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Cellphones United States

58% of US Adults Say They Use Their Smartphone 'Too Much' (gallup.com) 119

Posted by BeauHD from the everyone-else-is-lying-to-themselves dept.
The percentage of U.S. adults saying they use their smartphone "too much" has increased markedly in recent years, rising from 39% when Gallup last asked this in 2015 to 58% today. Gallup News reports: This sentiment was strongly age-contingent in 2015 and remains so now; however, all age groups have become more likely to express this concern. Also, this belief is pervasive not only among 20-somethings; smartphone users aged 30 to 49 (74%) are nearly as likely as those 18 to 29 (81%) to say they are on their phone too much. This contrasts with 47% of those 50 to 64 and 30% of those 65 and older. As in 2015, there is little difference by gender in whether adults think they overuse their smartphone, with 60% of women and 56% of men now saying this.

The latest findings are from a self-administered web survey of over 30,000 U.S. adults conducted in January and February of this year, using the probability-based Gallup Panel. Nearly all adults who took the poll, 97%, report they have a smartphone, up from 81% in the 2015 survey. Even as Americans believe they use their smartphone too much, nearly two-thirds think their smartphone has made their life better -- 21% say it has made their life "a lot" better and 44% "a little" better. This has declined slightly from the 72% perceiving a net benefit in 2015. Only 12% say smartphones have made their life worse to any degree, although this is double the rate in 2015.
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58% of US Adults Say They Use Their Smartphone 'Too Much' More

58% of US Adults Say They Use Their Smartphone 'Too Much'

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  • One of the echo chambers that we don't usually notice is that we all mix only with those of somewhat similar intelligence. As a result we tend to assume that other people have the same level of cognitive ability as we have. No, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, most people are THICK by any reasonable standard.

    https://i2.wp.com/freethoughtb... [wp.com]

    • Re:Intelligent life? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by JanSand ( 5746424 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @06:55AM (#62639010) Homepage
      At 96 almost everybody I've known and been related to has died. I'm not interested in mindless chatter and one old friend phones me once in 2 weeks. I live alone and frequently use the phone camera on my walks in the woods and send the pictures to one friend by email.The phone is great insurance if I fall down and need an ambulance. I am quite satisfied with my own thoughts as we approach a nuclear holocaust or some final fatal mutation in the Covid threat.

      • Re:Intelligent life? (Score:4, Insightful)

        by devslash0 ( 4203435 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @09:08AM (#62639280)

        Decent age. :thumbsup:

        In your case, it may have to do with the explore vs exploit balance explained in the book called "Algorithms to live by". Basically, as we get older we are less likely to explore, and more likely to exploit what we like or are used to. It is because as a young person we've got more time to make mistakes and recover from any failures whereas as we get older our remaining timeframe shriks and we start exploiting the things that work for us and/or which bring us fulfillment.

        • Re:Intelligent life? (Score:4, Funny)

          by JanSand ( 5746424 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @09:45AM (#62639370) Homepage
          Frankly, the job openings for my age group are rather slim and I have been all thumbs to the point that even my toes are thumbishy. I have the hunch that some cuckoo alien did something to my mother and I have always wondered why I was granted arms instead of a decent set of tentacles,

          • Are you really 96 years old? Care to summarize your life story? Not many people your age online and so lucid.

            • Born Manhattan 1926, grew up Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Moved to Manhattan 1938, lived at 142 East 18 Street (oldest apartment house in NYC), Attended Stuyvesant High at 15 Street. Attended 1 year CCNY and joined US Army Air Force 1944 but never saw combat, Served at Erding Germany 6 months and discharged 1946, Screwed around in various minor jobs and graduated Cartoonists and Illustrators School at 23 Street but didn't work out wiith Dan Barry doing Flash Gordon, Finally graduated Pratt Institute industrial des

              • Thanks for sharing that. Quite an interesting life, sounds like you did some cool stuff for the AEC, World's Fair and UN. Sorry to hear about your son. Thanks for your service even though you didn't see combat you still served.

                • Although my memory seems far below human standards so only a few bright spots remain, I clearly remember, at the age of 2 a few scenes of a Broadway edition of Peter Pan and the supporting cables never entered my awareness in the flying scenes, That's where I was inspired to join the USAAF in WWII to become a fighter pilot and the sharp observations of the army experts quickly perceived I had no taste for murdering people with a very expensive machine and I never saw the interior of an aircraft. They stashe
              • This business of growing old mentally might have been somewhat frustrated by my inability to grasp in any way why the hell the most intellectual species (as far as we know) has been hog tied to the totally insane cruel bastards who have controlled the species for many thousands of years to treat the general populace like domesticated cows or chickens to produce for them milk, cheese, and eggs. The fake systems of capitalism, pseudo democracy, pseudo communism that was preceded by the miseries of feudalism a

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by kackle ( 910159 )
          Plus, when we were younger we didn't yet know what/who was worthwhile versus a waste of time, especially when we didn't even know ourselves.

      • I like your mentality. I'm half your age and I haven't lost too many friends yet. My grandpa was over 90 and when my wife and I asked if he wanted to go out with us anywhere, his response was "There's no need. Everybody I've known is dead." He really didn't like being old.
        That was in contrast to our neighbor who was 92 and routinely walked by the neighbor's houses and waved to us. He talked about the different parts of the body that just don't work as well as they did 50 years ago, but he was positive o

        • I am quite surprised that I have lasted this long and although I was trained in the army in WWII as a radar technician, the electronics of that era may relate theoretically to today's, the components are so fundamentally different that I am incompetent in doing any real work in the field. It's easy enough to assemble a desk top computer from a kit but real basic design is beyond me. And I have no competence in programing since, even as a high school student I studied French grammar but never gained any flue

    • Correct. That's because thinking requires effort whereas following the herd doesn't. It's a very sad state of affairs.

      • It is worse than that, if you don't follow the herd you will likely be punished by the herd. It is usually better to be wrong and agree than right and disagree.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      One of the echo chambers that we don't usually notice is that we all mix only with those of somewhat similar intelligence. As a result we tend to assume that other people have the same level of cognitive ability as we have. No, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, most people are THICK by any reasonable standard.

      https://i2.wp.com/freethoughtb... [wp.com]

      None of us are as dumb as all of us, or at Tommy Lee Jones put it:

      A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by lpq ( 583377 )

      Ever thought that it might also be true that we mix with those of similar traits all around -- including cognitive ability? I mean, in general we tend to mix with "like" people all around, not just in 1 dimension. I.e. cognitive levels would also be similar.

    • Re:Intelligent life? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by jellomizer ( 103300 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @12:25PM (#62639820)

      So are you saying I am with the smart crowd, or are you calling me an Idiot and I just don't know it, because I hang out with idiots too?

      That is kinda of the problem of the Digital Age, A lack of a trusted source to tell you that you wrong. As we tend to be in echo chambers that tell us we are right, and not to trust those who say we are wrong. While it feels good to be considered a smart thoughtful person, however if you a void of criticism and correction you will not grow as person. However the flip side is there are people on the opposing side as well who think they are just as right as me. And would have put the same amount of thought to justify their view, as my side has. We can point to our half researched studies and headlines back and forth and not gain any new knowledge, because we are now trained I am right, and you are wrong!

      I have been personally trying to get out of these echo chambers, by blocking political posts in my social media circle for any stance that gets me angry or excited for and against my political views. Because I figure they are just using my Ego against me to go to actions on a topic I really do not know too much about, nor would I have really cared anyways except for the fact my echo chamber started to make a big deal about it.

      Is a company being too racially sensitive or not sensitive enough? Is it really a big deal that they took a Picture of a Racial Stereotype off a package,or is it a big deal that they kept their traditional trademarks? Is it really showing bravery to raise a Rainbow Pride flag, or a Yellow Don't Tread on Me flag. In the grand scheme of things a lot of this stuff that gets us Angry, isn't because it worth getting angry about, but our echo chambers giving us this over analyzed version of the events. Is really Black Lives Matter and Support our Police so diametrically opposed? Is Abortion such a big deal that it is worth putting all your other values aside? Why are we so fixated on supporting or opposing a political party who's only requirement to join is to sign a piece of a paper saying you are in that party.

    • As a result we tend to assume that other people have the same level of cognitive ability as we have.

      Speak for yourself. I treat everyone the same. They're an idiot until they prove to me otherwise.
  • After I smashed my last phone I decided to only install the most essential apps on the new phone. VLC, Subsonic, Firefox, my bank's app. No social media, no games, no appy app crap. Among the benefits are: I'm reading more books and less clickbait, I'm not spending (at least) 10 minutes per waking hour on the phone (~3 hours per day) and I'm not using the phone in bed. Win.

    • How did you get the preinstalled social media crap-apps out?

      • I went without a phone for a month while I researched and window-shopped until I found something suitable (more expensive than I planned - the cheaper phones have more crapware). It's only the Google crap I couldn't uninstall but was able to disable.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by imidan ( 559239 )
        I bought my most recent phone directly from the manufacturer, and it came without crapware. It's a Razr phone, which they don't make anymore, but I'm hoping there are still manufacturers out there that make phones that you can buy directly without junk apps. It seems like it's mostly the carriers that infect the phone with crap apps in order to subsidize the cost. I paid the same amount to the manufacturer that I would have paid to AT&T, but got a carrier-unlocked phone with no crapware. I didn't get a

        • I bought my most recent phone directly from the manufacturer, and it came without crapware. It's a Razr phone, which they don't make anymore, but I'm hoping there are still manufacturers out there that make phones that you can buy directly without junk apps.

          If you buy any Moto phone unlocked and direct from them, if it comes with any crapware it's on the user partition where you can literally and actually uninstall it. I've also heard that Samsung has dialed back the crapfest, but I know about Moto personally.

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          When it comes to crapware, Nokia leads the thing with bare android and Google itself with pixel, followed by Motorola. Then come things like old Oneplus which had very little crapware (as opposed to current colorOS full on chinesium bullshit as Oppo took over it). But in general, in my experience if you want no crapware, it's either barebones android from Google or Nokia, or slightly more modded skin from Motorola. Everyone else sucks nowadays. If there's someone else who makes meaningful numbers and not at

        • It seems like it's mostly the carriers that infect the phone with crap apps in order to subsidize the cost.

          I think you misspelled "profit more". It's not like the carriers are selling the phone any cheaper than the manufacturer, the only difference is you pay for it over the life of the contract.

      • How did you get the preinstalled social media crap-apps out?

        You can't.

        What you can do is go into app permissions and deny them absolutely everything. Next: Make a folder called "crapware". Copy them all into that folder and move it on the last page of your phone's homescreen where you won't see it very often.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          You can't deny internet access. That permission on android requires google permissions. You can firewall them off with passthrough VPN firewall software to some extent though. But that will drain your battery as they keep hammering at the firewall to get out.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

            Should say "root permissions" above instead of "google permissions".

          • You can't deny internet access.

            I should have been more specific. Android lets me select "Restrict background activity" which basically stops them from doing anything when they're not open.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

              This is actually not universally true. I run blokada on my phone specifically because I want to block internet access to quite a few apps on my phone, and even apps that have restricted background activity occasionally get blocked on it.

              I should note that it does reduce the background activity to a great extent however, i.e. it's a partial solution for things like battery drain. It's not a solution for "it gets to call the mothership with your data".

      • How did you get the preinstalled social media crap-apps out?

        One way might be to get a phone from Rob Braxman, "The Internet Privacy Guy". The last time I checked, he sells phones with a very sterilized version of Android.
        Then, maybe Linux phones might do the trick. The ones that come to mind are PinePhone, Fairphone, and Librem.

        BTW, I am in no way associated with any of this stuff.

    • Re:smash your phone - it worked for me (Score:4, Funny)

      by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @07:53AM (#62639106)

      There is a simple solution to cut back on how much you use your phone: Get a tablet or laptop.

      • How do I make phone calls with a laptop?

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by vivian ( 156520 )

          Whatsapp-web for sending messages so I can finally keep up with my wife's insane phone texting speed, and zoom for most of my comms since I'm overseas from where most of the people are that I talk to.
          It used to be a lot simpler in the good old days with skype before Microsoft bought it, but zoom seems to be the platform of choice for most people now, even though it's much more hassle setting up a connection than skype was.

          • Whatsapp-web for sending messages so I can finally keep up with my wife's insane phone texting speed, and zoom for most of my comms since I'm overseas from where most of the people are that I talk to.

            Obvious is obvious.

            What do you do when you're away from your router?

            • What do you do when you're away from your router?

              And how exactly do you slip a laptop into your pocket when you go out?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by jhecht ( 143058 )
          VoiP (e.g. Skype) will work on a laptop. Or use a landline or a dumb mobile. You don't have to use smartphones; some of us find the the small screens unreadable for many purposes.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by vivian ( 156520 )

        Yep I don't have time to spend hours a day on my phone - I'm too busy sitting in front of my laptop 12 hours a day.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Monoman ( 8745 )

      This and my ringer is off. A "quieter" device demands less attention.

  • Sounds like it. Personally, I do not get it. It is a phone. It can help you find some place or look at your calendar and maybe occasionally at your email. And you can make calls with it. But that is it. It is like all these people never used computers with a real UI before.

    • It is like all these people never used computers with a real UI before.

      In a word? Yes.

      Don't bother asking why they subscribe to half a dozen streaming services and don't own a TV.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gweihir ( 88907 )

        It is like all these people never used computers with a real UI before.

        In a word? Yes.

        Hmm. You have a point.

    • Sounds like it. Personally, I do not get it. It is a phone. It can help you find some place or look at your calendar and maybe occasionally at your email. And you can make calls with it. But that is it. It is like all these people never used computers with a real UI before.

      Excepting smartphone zombies that walk into traffic and get hit by a bus it's not the smartphones that are a problem. It's the social media apps that run on the smartphones and the sewage of conspiracy theories that they serve up to their gullible users disguised as news.

      • Made life better. Homeless, evicted, outbid on a renter, made to pay more for housing. More in debt. Not being paid 'On Call allowances'. Blue light sleep disorders. Casual zero hour work contracts. A dossier on what sites you visit - for life. Get in on the bitcoin wealth ladder. Benefits: Exam cheating, Nepotism if good looking, or if ugly or older, less secure employment. Now if only USA people copped $1000 plus fines for handling their phone in the car as they do in Australia.

        • Now if only USA people copped $1000 plus fines for handling their phone in the car as they do in Australia.

          Now wait...can ya'll not use your phone for map functions for traveling while int he car, or even streaming music in the car?

          You have to "handle" your phone in the care some while doing those activities....

          • You have to "handle" your phone in the care some while doing those activities....

            You don't have to do it while driving along though.

            Want to program your GPS? Pull the fuck over, turn off the engine, then start messing with your phone.

            Or get a passenger to do that stuff. They have phones, too.

            • Want to program your GPS? Pull the fuck over, turn off the engine, then start messing with your phone.

              Or get a passenger to do that stuff. They have phones, too.

              Well, if you don't have a passenger, which is very often the case for many of us out there, you have to change things yourself.

              So, you REALLY pull over every time you need to look at/alter the GPS map settings?

              You pull over every time you want to change the song playing on music streaming too (I hook mine to play through my car stereo, but cont

              • So, you REALLY pull over every time you need to look at/alter the GPS map settings?

                Me? Normally I set it once at the start of the journey.

                You pull over every time you want to change the song playing on music streaming too

                Voice control.

                Wow, you must be fun on long road trips.

                Or, you could just get on with the driving instead of putting everybody around you in danger just because you don't like a song.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      Sounds like it.

      Define too much?

      I'm willing to bet that this was a survey that asked "Do you think you use your phone A) not enough, B) enough, C) too much". This doesn't mean phone use is excessive, it means people think it is. I like my smart phone. I remember the before times when if you needed to know something you had to wait until you got home to google it (or even earlier, look it up Ye olde timey encyclopaedia), if you needed to transfer some money even just check your account it was a trip to the ATM if not th

      • Define too much?

        I'm willing to bet that this was a survey that asked "Do you think you use your phone A) not enough, B) enough, C) too much". This doesn't mean phone use is excessive, it means people think it is.

        Yep. If you ask those same people if they eat too much junk food they'll probably say "yes", too.

        Of if they don't get enough exercise, or ... any number of other things that people do.

        Phone use is only a problem if you're doing it while driving a car or crossing the street or anything else where you really ought to be paying attention to the world around you.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by waspleg ( 316038 )

      My wife endlessly scrolls facebook. I don't have an account and do not use my phone for anything but quick information look ups, weather, and calls/texts.

      I've worked K-12 for a long time, I've seen children act like they were having a limb removed because someone went to try to take their phone away. Schools gave up trying to police phones nearly a decade ago, at least in my district. I've also seen them whip it out and call their mom because they didn't like something a teacher said or told them to do.

      • Increasingly, I've seen girls dressed up with camera style TRIPODS for their phones outside in my neighborhood. I assume this is for tiktok trash, instagram, or whatever. The amount of ego and self focused navel gazing is the worst I've seen in my life.

        Then there's the guys obsessed with their cars, their entire life revolves around dyno readings, paint-jobs, shiny wheels and expensive mod-kits. No smartphone needed.

        Then there's the gun-nuts...

        Bottom line: You live in a trashy society. The phone isn't the cause, it's just a symptom.

        PS: At least those girls are out of the house and being social/creative, even if you personally don't like the result.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

        For girls, this is actually by design. Females compete with each other on looks in their fertile age. And filters on instagram allow them to modify their looks to extreme extent. Google "instagram face" to find out more.

        The problem arises when to get your face to look that certain easily recognizable way once you've found out about it, pretty much all people need instagram filters or lots and lots of surgery. Because it's very much not a natural look for humans. There was that curious case when instagram ha

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by gweihir ( 88907 )

          For girls, this is actually by design. Females compete with each other on looks in their fertile age.

          Well, yes. If they operate in cave-woman mode. To be fair, lots, probably most, people do that even today.

      • Increasingly, I've seen girls dressed up with camera style TRIPODS for their phones outside in my neighborhood. I assume this is for tiktok trash, instagram, or whatever. The amount of ego and self focused navel gazing is the worst I've seen in my life.

        On the other hand this might be a beginning of a love of photography or cinematography for these young ladies.

  • Step 1: Identifying the Problem (Score:3)

    by Anonymous Crowded ( 6202674 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @07:22AM (#62639064)
    So, why not fix it?

    I've been a tech junkie for years, but the only "excessive" time I spend on it is when I'm too lazy to grab a bigger/better device for casual gaming in my downtime.

    They're tools, like everything else. They're supposed to make doing other things easier. When that isn't the case, don't flip the script and turn the device into the destination.

    • That's just you. Don't assume everybody else is the same.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ranton ( 36917 )

      So, why not fix it?

      The first reason is that 65% of those surveyed also said their smartphone has made their lives better. So it isn't just as simple as not using the device, it is finding a balancing act. Like eating, where eating too much is bad but eating too little is worse.

      Like most useful things, these devices are also addictive. Little dopamine hits every time you get a notification.

      • Re:Step 1: Identifying the Problem (Score:4, Informative)

        by Cowardly Lurker ( 2540102 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @10:33AM (#62639494)

        Little dopamine hits every time you get a notification.

        I think the years of tech support and living with on-call duty have destroyed that part of me. Every time I get a notification I feel nothing but annoyance and sometimes dread.

      • So, why not fix it?

        The first reason is that 65% of those surveyed also said their smartphone has made their lives better. So it isn't just as simple as not using the device, it is finding a balancing act. Like eating, where eating too much is bad but eating too little is worse.

        Like most useful things, these devices are also addictive. Little dopamine hits every time you get a notification.

        This proves that no one in the decision-making has any clue. I've said for a while "Blackberry":
        - Take a GOOD handset that has a very nice screen
        - give it a very good phone interface

        Do tons of research on the best way to organize/input/read SMS/MMS/Messenger items
        - Build 'the best' texting app/UI
        - go down the list 1, 2, 3 make yourself your OWN UI that makes the most popular (social) networks actually USABLE
        - index all of your posts ONLY locally but make it easy to switch and re-post stuff

        Secure it

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jythie ( 914043 )
      I think the issue is that problems and solutions are rarely all that simple, People don't go into things saying 'hey, XYZ is bad for me, I think I will go do XYZ!', XYZ comes coupled with other things, and figuring out how to stop the bad while keeping the good, esp when there is a whole industry behind them, isn't always something the end user can do.
  • I friggin' hate phones. The interface is so awfully annoying compared to a computer. I use the phone only when I must.

    • Re:I use mine minimally (Score:4, Informative)

      by GoJays ( 1793832 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @09:26AM (#62639324)
      Me too. I work in tech and I probably use my phone less than the average person. I can't stand using it. It is designed to be a digital leash. It got to the point where I would cringe when I would hear a notification. I have since disabled all notifications, I will check the device on MY time, not when the device/person on the other end wants me to.

  • So ... don't? (Score:3)

    by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @07:47AM (#62639102)

    What exactly is your problem?

  • Modern accessories in modern life (Score:3, Insightful)

    by khchung ( 462899 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @07:55AM (#62639114) Journal

    How many Americans would also say they use their car too much? Or use their shower too much? Or watch TV too much? Or sit too much? Or eat too much? How about shoes? Why don't they ask if Americans are wearing shoes "too much"? Our ancestors go bare feet all the time, so wearing shoes is not natural and doing it all day long must be "too much", right?

    How much is "too much"? And so what if something is being used "too much"? While one can point to obesity as a consequence of eating too much, what is the problem of using your phone "too much"?

    I think American media liked too much to create a problem out of nothing, so Americans often feel guilty when they are not afraid. Modern human beings use modern accessories in their normal day to day life is not a problem at all.

    • Re:Modern accessories in modern life (Score:4, Funny)

      by gosso920 ( 6330142 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @09:03AM (#62639270)
      I don't use my phone that much.

      [Sent using my iPhone (TM)]

    • +5

      The only people saying "too much" are the curmudgeons and journalists trying to whip up a story from nothing.

      I remember they used to complain about kids reading too many books when they should be outdoors, or watching too much TV.

      Before that it was probably something else.

    • How much is "too much"? And so what if something is being used "too much"? While one can point to obesity as a consequence of eating too much, what is the problem of using your phone "too much"?

      I think American media liked too much to create a problem out of nothing, so Americans often feel guilty when they are not afraid. Modern human beings use modern accessories in their normal day to day life is not a problem at all.

      Like everything it depends on the person. If your personal life rf those around you suffer because you're staring at a tiny screen then that is too much.

  • Was this a phone survey? (Score:3)

    by Required Snark ( 1702878 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @08:00AM (#62639118)
    Specifically, was it administered on smart phones?
  • And they will just keep feeding their addictions.

  • Intermittent Fasting but for social media.

    There's a huge dopamine change between once-a-day (or week, you do you) and responding to every goddamn notification all day long.

    Even better, have a comms phone and an apps phone and keep one on you and one at home.

    Everybody here can afford a second used phone off eBay that can run LineageOS (or Calyx, you do you).

  • Maybe? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by altp ( 108775 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @08:43AM (#62639224)

    If you are scrolling on TikTok, or the like, for hours a day ... you MIGHT be using your phone too much.

    But, i think the same argument can be said about consuming any form of entertainment. In the 80s and 90s, we were watching too much TV. We were supposed to be outside or reading more.

    Now many people read books on their phones, or listen to podcasts and music while they are doing something else.

    If you think you are using it too much as a calculator, or a navigation device, or other modern "crutch" instead of doing it with your brain ... :shrug: ... Personally, I like not having to get out a compass, and put it on the topo map, when i'm back packing for a weekend in the back country (i still have a map with me just in case ... but the phone hasn't failed me yet with hundreds of weekends treking in the woods with my family). And, as a pilot, i love not having to carry an e6b with me and calculating all the minutia before going flying. Yes i was skeptical at first, but after using the electronic versions of everything for more than a decade with zero failures, i'm OK not carrying paper maps and an e6b when flying.

    As long as you are maintaining a healthy "entertainment vs healthy activity balance", the same as we were supposed to do with watching TV and going outside, I don't see any real difference between now and then ... it is just a new tool. And i'm OK embracing that new tool.

  • Da Phone (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ol Olsoc ( 1175323 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @10:00AM (#62639420)
    The little smartphone is within itself, a fine little handheld personal computer. A marvel of engineering construction, and coupled with the ingenious cellular system, one of humanities's big achievements.

    It has allowed millions, perhaps billions of us to access the world of the internet, GPS, basic communications and what the have to offer.

    But all is not golden.

    The utter ease with which a person can walk into a Verizon store, and walk out with a ready to roll device means that the average smarts of users goes down.

    It might not seem obvious to many younger folks in here, but there was once a time that just getting your computer to connect to the internet was an achievement.

    It's not that we didn't have Kooks, there just weren't as many, and they were smart kooks.

    But the entry qualifications went down over time, and now it hovers around zero qualifications.

    So we have almost universal access. Not everyone. But I've been watching youtube videos recently of people in West Asia who repair and create things in incredibly primitive conditions. Metalworkers and machinists. I watch to gain insight on how they do things we'd not consider here in the west, as well as the real recycling that they do https://www.youtube.com/result... [youtube.com]

    Recording on modern smartphones. And those guys are not on the stupid part of the spectrum.

    But the stupid and the evil have equal access, and they tend to win the wars and chase away the normal. Tragedy of the commons in full force.

    So much for access. Now the addiction.

    Oh, that dopamine hit. It can be addicting - it is addicting. From getting likes on Facebook, to placing nearly naked photos of yourself on instagram and enjoying in the thirsty followers and replies, to commiseration, Yes even arguing with people on Slashdot or the other social medias is a dopamine hit. And on and on.

    But dopamine is a harsh mistress. Become addicted to it and you burn out. The adverse reactions to excessive dopamine are the interesting part of this link. Sound familiar? https://mentalhealthdaily.com/... [mentalhealthdaily.com]

    The addict knows they are addicted. But breaking the addiction is very difficult. So that number of people who say they use their smartphone too much will probably grow, but not much will be done about it.

  • phones have definitely become ubiquitous

  • I miss the days when not being tethered to your phone didn't come with the implication that you're dead/dying or ghosting someone. You might as well embed it into your brain stem for all of the freedom smartphone ubiquity has granted.
  • I wonder if it will be possible to use metavers for dating? I mean, you can create an avatar pretty similar to the real you, right? It would be easier than reading reviews on dating sites every time, even though I've alredy managed to find tenderbang [tenderbang.com]. Do you think there is a future for this method of dating? Will this be a good experience for the future generation?
  • People consume too much of everything that is designed to attract consumption, because someone gets paid when that happens.

  • I make snarky comments on Slashdot too much.

  • Are people starting to wise up and realize they don't need the damned things at all?
  • +/- 5%. I know some have phones only for emergencies. Remember back in the days of the CIA where you were told to remove the battery when not using? ðY...ðY...

  • Survey was conducted via smartphone.

  • There's a serious problem with smart phones (Score:5, Funny)

    by Miles_O'Toole ( 5152533 ) on Tuesday June 21, 2022 @02:59PM (#62640142)

    It is my belief that these devices are directly responsible for the international plague of police brutality. Before most people in the developed world began walking around with camera-bearing devices in their pockets, police were absolute paragons of virtue. They never used excessive force. They never planted evidence. They never attacked non-violent demonstrators. They never behaved like cowardly buffoons while children were being murdered in a school.

    I am forced to conclude it is the phones themselves that are responsible for this sudden skyrocketing of bad behaviour by police forces that for decades exhibited spotless records. If only we could persuade people to give up their smart phones, once again we would have perfect police.

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