To fight texting and driving means confronting a bigger problem: our technology is reprogramming us.
I've been willfully aware of this strange behavior in recent times while analyzing myself. There is no legitimate reason to even touch the device, but I'll find myself holding it just to hold it. Like the smartphone is now an extension of who I am; an extension of the ability to consume from the environment I perceive. In personal experimentation, I've noticed simple acts like placing the device on silent, to avoid being made aware of its presence, reduced desires to interact with it a lot. That says to me that the device isn't actually an improvement on my quality of life if I dont miss it when it's gone. Disconnecting seems to slow communication and conversation with others, but I'm not convinced that it's a bad thing at all. Maybe we're moving far too fast for our own good.
Nope not me. If I put my phone on silent I check it even more because now "I might have missed something!" I do sometimes forget my phone at home or in the car and I think that's healthy, but when I'm consciously trying to ignore it I find it better to leave the ringer on because then for the really important things (i.e., text or phone call) I will actually hear a notification and can then respond to it. Apple has Do Not Disturb mode. Half the time I use it and it, too, just means I manually check my phone even more. The other half the time I forget it exists and don't use it, so... I think your mileage varies and depends on your relationship with your phone. I like forgetting my phone. It forces me to be in the moment.In personal experimentation, I've noticed simple acts like placing the device on silent,
To put it simply, we've become addicted to our smartphones. Anything you do for about 3 weeks beings to rewire your brain. I gave up my smartphone for about 2 months after I was fed up with Google and their making Android more and more closed source as well as increasingly close workings with the DoD and gov. Now I use a smartphone that mainly just gets online. People text me, I get to them when I get to them. I don't use Facebook or social networking because it's mostly a waste of time and dehumanizes actually interacting with your friends and family. Best part? I don't miss a single app after having using Android since the 1st day it came out w/ the G1 until mid this year. Even better actually, I find myself reading books more instead of spending most of my freetime on reddit, social networking, messing with apps, the smartphone itself, etc.
This is what I've been noticing too since stepping away from social media and generally using technology as a means of consumption. [ I too have been with Android since the G1 launch and am also upset with Google's recent behaviors.] I've gone back to searching the internet for places that interest me, returning to reading more, etc. When you turn technology into a vice or just another convenience, you realize indulging in these behaviors actually impedes you from being a better human being in many ways. I think its a behavior that gets swept over because humanity has never had to deal with having so many readily available tools that increase comfort. It's an addiction that we dont seem to have the will to confront. Like, we're okay with treating the default human state as a handicap remedied by technology.
Facing our demons, it's something very difficult for so many to do. Why else is alcoholism, partying, and escapism so rampant? So many don't want to think about anything that makes them feel negative or doesn't reinforce their viewpoints. Unfortunately this has huge consequences everywhere, especially and unsurprisingly people's mental health. So many seem to work all day and then when they're get drunk so they won't remember the night! It's been nice being less addicted to the internet and technology. I only get in hubski weekly and twice a week on reddit these days.
To me the coolest part of this article was the Herzog documentary that was linked. I hadn't heard of it, although after watching, I noticed that pieces of it have been turned into PSA commercials. Herzog is one of my favorite filmmakers, so it's really weird to see him make that kind of film. But it is super powerful. You should watch it; if it doesn't affect you, then you're probably not human.
I've tried to get over using my phone while driving and in general by just getting a small cheap watch. Instead of fumbling in my pocket for a smartphone I just have to glance at my wrist, and there's little risk of of me getting caught up in social networks and all that jazz. Smartphones feel like, well, smarter pocketwatches in a lot of cases to me. I still love my S4, though.
This article is exactly why I'm afraid to get a smartphone. I know I'll check it all day and use it as a crutch. Therefore I'm putting it off for as long as possible.
If you don't need one, I say don't get one. I like my smartphone because of what it does to get me out of tight binds. I make money transfers, and I use public transit a lot so I have a map for that. Other than that I never, ever look at it, and I think if it doesn't create a net positive for your life, you should avoid it.
I'm just concerned that at some point in the future it may only be possible to purchase a smart phone and contract. In that case I wouldn't relish just switching over to a landline number, but it is an option.
Yeah, that's pretty much where things are headed. I think it's still possible to use a smartphone conservatively, what worries me more are the contract prices and data plans. As we move to a future where we operate with smartphones only, I'm sure the big companies will find a way to exploit that.