talking! It came from straight overhead.
Those who live by their phones will die by their phones.
jefe at November 20, 2017 12:10 PM
Being withdrawn as a force of habit and on the autism spectrum, I can understand why I would be glued to my phone when I'm on the train, waiting in line at the grocery store, etc. But I sure don't understand why everybody else is.
Fayd at November 20, 2017 12:54 PM
"I'd get this app Flightradar24 and use it to track airplanes spraying chemtrails."
Chemtrails? Ignore them. They're just poison for the yellow jackets.
They'll be out of style soon anyway.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at November 20, 2017 1:46 PM
I learned to read maps before GPS. I still memorize my route before I leave even with the GPS on so I have advance warning about exits and in case Google maps decides to nap (which does happen) so I don't just keep driving. People I think are losing the ability to read maps.
I think if you can't stop looking at your phone when you are doing stuff it is sad and is your own fault.
cc at November 20, 2017 3:04 PM
Fayd, Because life is boring. I don't actually do what you mentioned. But I understand why.
A very real consequence of cell phones is people talk to stranger less often than they used to. Pure boredom would force people to talk to each other while sitting in line. Now you can pull out your phone and play a game or look up something interesting on the internet. No need to run the risk of talking to random people to pass the time.
Ben at November 20, 2017 7:58 PM
"People I think are losing the ability to read maps."
Breaking news from Army ROTC advanced camp circa 1978. Most people never learned how to read maps to begin with.....
Isab at November 21, 2017 3:39 AM
We teach people how to treat us. Stop treating every call and message like an emergency, answer personal messages once a day, and people will learn to quit pestering you.
Lori Miller at November 21, 2017 6:11 PM
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