Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal • Hacker News Board

Re: Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal

#91

Post by beefield » Sun, May 08, 2022, 7:04 PM UTC

akira2501 wrote: post #36

sysadm1n wrote: post #11

Well not that I live in a bad neighborhood or anything like that, but you really don't know what could happen at any given moment, and need to phone emergency services. This is not paranoia (well maybe it is), but paranoia doesn't work retroactively, you have to be proactively paranoid. If you're concerned about privacy buy one of those cheap Nokia dumbphones that old people use. Keep your smartphone at home, and swa…

It's a radio I can use to summon help. Why would I _ever_ want to be without that? Turn the notifications off, or get something like Tasker that can turn them off and on for you on a schedule. Otherwise, keep it in your pocket. This device has no control over you that you don't allow it to have.

> It's a radio I can use to summon help. Why would I _ever_ want to be without that?

I think it's good for you to occasionally to know that you are on your own. Completely responsible on what you do. Be it on the nearby forest or in some more extreme situation. I am not sure the direction of (illusion of) ultrasafety where our society has been going is all good. Occasionally it's good to have the red pill instead of the blue. Keeps your mind clear.

Re: Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal

#92

Post by alar44 » Sun, May 08, 2022, 7:04 PM UTC

panaffa wrote: post #72

I'm part of the new generation and I think the opposite. I am obsessed with my phone and the Internet. And I don't think it's bad. It's extremely stimulating in a way real life is orders of magnitude worse at. Point of reference, born around 2000. There's no going back for me. I want my phone at all times to have access to billions of possible thoughts, pictures, memes. It's literally a god like power.

I'm almost 40 and I agree.

Phones being addictive or whatever is being massively overstated. Too many people projecting their own issues with social media and lack of impulse control onto others.

If you can't handle it, figure it out. But I'm sick and tired of people saying Facebook should be shut down or YouTube should be nationalized. I don't hear anyone saying M&Ms or cookies should be regulated.

To all of those who think cellphones r bad: You're an adult, start acting like one.

Re: Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal

#93

Post by alar44 » Sun, May 08, 2022, 7:04 PM UTC

lupire wrote: post #89

panaffa wrote: post #72

I'm part of the new generation and I think the opposite. I am obsessed with my phone and the Internet. And I don't think it's bad. It's extremely stimulating in a way real life is orders of magnitude worse at. Point of reference, born around 2000. There's no going back for me. I want my phone at all times to have access to billions of possible thoughts, pictures, memes. It's literally a god like power.

What kind of god, though? What are you missing that only exists in meat space? When you get older you might grow bored of the virtual stimulation trapped inside a screen.

Literally all of human knowledge.

Re: Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal

#94

Post by dmd » Sun, May 08, 2022, 7:05 PM UTC

panaffa wrote: post #72

I'm part of the new generation and I think the opposite. I am obsessed with my phone and the Internet. And I don't think it's bad. It's extremely stimulating in a way real life is orders of magnitude worse at. Point of reference, born around 2000. There's no going back for me. I want my phone at all times to have access to billions of possible thoughts, pictures, memes. It's literally a god like power.

Poe's Law at work.

Re: Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal

#95

Post by throwawayboise » Sun, May 08, 2022, 7:05 PM UTC

beefee wrote: post #28

eyelidlessness wrote: post #7

I feel uncomfortable leaving without my phone, for one simple reason: I’m typically leaving with my pup, and if anything happens to either of us I want to be able to call for help. Pay phones are basically non-existent, people understandably don’t like to let strangers use their phone. It’s just a basic precaution.

The loss of pay phones over the last 20 years is a loss to society. We used to have widespread access to cheap and anonymous emergency calling.

I lived to my mid-30s before I ever carried a mobile phone. In that time I do not recall ever needing to call 911 on a pay phone. How often has a mobile phone helped you in an emergency? For me, never. I think this is one of those easy-to-imagine-but-in-reality-rarely-happens justifications.

The local university here has these emergency call-for-help stations all over campus. They have a blue light on top so they are easy to find especially at night. A couple of years ago there was a little feature story in the newspaper about how they had never--not once--been used in a real emergency. But the university did not want to take them down because they provided a feeling of security.

Re: Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal

#96

Post by themodelplumber » Sun, May 08, 2022, 7:05 PM UTC

panaffa wrote: post #72

I'm part of the new generation and I think the opposite. I am obsessed with my phone and the Internet. And I don't think it's bad. It's extremely stimulating in a way real life is orders of magnitude worse at. Point of reference, born around 2000. There's no going back for me. I want my phone at all times to have access to billions of possible thoughts, pictures, memes. It's literally a god like power.

I agree, I mean I was born quite a long time earlier but in my career training I was taught to look for tools people can use for restoring energy, comfort, courage, and maintaining contact with long-term values via their interests.

This can also be especially important if you have other sensitivities that can lead to unwanted outcomes, which can be ameliorated more easily with a device nearby.

Also, IMO using "addiction" where "typically need to have this with me for different reasons" would work just fine is pretty inappropriate. The term projects quite a bit of subjective negative & clinical interpretation onto others which is a common ethical mistake, among other things.

Re: Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal

#97

Post by sidpatil » Sun, May 08, 2022, 7:06 PM UTC

alar44 wrote: post #92

panaffa wrote: post #72

I'm part of the new generation and I think the opposite. I am obsessed with my phone and the Internet. And I don't think it's bad. It's extremely stimulating in a way real life is orders of magnitude worse at. Point of reference, born around 2000. There's no going back for me. I want my phone at all times to have access to billions of possible thoughts, pictures, memes. It's literally a god like power.

I'm almost 40 and I agree. Phones being addictive or whatever is being massively overstated. Too many people projecting their own issues with social media and lack of impulse control onto others. If you can't handle it, figure it out. But I'm sick and tired of people saying Facebook should be shut down or YouTube should be nationalized. I don't hear anyone saying M&Ms or cookies should be regulated. To all of those w…

> I don't hear anyone saying M&Ms or cookies should be regulated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_food#Anti-junk_food_measu...

Re: Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal

#98

Post by lavoiems » Sun, May 08, 2022, 7:06 PM UTC

panaffa wrote: post #72

I'm part of the new generation and I think the opposite. I am obsessed with my phone and the Internet. And I don't think it's bad. It's extremely stimulating in a way real life is orders of magnitude worse at. Point of reference, born around 2000. There's no going back for me. I want my phone at all times to have access to billions of possible thoughts, pictures, memes. It's literally a god like power.

It is an interesting perspective. My personal opinion is that this constant stimulation is costing me focus when I need to do work and ultimately hurts my capacity to do things. While the internet and computing is a strong power, it does not yet replaces our cognitive capabilities to solve problem and interact with others. I hope it never will!

Re: Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal

#99

Post by blitz_skull » Sun, May 08, 2022, 7:06 PM UTC

panaffa wrote: post #72

I'm part of the new generation and I think the opposite. I am obsessed with my phone and the Internet. And I don't think it's bad. It's extremely stimulating in a way real life is orders of magnitude worse at. Point of reference, born around 2000. There's no going back for me. I want my phone at all times to have access to billions of possible thoughts, pictures, memes. It's literally a god like power.

There will always be diversity of opinion, which is a beautiful thing. However, I reject the idea of it being a god-like power, unless it’s “unlimited cosmic power, itty-bitty living space” power.

There’s so much research already pointing towards our always-stimulated culture being a provably bad thing.

I think obsession with anything runs a very thin line towards being a bad thing.

Re: Feeling uncomfortable when leaving phone at home shouldn't be normal

#100

Post by Sebb767 » Sun, May 08, 2022, 7:07 PM UTC

b112 wrote: post #31

sysadm1n wrote: post #11

Well not that I live in a bad neighborhood or anything like that, but you really don't know what could happen at any given moment, and need to phone emergency services. This is not paranoia (well maybe it is), but paranoia doesn't work retroactively, you have to be proactively paranoid. If you're concerned about privacy buy one of those cheap Nokia dumbphones that old people use. Keep your smartphone at home, and swa…

I'm not really blaming you here, this attidue is very normal these days, but a mere 25 years ago, most people had no cell phone, no mobile phone, and never, ever suffered mishap as a result. (Inconvenience is not what I call a mishap) I grew up in the country, and a few times had to walk 20 miles home, due to a dead car. Being a rural area, after 10pm, I might see 1 or 2 cars the entire walk home (4 hours and a bit).…

25 years ago, the cars also didn't have much crash safety compared to today and they did survive without seatbelts and airbags in metal cages without crumple zones, too!*

Hell, 80 years ago planes took off without any electronics and with high explosives on board, were shot at and even returned!*

* except for those who did not

Sure, most people didn't die because of lacking safety nets. But some did and I don't think "it worked for most without" is a sufficient argument to ditch them.