Do Our Devices Own Us?

Smartphones have Internet.
Living in a rural area, satellite costs $500, plus another $300 for connection, then $75 per month.
Too expensive right now when the smartphone has a data connection - 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi, or HSPA.
It's also my only phone - why pay $60 extra for a phone line.

Addicted to the Internet, I am.
Banking online, weather app, emergency alerts (snow, road reports, environmental catastrophes)

*I hate selfies, I don't understand them at all.
I don't even have a pic of myself anywhere online.

A phone is a useful tool, it's also my ereader
It's also my camera and photo album..
and its my maps and gps.
I'd have to buy a few more things if I didn't have it all on one device.

Yes, many people appear to be addicted to their devices. But as with any addiction, if this even is one, it can easily be controlled, actually more easily than most addictions.

However, to me, it seems to be more of a choice or setting of priorities than an addiction at all.

So, no. My devices don't own me. I own and use them.

Smartphones, tablets and social media don't control people, I think they are more akin to new, useful, technological senses. If you can somehow make a blind person see again, and then forcibly take that ability from them, I'd imagine that they'd overreact somewhat.
Just wait until neuroscientists discover a "social media" lobe in people who've had smartphones all of their lives. It will seem like we were born to Twitter.

originally posted by: TerryMcGuire
I think there is something dramatic going on with all of this that I just cannot put my finger on.

The picture I see is a group of people, totally silent, "communicating" with each other, their friends, their "friends", their work, the Internet, their house, and their grocer, all hooked up to their Smartphones, and all in denial that there's anything wrong.

People are going inward more, becoming less able to handle normal, face-to-face communication, less able to handle conflict and less content with life. It's totally creepy.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

It has been known that pilots feel like their jets are a part of them, an extension of their body. This occurs with any tool. Not buying a cell-phone isn't going to curb this mentality.

originally posted by: Dabrazzo
Oh yeah and phones are awesome, every light in my house can be modified on the fly from a tablet or smart phone with every colour in the spectrum, they can be remote media controllers I can tunnel into my network with them, one tablet I have is perma linkd to a flat screen that sits a foot away from my PC, the tablets a few inches away from my mouse and acts a data terminal for my TV, man I can do so much crazy stuff with a smartphone or tablet IT HAS MADE MY LIFE BETTER.

You'd be a perfect candidate for the Luna Smart Mattress Cover. It tracks your sleep and wakes you up between sleep cycles...

We are being tracked. I remember the fears that people around here used to have about RFID chips. But that's all in the past now, as we have been convinced to pay money and volunteer to have nearly every moment of our lives tracked - and willingly ship it out over the Internet for the "collectors" to gather.

It's crazy talk!

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Lol, my home network does not connect to the internet and I compile my own roms, ta. Like I said earlier its the dumb dumbs that use these devices that are the problem, not the devices themselves.


Raspbmc ftw!

I don't have a cell phone. I do have a computer. I might be a little bit obsessed with the computer but I can put it down easily. I lived most of my life without it. It will be easier for me to let it go than the younger generation. I see it as a tool. It's like having the library in your home. You can learn just about anything online now. You can find things about DYI projects. You can even find chemistry, biology, and many more subjects online. You can watch lectures online. It just keeps getting better. You still need to hone those people skills and get out a do what you have learned.

Everything is good in moderation. Take the time to recharge your humanity every once in a while. My people skills are still intact when I leave the house. Make sure you set time out for family. I am truly better off having a link to the outside world. This will be a great way of keeping in touch in my golden years.

University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Online

Khan Academy

Coursera

a reply to: LOSTinAMERICA

I feel exactly the same as you do about it. We've done landscaping and replaced a wall of our house, including 2 windows with the information I have found on the internet. It's invaluable! I remember how hard it was to get information before computers. And now, it's a breeze. But moderation is key. Great post.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

I agree, it is an addiction and a distraction. We've been conditioned to live our lives hooked to these pieces of technology. Everyone's got that head down hunch peering into their little screens, oblivious to the real world. Can't even talk to each other when they're out at restaurants. It is evident by the stupidity I see on the news that they're not learning anything valuable whilst peering at these things 24/7.

I've got a flip phone that I use mainly for emergencies. Most of the time it's forgotten on my dresser while I'm at home. I simply don't have that much to talk about and can't imagine how anyone would have that many interesting things to say in the amount of hours people spend texting. I think it's a distraction, in fact a lot of technology is these days.

Admittedly, I do like the internet and the ability to see what's going on in the world - though a double edged sword, because it's a bit disturbing to learn that society on a large scale is pretty messed up. I suppose if I didn't have it, it would be tough at first but then I'd actually take more time to appreciate interesting things in the real world in my vicinity.

I think that many people are owned by their devices. Like most others I am too but in a different way. I have a cell phone, it can even run apps if I choose but I don't use it for that, to me it is just a phone, I'm far too aware of data mining to go down that rabbit hole.

I am however addicted to the internet. Going back to the OP I love to be alone with my thoughts, my mind is a crazy place and I am quite sure I could entertain myself for the rest of time just based on what goes through my head without external stimulus. That said, I flip the F out when the internet is down, I literally do not know what to do without it. All of my school work requires internet access, all of my recreational hobbies requires internet access, most of what I get paid to do requires internet access, and everything else I do is once again tied to the internet. When the internet is cut off, even if Im not using it at the time it feels like my entire life is cut off. When it goes down I will hack neighbors to see if theirs is down, if it is I will drive over to campus or a coffee shop to use theirs. I am completely and totally addicted to the internet. The device doesn't matter to me, its more about having the connection to other people severed.

We are being tracked. I remember the fears that people around here used to have about RFID chips. But that's all in the past now, as we have been convinced to pay money and volunteer to have nearly every moment of our lives tracked - and willingly ship it out over the Internet for the "collectors" to gather.

It's crazy talk!

This thought right here is one I still have a hard time getting past. How has it not only become acceptable now, but understood and welcomed with open arms. No matter how invasive things get people still seem to find more ways to immerse themselves. The fact that people had problems with sitting wih their own thoughts for 15 minutes kind of scares me too. I can't believe they would rather experience electro shock than their own thoughts. How will we grow as people if we can't even think anymore!?!

That being said, I use a tablet, and way too often. I do have a dumb cell, but only at the insistence of my husband. I spend too much time remote with my kids to really argue that one much, but the fact that the electronics seem to be replacing reality than enhancing it is a problem. We as human beings are amazing creatures with amazing spirits and we have an incredible ability to be inventive and creative. Where will that go when our next generation grows up knowing nothing but the screen in front of their faces and whatever the machine chooses to display? Who will be the farmers to be creative and invent new ways of healthy food production? Where will our educators be when they are merely babysitters to supplement the screen? Who will choose to find solitude and spend precious time writing the next great classic work of literature for humanity to digest and better themselves by? How will we continue to grow in heart and soul? Technology and convenience are great tools to provide us with the free time it takes to think, not to replace the act of thinking!!

I was actually just about ready to get my son set up on a laptop for his school work. I thank you for posting this! You have firmed my resolve to continue to use real hard copy books and fill real notebooks. We will always anyway, but this is a reason to teach our young critical thinking skills, as well as maybe even how to daydream a little bit more! He will get all of the technology he needs in his life without it being any kind of major player in his life right now. I can't believe that this teacher was physically attacked over it.