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Phones Should Be Like Toothbrushes

emptyyourcup.substack.com

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Re: Phones Should Be Like Toothbrushes

#31

Post by ubercow13 »

gchamonlive wrote: post #7
vallode wrote: post #4

> Your phone does none of these and that’s why it’s a lousy tool at best. A phone is not a lousy tool, from the perspective of it being a tool it is actually quite effective at what it does. > People now spend 2.5 hours on their phones, daily. That’s 17.5 hours a week and, unless you work part-time at a call center, that’s way too much. This is a silly point, in my opinion. It is not the quantity of time spent on a p…

> _So_ much can be achieved with a phone, we have got to stop treating it like a Devil's implement. I agree, that is why it is not the phone that is the devil tool itself, but what's on it. Broadcasting tools like Instagram are the most time consuming and addictive without actual benefits. Using those tools are actually detrimental to mental health [1]. Thus I believe without understanding what makes phone usage harm…

Instagram can have benefits, like helping you attract a mate or improving your photography.

Re: Phones Should Be Like Toothbrushes

#32

Post by Funes- »

saiya-jin wrote: post #30
Funes- wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>How is that different from people spending time watching TV back in the 80s and 90s? Nothing new. You couldn't put your TV set in your pocket and take it out to watch a show whenever you liked in the 80s and 90s. Many people use their smartphones while driving, for example; that goes to show the clear difference in accessibility and what it entails. >But the behavior of wasting one's free time is pretty much unchang…

Well, yes... so? Yes it is more accessible. Yes its more interactive. Your narrative of evil corporations manipulating mankind into obedient consuming of entertainment is basic cheaping out on simple human flaws - we want to relax, we can be horribly inefficient and achieve nothing and still be OK with it. We are all like that to some extent, in certain times. Advertisement being pushed is just extension of marketing…

>Your narrative of evil corporations manipulating mankind into obedient consuming of entertainment

Those are your words and your personal characterization of what I said, not mine. I see what you are trying to do.

>Its just industry adapting to new means, nothing more.

Are you implying that these practices, which can have awful consequences (distractions are the number one cause in car accidents[0], and they have skyrocketed as of late; I wonder why...) shouldn't concern anyone? That we shouldn't think critically about it even though it has been influencing our lives like nothing else before in the last decades?

Look, I'm not trying to force anyone to stop using their smartphones; you can do whatever you want, of course. I'm just trying to voice my opinion on a matter that I believe to be of extreme importance.

[0] https://www2.safetyserve.com/articles/distracted-driving-fac...

Re: Phones Should Be Like Toothbrushes

#34

Post by gchamonlive »

ubercow13 wrote: post #31
gchamonlive wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> _So_ much can be achieved with a phone, we have got to stop treating it like a Devil's implement. I agree, that is why it is not the phone that is the devil tool itself, but what's on it. Broadcasting tools like Instagram are the most time consuming and addictive without actual benefits. Using those tools are actually detrimental to mental health [1]. Thus I believe without understanding what makes phone usage harm…

Instagram can have benefits, like helping you attract a mate or improving your photography.

I meant without actual benefits in the context of being addictive

Re: Phones Should Be Like Toothbrushes

#35

Post by egoisticalgoat »

vallode wrote: post #4

> Your phone does none of these and that’s why it’s a lousy tool at best. A phone is not a lousy tool, from the perspective of it being a tool it is actually quite effective at what it does. > People now spend 2.5 hours on their phones, daily. That’s 17.5 hours a week and, unless you work part-time at a call center, that’s way too much. This is a silly point, in my opinion. It is not the quantity of time spent on a p…

> I know people who scroll through social media for hours on end, in my opinion that feels like a bad use of your time. >But what stops someone from reading a book?

Honest question, why are phones usually seen as lesser than books? Imho, fiction books have as little value as people write off to phones, but i just don't see people complain this much about their kids wasting their time reading books too often. (Not trying to attack fiction books either haha)

Re: Phones Should Be Like Toothbrushes

#36

Post by lunchables »

rekshaw wrote: post #5

My phone (iOS) is perennially on Do Not Disturb + let calls through. In my life, calls are super rare, and 99% when they happen I want to know. Everything else can wait until I check my phone. Sure, sometimes I check it often when I'm bored, but when I'm concentrated / in the flow I am never interrupted. I can't believe most people keep notifications on, and sometimes at full volume. It would drive me crazy.

I think it just comes down to how you manage notifications. I keep mine on for slack, email and sms. I disable notifications in slack unless you @me or dm. Texts are used by family and extremely close friends, very rarely. Email is for work and I need to be notified immediately. I get maybe 50-100 emails a day, 98% of which I receive while I'm sitting in front of a computer and can safely ignore on my phone.

Re: Phones Should Be Like Toothbrushes

#37

Post by Funes- »

gchamonlive wrote: post #7
vallode wrote: post #4

> Your phone does none of these and that’s why it’s a lousy tool at best. A phone is not a lousy tool, from the perspective of it being a tool it is actually quite effective at what it does. > People now spend 2.5 hours on their phones, daily. That’s 17.5 hours a week and, unless you work part-time at a call center, that’s way too much. This is a silly point, in my opinion. It is not the quantity of time spent on a p…

> _So_ much can be achieved with a phone, we have got to stop treating it like a Devil's implement. I agree, that is why it is not the phone that is the devil tool itself, but what's on it. Broadcasting tools like Instagram are the most time consuming and addictive without actual benefits. Using those tools are actually detrimental to mental health [1]. Thus I believe without understanding what makes phone usage harm…

>Thus I believe without understanding what makes phone usage harmful to both productivity and mental health, we are bound to fall into the same traps with other technologies.

That's a wise statement. I really do think that there's a great opportunity for software (and hardware) developers to build tools that enhance our well-being offline while being as non-intrusive as they can be.

Re: Phones Should Be Like Toothbrushes

#38

Post by josefresco »

Sorry but I have a small business, active family, 2 kids (1 teen and 1 tween) and silencing my phone, or putting it away for long periods of time just doesn't work. I don't spend as much time on my phone as the article claims is "average" (thanks screen time!) but it's simply unrealistic for people that have a busy, dynamic life.

Every single day is a symphony of coordination between myself, my wife and my kids. Schedules change, buses are late, appointments are rescheduled - going "offline" would seriously effect my ability to operate on a daily basis.

Re: Phones Should Be Like Toothbrushes

#39

Post by ekianjo »

Funes- wrote: post #25
ekianjo wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Many people's lives have become a never-ending pastime. How is that different from people spending time watching TV back in the 80s and 90s? Nothing new. Most people have never been very productive with the free time they have. The main difference with a smartphone is that the access to content, at any time, is 1000 fold better than TV. But the behavior of wasting one's free time is pretty much unchanged.

>How is that different from people spending time watching TV back in the 80s and 90s? Nothing new. You couldn't put your TV set in your pocket and take it out to watch a show whenever you liked in the 80s and 90s. Many people use their smartphones while driving, for example; that goes to show the clear difference in accessibility and what it entails. >But the behavior of wasting one's free time is pretty much unchang…

> Nonetheless, I'm personally not okay with anyone exploiting that.

It goes both ways. People use apps to be entertained, share information and pictures because they want to. They download silly games to play during their commute. It's consensual. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything.

Re: Phones Should Be Like Toothbrushes

#40

Post by vallode »

egoisticalgoat wrote: post #35
vallode wrote: post #4

> Your phone does none of these and that’s why it’s a lousy tool at best. A phone is not a lousy tool, from the perspective of it being a tool it is actually quite effective at what it does. > People now spend 2.5 hours on their phones, daily. That’s 17.5 hours a week and, unless you work part-time at a call center, that’s way too much. This is a silly point, in my opinion. It is not the quantity of time spent on a p…

> I know people who scroll through social media for hours on end, in my opinion that feels like a bad use of your time. >But what stops someone from reading a book? Honest question, why are phones usually seen as lesser than books? Imho, fiction books have as little value as people write off to phones, but i just don't see people complain this much about their kids wasting their time reading books too often. (Not try…

I actually meant reading a book on the phone :)

As in: "The two hours someone spends on a phone could be reading books, is that so bad?"

Not quite sure why some would see reading on a phone as lesser, maybe because its tied to the rest of the addictive phone environment?

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