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Phone addiction

melbcityguy

melbcityguy

Club Legend
Joined
Oct 20, 2024
Replies
4,425
Everyone is glued to their phone (including this app) it's a problem. Discuss
 
Read an article that scrolling is the new smoking. Consumes blocks of time that fly by and go wasted and the physical and mental affects of looking at the screen and consuming aren't good.

I can feel my brain twitching if I go for a walk without the phone but only for the first few minutes. It's not about scrolling in that sense but more about having something in case of an emergency. Thankfully I grew up in a fine without a phone and everything just worked out.
 
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Sweden had a Christmas gift that was simply a box to place your phone on for digital detox.
 
It's so true with our world that years ago people wouldn't care about what Dave in Ipswich thinks about Irankunda but so many in society now are glued to the reactions and discussions.

You come across people who's till shrug at discourse about what's going on online and that's the right way I think. There are arguments too that we can be thoroughly (muß) informed more than ever before.

Ought we to know what's going on in the world? A separate debate itself I think.
 
I heard a snippet on the social media ban 'report' show that was on tonight.

Couldn't stand to hear teenagers talking like their opinions matter (yes, I am old and narrow minded) but they complained that they needed social media to stay in contact with their friends.

And I had to wonder how much would they really say if they actually used their phone as a phone and spoke to their friends for 5 minutes each day...? Had a real conversation then went back to life.

Would they find that they have lost the ability to simply talk for awhile then say goodbye for now?

Would they find that they don't really want to talk to their friends that often when it comes down to it, and it is the snuggle blanket of mutual online stroking that they crave rather than actual communication?

To me the problem is not that people are glued to their phone - it is that the phone has ceased to be a phone at all for most people.

As a point of time reference - when I was younger we used to joke about people with mobile phones and say "Buy buy buy" or "Sell sell sell" when we saw someone using one.
 
RIMB said:
I heard a snippet on the social media ban 'report' show that was on tonight.

Couldn't stand to hear teenagers talking like their opinions matter (yes, I am old and narrow minded) but they complained that they needed social media to stay in contact with their friends.

And I had to wonder how much would they really say if they actually used their phone as a phone and spoke to their friends for 5 minutes each day...? Had a real conversation then went back to life.

Would they find that they have lost the ability to simply talk for awhile then say goodbye for now?

Would they find that they don't really want to talk to their friends that often when it comes down to it, and it is the snuggle blanket of mutual online stroking that they crave rather than actual communication?

To me the problem is not that people are glued to their phone - it is that the phone has ceased to be a phone at all for most people.

As a point of time reference - when I was younger we used to joke about people with mobile phones and say "Buy buy buy" or "Sell sell sell" when we saw someone using one.
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Communication has changed a lot. I grew up on instant messengers but still talked for ages. 3 way chats with friends on the phone too.

Undoubtedly these immediate, short messages and reactions affect the ability to enquire and reflect. Attention spans and sustaining interest have been vastly shortened.
 
melbcityguy said:
Everyone is glued to their phone (including this app) it's a problem. Discuss
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I've only just seen this.

Agree, except many of my friends are not addicted to phones, who are aged 50 and over. It is particularly apparent with city public servants and office workers. Many young mothers stare at their phones, whilst pushing babies in prams.

As a relief teacher I have used a book as a precursor and stimuli to foster a response to the book - What Would You Like To Change In Real Life? With grades 3 and 4 kids, aged 8-10, it was to stop their parents, particularly Mums, looking at Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat all the time and talk to them instead. I had no idea it was an issue?

Most of the time I access this forum from a desktop, not a phone.

I even see spectators at music concerts and sports events looking at their phones instead of the event!

I'm a fitness fanatic. In one gym I attend, I arrived , and the entire gym of 20-25 people, aged 18-25, were sitting at machines, looking at their phones simultaneously - not one was exercising!
 
I have a lot to do with young political activists. Some are quite uncomfortable sitting and having a few drinks, without looking at their phone. They find face to face contact intimidating.

Notwithstanding, I am finding quite a few young activists too who turn phones off at face to face events, and are skilled conversationalists.
 
It depends on what's you're consuming.

30 years ago we would read the newspaper on the train and in the family room. Today, we still consume the news on the train and in the family room, just via another medium. Kids would consume garbage via teen magazines, now it's on a device.

I love instant access to knowledge, it's incredible really. You still have to sort it from the garbage, but it's always been like that... just a lot more garbage today haha, but also more efficient/time available to sort it.

But doom scrolling for 15 hours a day is toxic.
 
HappyGuus said:
It depends on what's you're consuming.

30 years ago we would read the newspaper on the train and in the family room. Today, we still consume the news on the train and in the family room, just via another medium. Kids would consume garbage via teen magazines, now it's on a device.

I love instant access to knowledge, it's incredible really. You still have to sort it from the garbage, but it's always been like that... just a lot more garbage today haha, but also more efficient/time available to sort it.

But doom scrolling for 15 hours a day is toxic.
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That's right. When you board and train and everyone is on their phone, I hope it's reading the newspaper.

The technology has made people more rushed and impatient.
 
HappyGuus said:
It depends on what's you're consuming.

30 years ago we would read the newspaper on the train and in the family room. Today, we still consume the news on the train and in the family room, just via another medium. Kids would consume garbage via teen magazines, now it's on a device.

I love instant access to knowledge, it's incredible really. You still have to sort it from the garbage, but it's always been like that... just a lot more garbage today haha, but also more efficient/time available to sort it.

But doom scrolling for 15 hours a day is toxic.
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I respectfully disagree.

Phones are way more addictive then a newspaper. Try to talking to someone on their phone they give you maybe 60% of their attention
 
melbcityguy said:
I respectfully disagree.

Phones are way more addictive then a newspaper. Try to talking to someone on their phone they give you maybe 60% of their attention
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That's a fair point. There are things in the phone part of design to keep us returning. As much as I loved going through a paper and rechecking the scores and tables, I doubt the dopamine hit was remotely close
 
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I still buy a newspaper most days and sometimes news magazines like The Economist and The Spectator...

People must think I'm an old fart....

Which I am!!
 
haven't bothered buying a paper for years though car/golf/surf mags yes from time to time.
Print media how long will it survive you wonder.
 
erogenouszone said:
Mrs EZ got me a subscription for Christmas. However one week later my son quietly told me that you can log into your local library portal and somehow read it for free....
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I have an app on my phone called Pressreader which gets you loads of newspapers and magazines but sometimes if I'm at a cafe or something I just like that feeling of a hard copy paper or magazine.
 
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