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Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

pam-moore.com

21–30 of 274 posts

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#21
I find it easier to just not install apps.

My wife and I have a rule - minimal phone use around one another. We hold each other to it, unless both of us agree to look something up. Perhaps it's because we both think it's rude, I don't know..

Now, although that works generally - my wife will often spend hours pouring over Instagram a week. She too, has mixed feelings about it and on the one hand wants to delete it, and on the other feels she needs it to connect to people. When discussing this with her (she wanted to talk about the struggle she was having), she realized everyone she was worried about leaving behind on Instagram were people we knew from high school - a decade ago.

As soon as she realized that, she deleted it. I think the fact that phones connected us across time and places, make it difficult to recognize we don't need it in many cases. The addiction comes from wanting to be included, but in reality - we're just segregating ourselves; behind the facade of happy photos. The truth we all know is that everyone on Instagram works for those shots, those happy moments, to share with... well, their collective of "friends". Many of whom they will never see again in their lifetimes.

For me, I only install functional apps on my phone, never user it for fun, and already have blocked all news sites outside of HN, Reddit, and a few other niche forums. I can access my investments, bank account(s), flash cards, w.e. - that I don't find addictive. If my phone died, I'd be frustrated (how do we decide who's picking up the kids), but I wouldn't go through withdrawal (I often leave it at home by accident).

Perhaps a healthy approach to the phone is looking at it as a tool, not as a way to be friends. Honestly, it's the social networking aspect of it, that's the issue for people. Life is meant to be fluid and limited - spend time where it counts, building deep relationships.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#22
post #19

Life with a smart phone is so much better than life before a smart phone. It's hard to realise how recently they came around. I've probably only had the internet on my phone for five years (I've had a smart phone for longer, but I couldn't get the data to work and data was expensive enough at the time I didn't care). I can communicate with my fiancee even when she's in another country (international sms = fail). I ca…

I’m not a Luddite by any stretch and I’ve had smart phones since they were quite dumb, but your reasons don’t ring for me: > I can communicate with my fiancee even when she's in another country (international sms = fail). It facilitates instant communications. Email across the planet has been around since day one. > I can have a fiancee who's in another country. I can assure you this was possible pre-smart phone. > W…

What do you mean by "peak photo"?

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#23
post #11

2 Key events in my life : 1. Purchased an iPhone1 10 years ago - changed my career & life. 2 Purchased a Nokia 3310 1 month ago - suddenly, the physical world around me has expanded. I feel I just woke up after 10 years.

'physical world around me has expanded' care to elaborate?

I assume he or she means that the world seems bigger as they're viewing it / paying attention more than if they were looking at their smart phone.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#24
post #11

2 Key events in my life : 1. Purchased an iPhone1 10 years ago - changed my career & life. 2 Purchased a Nokia 3310 1 month ago - suddenly, the physical world around me has expanded. I feel I just woke up after 10 years.

'physical world around me has expanded' care to elaborate?

Taking a walk to the park without the iPhone takes longer, because you are forced to spend attention on everything but the phone. Distance = speed x time. If perceived time goes up; distances are greater. Ergo - world around you expands.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#25
I've got a Windows phone, and sometimes I feel like the gradual decay of its ecosystem is a blessing in disguise. Since app support is spotty, I'm relegated to sticking to the core features only (Edge, maps, music player, texting, camera, Office), which are good enough for most of my needs. (At least for however long until Edge falls behind the other browsers, or maps/traffic gets shuttered, or...) It's already distracting enough with a browser.. it'd be worse with more game support.. :)

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#26
There are new feature phones available in the market, with the benefits of modern technology such as better display, keyboard, battery.. Its probably not advertised much, but it is still there, and very much available.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#27
post #9

If there is a flip phone that has good audible support, I'd be tempted. If it also had decent strava support, I think I'd be hard pressed not to use it.

Yeah, it only works for people who only really need their phones for the phone calls. It doesn't make sense to get three devices (basic phone, mp3 player, fit bit [or something else]) to replace the one that served those purposes before.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#28

Life with a smart phone is so much better than life before a smart phone. It's hard to realise how recently they came around. I've probably only had the internet on my phone for five years (I've had a smart phone for longer, but I couldn't get the data to work and data was expensive enough at the time I didn't care). I can communicate with my fiancee even when she's in another country (international sms = fail). I ca…

>If you're not valuing your priorities with a phone, you won't value them without it.

By all means, speak for everyone.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#30
post #5
post #3

funny thing, I forgot to bring my phone today, at first I was a bit "Oh Crap!" but I've realized :- 1) I don't actually need it for anything important and I'm super connected via computers for most of the day except when commuting 2) It is a security blanket that feels a bit odd to be without, but I did live most of my life without one 3) Now that I'm forced to look at my fellow train commuters I can see that everyon…

Not sure if this is different based on the culture, but I feel like commuting on a train is the time when having a phone to keep your mind occupied might actually have some of its highest usefulness. In a lot of other social situations you can hope to strike up a conversation with someone you actually might interact with again instead of constantly staring at your phone, but when commuting, people just want to work o…

When I was a kid we used books for this. And I still do since I am to cheap to pay for data on my phone.
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