After my phone issues in recent days, I can’t decide whether I’m dependent on my cell phone or... addicted to it. The line is very thin, and you can cross it easily – either way.
Thursday night, my cell phone refused to boot. It shut down, and I panicked. How can I go out of town without a phone!?! Heaven forbid! It turned on by itself Friday morning. (btw, it’s never a good sign when a “gadget” has a mind of its own). All weekend, I was relieved I didn’t have to deal with the hassle of figuring out a new a phone while on “vacation.” I used it all weekend – Google Maps was my savior.
However, the cell phone shut itself down after the first leg home on Sunday. Well, that was no comfort either. Monday morning without a phone after days away from work? Yikes!!! Plus, I like to call or text my mom to let her know I’ve landed. It’s become automatic. I like to have access to my email – work and personal – at an arms reach. At first, I thought to myself – it’s really okay. I will have a new phone by morning (9 am precisely), and it’s only 15 hours. I let the people who needed to know – I don’t have a cell phone. Oh, and ya, posted something about it on Facebook…
So, I got the phone and yay – I could call again! I am reachable… Next up - emails, contacts… By the time I got my phone up to speed today, I realized… I was anxious all day. Today felt off, and I only felt relieved once I resolved syncing issues. (How can I function if email, calendar, and contacts don’t sync?!?!)
Seriously - I’m curious… am I dependent or addicted? I know some friends admit that they sleep with their phone – it has to be right by them. I do too. And what I described up above? I *know* I'm not the only one who has experienced those emotions. Don't lie - you know you have (at least in some part). We Google everything on our phones not to mention everything else.
Once in a land far, far away, when cell phones didn't exist... we all managed to survive getting lost, getting our work done, keeping in touch with our loved ones, having planners to track our meetings, appointments, notes, lists, keeping updated address books with phone numbers…
I sold my iPhone 3GS about a week ahead of the iPhone 4 launch to get the best price for it (to fund my iPhone 4).
ReplyDeleteIt was as if I had sawed my arm off.
It's both...
ReplyDeleteMany of us (myself included) are addicted to technology in general, and when that becomes an extension of your social network, it's even more addictive. It's been like a slow poisoning, the product of a decade-long marriage of technology to our personal lives.
In my opinion, dependency is fueling the addiction. The convenience of technology has adjusted the way we operate daily. Think about the fact that we used to print our work calendars on Monday... can you do that today and not miss something important on Tuesday? I sure can't. At the time I could because technology didn't enable us to make last-minute changes and expect everyone to get the update because they are all connected. Now, no-one wants to be "left out" if everyone else got it so we have an urgency to real-time updates. It's fundamentally changed the way we do everything. We pick up iPads instead of newspapers, we read rss feeds vs talking to your neighbors and friends about the latest arms debate or economic trends. Heck, now it's a stressor to try and stay on top of everything as much as everyone else you know because god forbid you're seen as a less-knowledgeable person because you missed something. We're punch drunk on information and it's become a gauge of our value - and thats further fueling our addictions and dependencies on technology. It unsettling how quickly it's evolving and entrenching itself in our lives, not to mention the fragmentation it's brining. I also fear long-term side effects like memory and attention disorders. Do I want it to stop though? No! I would, however, like things to slow down just a touch... ;)
Back on topic, I bricked my Android just before heading to Colorado because I wanted the latest version of the OS and Samsung is taking it's sweet time getting to us... I went through your exact situation for about 12 hours while on the road, with only my Mac with me which has none of the software to fix it. Thankfully I got it running again, but I was amazed at how helpless and disconnected I felt without it. It's a creepy feeling.