Connecting/Disconnecting

[rebeccmeister]

A couple of days ago, a blog I've been reading linked to a story about a guy who is living without the internet for a year. I can't stop thinking about it, mostly because it's interesting to hear about the different phases of this guy's experiences, going from a period of peace and quiet to a point where all of the uncomfortable, annoying elements of being a human being manage to resurface in different ways. His remarks about his overall productivity are revealing; while in the short term, he manages to read a bunch of books and crank out more writing than before, that effect doesn't last, and it isn't too long until he's back to the same writing habits he had before he gave up the internet. But perhaps I just like that segment because it allows me to say, "See? Even if I close my Facebook account and stop reading Livejournal and Slog, I won't be any more productive than I currently am."

My postdoc advisor here has been trying to convince me that having a smartphone makes life just so much easier, and yet I continue to resist the idea. Much of my resistance is financial; I would rather spend money on student loans and new bicycles. On top of that, I'm not really convinced that it makes life all that much easier. While it might simplify some tasks, I just keep looking around at people who are constantly staring at their crotches because they are so preoccupied with checking updates for things. So I have to wonder just how much time and energy is sunk into one's relationship with one's smartphone, when that time and energy could be spent elsewhere - having conversations, reading books, etc. Is it really worth it to spend all that time trying to fight with mapping software, when you could just find a paper map and use it to navigate? Do you really know where you are if you got there thanks to GPS directions, instead of looking around you for clues in the landscape? All I know is, maps won't run out of batteries. However, they can also be far from perfect, and it has only been through trial and error that I have found that the best way to navigate most cities is via a bike map (which may or may not connect a person to public transit options).

Technological commentators have also focused on how the nature of communication between people has shifted as a result of the digital revolution and smartphones, noting that they generally lead to more superficial exchanges. Fundamentally, I'm not interested in that.

Anyway, I have to leave this with a loose ending, because the whirlwind of last night and today is catching up with me; crew started and so I didn't get enough sleep last night.

Comments

Snartphones

[jamesfduncan.livejournal.com]

Resisted too for the same reasons you note until this year. Found the smart apps for biking, shopping, hiking and learning apps like Star Walk where you can orient yourself so easily to the heavens so helpful. Also, the social media apps like Instagram & Twitter allowed me to stay in touch easily on the fly and eliminate time on high-maintenance media (closed Facebook for example). But, no, they're not a substitute for real life:)!

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

The thing I like best about having a smartphone is never being more than a few second away from information, whether that's this afternoon's weather or what president came after Garfield. I miss it when I don't have it, e.g. when in other countries. I enjoy Facebook, for nephew photos and because the people I went to school with were actually a decent bunch, but I could give it up without missing it nearly as much.

I miss blogs and Ravelry a lot when I don't have them, but I don't use my iPhone for those all that often.

[annikusrex.livejournal.com]

I have a free-ish smartphone thanks to work, and it is convenient, but I'm no evangelist for it. I mostly use it for email, the New York Times app (which is awesome, especially when you have to be out of data range for a period of time), weather, and Twitter (which I don't entirely "get," but Facebook is too picture-heavy and takes too much time to load too few posts).

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that I have wanted an iPod Touch, but mostly for the sake of being able to play Scrabble while traveling. :-)

I really want to put together an Underground Scrabble Network, just for myself and friends, so we can all play Scrabble remotely and also chat with each other. I'm still peeved with Hasbro and refuse to play Facebook Scrabble, as I hate the user interface.