As mobile devices serve a good purpose in life to communicate with others with texting, calling, spending time with apps, and having fun with them, but there should be limits. I feel that human face to face communication is diminishing, and that mobile devices have gone out of control. Social skills and speaking is deteriorating as our tongue freezes up and cannot come up with conversations instantly, whereas it is easier to communicate with texts and writing messages, but I prefer the old fashioned way, where people come together, enjoy, create memories, laugh, talk and do fun things together, to put the phones down and actually verbally do the talking instead of the fingers. I know that it is a personal mobile phone and you can be on it 24 hours a day, but you do not need to be on it constantly.
I feel that smartphones and tablets and the constant changes to technology and gadgets are taking over some peoples lives and they can’t seem to put them down at all, they wake up with it, go to bed with it, they use the washroom with it, they eat dinner while being on them, they use it while at a coffee shop or restaurant among friends 90% of the time people get together and do not look at each others faces, and its just overwhelmingly taken over. what is the point of getting together with people when all that will be done is looking at screens? Where do we draw the line? Its become so bad that when people are physically together, they text each other when they are beside each other, and they communicate with their phone instead of looking at each other and moving their mouths.
I too have a smartphone mobile device, but I know my limits. I do enjoy my mobile device too, but I do not let it control my life, or my way of living. I will not let a screen device take over my life and who I am. Some people need to know limits, and when to put down the phone, like when someone is talking to you, when you are among a group of people, when you are in the washroom and so on and so forth. I sometimes go more than 12 hours without looking at my phone, I sometimes don’t look at it all day, as I do not let it control me.
Although mobile devices are important to have for emergencies and to contact people instantly, but some people overuse it to the point where things get out of hand and disrespecting others who are trying to talk to you when your head is so into that device, and its not healthy especially the radiation it produces. From your point of view, do you limit your use? What are your opinions about this issue? I would love to hear from you. Know your limit and be within it.
I enjoyed your thought-provoking post. You might enjoy my thoughts: Buddhism and Smartphones http://wp.me/pP1C5-15o
It’s definitely become too big of a part of every day life. I admit that I’m attached to it and I’ve realized that I am no longer encouraged to go out and hang with people because I feel like I’m so involved in their lives / speak / engage on social media.
To start to remedy this, I’ve begun to turn my phone off as soon as my Husband comes home. Also, I’ve consciously stopped myself from picking up my phone unless I’ve heard an alert and been using my computer more for you know..what computers were made to do instead of doing it all on my phone.
I think that’s a big part of the issue; we have too many gadgets and those gadgets can do too many things.
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Thanks for this 🙂 I do agree but have also determined that I am a smart device addict… What do you do. I’ve written a follow up blogging with a link back to your post – http://theshevster.com/2014/02/13/smart-device-no-life/
Some people have no “mobile discipline”… I hate being in a conversation with someone and some kind of signal sounds and they go right to their cell and then as me to recap what I said. I have a couple of mobile devices but use them to socialize BETTER, not to replace face-to-face meetings but to either arrange for them or to engage in them when it is not possible to meet in the same location. Remember when we weren’t allowed to bring books to the dinner table?
Depends on what type of job you have as well. I’m in a field that it is a must to work on these gadgets in the form of programming them. I have caught myself from time to time using them at home after a long day of dealing with them at work. I have created a electronic free day once a week in my house were no one uses any gadgets.
That is, in fact, the challenge with all potentially good things, isn’t it: finding the balance so that enough is plenty and we resist too much. Great post!