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Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

pam-moore.com

161–170 of 274 posts

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you'll work out how to waste your time without your phone and you'll be back to square one. I had a dumb phone for a year or so until maybe half a year ago. The ways I found to waste my time without smartphone were refreshingly different. Most importantly, thinking and wandering in my own mind without the urgent need to check every new thought from the internet. Long story short, there is now nokia 8110 with 4G and…

What about audiobooks, discord/slack for team communication, or sometimes reading on public transport. You can easily block/mute notifications and all that. Don't use apps like Instagram (never used but some of my friends do) or other addictive apps and you'll be fine. To be honest smartphones are you the best way to push some (25 minutes) to practice skills when you have time window (apps like brilliant, Reedy) Phon…

> What about audiobooks, discord/slack for team communication, or sometimes reading on public transport. You can easily block/mute notifications and all that.

I can also easily take my smartphone with me when I think there is a real need. The 4g dumbphone can share the internet to my smartphone.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#162

I've definietly got a problem with this. I don't feel anxious without the phone, in fact I quite enjoy it. But with it, I find myself checking it during any mental downtime. Brexit-fueled anxiety has caused me to compulsively check the news multiple times a day for a while now. It must be destructive to my mental process. I'm not going back. I love the camera, I love having my books and music with me everywhere. I lo…

To be fair, this might just be a news-based issue rather than a phone-based one.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#163

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…

Its about 10PM here. I got back from work 3-4 hours ago and my phone just beeped and I could read the email with simply a flick of a finger and saw that it was a work related email though I was having dinner at that time. Now, though I am at home that's running on a thread at the background in my head since then. This is perhaps just one use case but it's hardly surprising that people now want to go back to way it wa…

There is nothing so urgent that I will interrupt my dinner with family for it. Smartphones do not belong at the diner table anyway.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#164
post #57

I obliterated one of my smartphones last year after dropping it on concrete while getting off the bus. I freaked out, had no clue what to do since I was low income and couldn't afford anything for quite awhile. For a few days it was like I was an addict, constantly feeling my back pocket vibrating, constantly reaching to check my phone. After a few more days, I felt very liberated. I felt very free. I started enjoyin…

My first question to anyone who says they can live without a smartphone: what do you use for two factor auth?

I don't log in to secure websites on my mobile device. When I'm on my computer, I have a TOTP generator available. I do still receive some 2fa via sms, but if available, I always use email or TOTP.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#165

I'm mystified by the number of people who think that they've solved the fundamental problem by getting rid of their phone: being that unable to control one's immediate impulses, is worthy of attention.

There are veritable armies of psychologists trying to make this stuff as addictive as they know how to. It the same with advertising, you can consciously try to fight every ad that you are exposed to, but the simplest solution is to cut off the exposure altogether.

You too have immediate impulses that you are unable to control, you too are affected by marketing and advertising.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#166
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

don't put work email on your phone

In Finland at least, most employers provide your phone and contract. Of course you can take a separate one but then you’re carrying two phones. I’ve been dying for gmail and workplace (fb for work) to add a feature so I can stop work related notifications after 17. Having this at iOS level would be great also.

My employer provides a work phone and subscription, and I am free to use it privately. I've chosen to keep that phone work-only, so I have bought my own private phone+subscription, and never the twain shall meet.

The work phone gets left in a locker at work along with my work laptop, I refuse to bring it home with me until I have agreed in advance to work from home for some specific task. I know a lot of employers expect their employees to be available at odd hours, but I refuse to participate in that.

I made this decision after suffering under a boss who would call and email at 22:00 and expect results to be ready on his table next morning by 8:00.

Only a very select trusted few of my colleagues have my private phone number, and they will only ever use it in a dire emergency.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#167
post #110
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook Twitter and linkedin came pre installed on my Samsung phone, and can't be removed (or even hidden as far as i can see)

That's terrible! What carrier is that evil?

EE in the UK. I wasn't aware it was my carrier bundljng it, I thought it was Samsung!

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#168
post #95
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any family? My parents live in a different country, a phone is a particularly good way of keeping in touch. Ever been ill? How do you get in touch with your GP? Ever had an accident, or witnessed an accident? Ever been a victim of bank fraud, or had to contact the police? I can understand dodging a smartphone, but a phone (cell or landline) of some sort is pretty much a requirement these days.

I email my family and schedule videochat. I don't have a GP. If I'm ill, I just go to a walk-in clinic. I can also schedule appointments online. When I was too sick to go out at all and due to a particular situation I didn't have web access either, I asked a neighbour to make a phone call for me. I live in a city where I can rely on the help of others. For some official business, I use the landline at work to talk to…

All this seems needlessly complicated just to avoid having even a simple phone.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#169
post #95
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any family? My parents live in a different country, a phone is a particularly good way of keeping in touch. Ever been ill? How do you get in touch with your GP? Ever had an accident, or witnessed an accident? Ever been a victim of bank fraud, or had to contact the police? I can understand dodging a smartphone, but a phone (cell or landline) of some sort is pretty much a requirement these days.

I email my family and schedule videochat. I don't have a GP. If I'm ill, I just go to a walk-in clinic. I can also schedule appointments online. When I was too sick to go out at all and due to a particular situation I didn't have web access either, I asked a neighbour to make a phone call for me. I live in a city where I can rely on the help of others. For some official business, I use the landline at work to talk to…

As youve mentioned in your post, you rely on other people having a personal phone so that you don't need to carry one.

Regarding the GP, this is presumably dependent on the country you live in. In the UK you have a specific clinic you sign up with. None of the 4 clinics I've used have taken walk in appointments, all have required phoning that morning to get a scheduled appointment that day.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#170
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…

It is also very healthy to be able to be alone with your own thoughts once in a while.
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