Societal addiction to phones

Its definitely a local problem. Try traveling. In other countries it's not nearly as common for various reasons.
Nor here in rural Vermont. My town and most surrounding towns have no cell phone service of any kind and we prefer it to remain that way. There are major roads you can drive for quite a long time without service. Ten years or so ago you could drive for several hours in many places and not find any service. So it’s possibly slowly creeping into the area, but generally we neither want it nor need it.
 
Remember about thirty-some years ago when all the doomsayers and prophets predicted that we'll have barcodes tattooed on our skin, or we'll have subcutaneous microchip implants, so that we could be tracked controlled, dominated, etc.? No need for that apparently! It seems to me like everyone is doing it willingly and voluntarily through their phones. It seems that most people can't go mere minutes without a dopamine hit. Do you guys think people will ever get over their smartphones?
 
I have been rear-ended 3x that I am 100% sure by people on their phone while driving. Young girls are the worst ,
Happened to me twice at the same intersection 2 years apart with two different cars. same thing, young woman, small cheap sedan, talking on the phone. I try to avoid that intersection now, people don't know what "yield" means.
 
Do you guys think people will ever get over their smartphones?
Likely not. Evolution has separated continents, this will be a snap. Behaviorable change is ineluctable. I have a flip phone so I won't become a slave to communicating with grunts, groans, acronyms, emojies and other semi-intellgible markers of social disinigration.

I'm old school and like swimming upstream.
 
I probably use my phone too much. Oddly the only silly social media stuff is here and texting with new and old friends from time to time. My old business partner texted me yesterday, first time in two years. My surgeon texted, moved my surgery up to 10:45 Monday, rather than 1PM. Someone at the front door, oh UPS delivery. Check some stocks/funds. Baseball game times. F1 P1 and P2 results.

I mean, my head is full of............content.

I'm working on it.
 
It’s a severe addiction for many and it interferes with work in some cases.

I don’t do layovers very often but if I do, I don’t hang out with any pilots who show any signs of phone addiction if we layover.

I don’t hang around people addicted to their phones. Some people are really sick addicted in my books and it gets on my nerves.

BITOG is the only social media I am on and I only visit when alone and not around my wife.
 
Constant stream of dopamine, that's what phones have given us. Break out of the matrix! The bar for success has been lowered so much now that if you can do this one simple thing, you will basically have super powers in the workplace.

When my wife and I go out, we do not look at phones, sure they might be on the table, but face down. We have important contacts, tasks, and jobs to tend to in real time. Constant contact is a blessing and a curse but a massive productivity booster and advantage when yielded correctly.

I complimented a woman the other day whose children were in the shopping cart reading books. No tablets or phones acting as eyesight ruining babysitters. At another restaurant children were playing a board game at the table, no phones, it was refreshing to see. Smart parents sure to raise successful children.
 
Constant stream of dopamine, that's what phones have given us. Break out of the matrix! The bar for success has been lowered so much now that if you can do this one simple thing, you will basically have super powers in the workplace.

When my wife and I go out, we do not look at phones, sure they might be on the table, but face down. We have important contacts, tasks, and jobs to tend to in real time. Constant contact is a blessing and a curse but a massive productivity booster and advantage when yielded correctly.

I complimented a woman the other day whose children were in the shopping cart reading books. No tablets or phones acting as eyesight ruining babysitters. At another restaurant children were playing a board game at the table, no phones, it was refreshing to see. Smart parents sure to raise successful children.
I saw a girl, maybe 8, maybe - checking her phone every 6 seconds. Wow.
 
Yes, I think its time for some regulation of targeted content for individuals. I don't know what that should be, but make it simple for people to stay in contact with their actual contacts, and be able to turn off everything else that randomly pops up.
Also have some PSA's on how you are being manipulated, just make to it real clear, like the effects of smoking ads.
From personal experience, facebook is pretty darn good at shooting me a variety of stuff to keep my brain just stimulated enough to think I'm learning something, but facebook seems to be designed not to user searchable, if you want to find a specific piece of information.
Just a customized time suck.
This is why I own Facebook (meta) stock!
3.2 Billion people to advertise to!! Win-win
( you are right. It’s purpose is to keep you engaged and honestly they have really stepped it up)
 
I must be old fashioned (or maybe just old :giggle:) as I don't have a smart phone. I don't need to be in constant touch with people, and I certainly don't want to share every minute and detail of my life with others. If you want me, call me at home or drop me an email. If I'm not available, leave a message and I'll call or write you back. I do keep a cheap flip phone in my car for emergencies but have not given the number to anyone but my wife.

I am amazed by the number of people with their nose stuck in their i-thingy. Human contact is being lost, and with it the essence of life.
 
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