Author Topic: Honestly, honestly do you feel smartphones have improved your quality of life?  (Read 31033 times)

Offline mmgfarb

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I let this simmer for almost 24 hours and so far there are 4 responses:
1) No
2) Yes
3) Yes in moderation
4) No, but I need it for business

To those that said no, kudos and I hope you actively help stem the rising addiction.

To those that said yes, well, your life must've been pretty miserable before. Again, no one will say smartphones are not beneficial but the risks outweigh the rewards. Putting it away during family time is a start, but can you truly say you don't steal minutes here and there even though it's officially outside family time? Those minutes add up, those "Yay dad is home!" "Wait, he's not coming inside" "Oh, he must be on his phone again" leave a lasting mark.

To those that said yes with moderation, see @aygart 's perfect rebuttal here

To those that said I need it for business, did you say that excitedly or dejectedly?
The advent of smartphones has most definitely improved the quality of life for most people on the planet. The question is whether or not you personally having a smartphone improves your quality of life or not. I think, as with any technology, it both improves and worsens your quality of life in different ways. It may be easier to get where you're going but you may be less focused when you get there, etc. The question about quality of life is too broad I think. The question really comes down to what you value more, the elements that it improves or the elements that it detracts from.
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Offline Jellybelly

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Yes, immeasurably.

But if you don't have boundaries then it will consume you.

Just curious what boundaries people here have? I would love to get more ideas, I try to currently have three and I’m still open to new ideas.
1) don’t look at my phone during davening at all for any reason
2) don’t look at my phone before shachris
3) try to minimize my phone use in front of my kids

The first one,  I’m proud to say I’m pretty good at, but 2 and 3 is a work in progress

Offline aygart

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Just curious what boundaries people here have? I would love to get more ideas, I try to currently have three and I’m still open to new ideas.
1) don’t look at my phone during davening at all for any reason
2) don’t look at my phone before shachris
3) try to minimize my phone use in front of my kids

The first one,  I’m proud to say I’m pretty good at, but 2 and 3 is a work in progress

Suggestion: turn the phone off at night and only turn it on after shachris.
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Offline grodnoking

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Just curious what boundaries people here have? I would love to get more ideas, I try to currently have three and I’m still open to new ideas.
1) don’t look at my phone during davening at all for any reason
2) don’t look at my phone before shachris
3) try to minimize my phone use in front of my kids

The first one,  I’m proud to say I’m pretty good at, but 2 and 3 is a work in progress
I find that when I wake up I want to roll over and go back to sleep and catch a later minyan. I do have enough energy to glance at my phone. After 5 minutes of using my phone I'm awake enough to make a proper decision to get out of bed.
Basically if I roll over for "5 more minutes" I have a much more likely chance of getting up much later than if I used my phone right when waking up.
And I leave my phone at home when I go to shachris.
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Offline CountValentine

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Just curious what boundaries people here have?
Instead of four battery packs only two. Or instead of three phones only two.
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Offline Definitions

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I find that when I wake up I want to roll over and go back to sleep and catch a later minyan. I do have enough energy to glance at my phone. After 5 minutes of using my phone I'm awake enough to make a proper decision to get out of bed.
Basically if I roll over for "5 more minutes" I have a much more likely chance of getting up much later than if I used my phone right when waking up.
And I leave my phone at home when I go to shachris.
This. I used to do that and it worked very well. Now Im stopping to do that for a few reasons.

One is because i ended up using my phone much longer thereby making me get to yeshiva later.
Two it turned into me wanting to see my phone just because rather than as a way to get me alert. (Also it happened to have strained my eyes immensely)
Three I just don't feel it's in the spirit of ובקומך for me to use my phone for personal use and for so long.

That's roughly the reasons.
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Online thaber

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I don't know. I don't remember having so much extra time before I got my first blackberry. Used to read more on paper, now more digital.
Overall I say yes. It untethered me from my office and chair, and makes my life immeasurably easier in do many ways. Costco shopping takes 5 minutes instead of 5 hours.
The only downside is in the upside (as it so often is). I'm untethered from my chair, but it's hard to disconnect. So now I carry two phones. And my work phone often stays in the car or on my desk when I'm with the family.

Offline stooges44

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Here are some videos I've bookmarked over the years:

1) Already posted by @Luvisrael over here

2)


3)


4)

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Offline aygart

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The only downside is in the upside (as it so often is). I'm untethered from my chair, but it's hard to disconnect. So now I carry two phones. And my work phone often stays in the car or on my desk when I'm with the family.

This is what I used to say when I had my office in the house. The advantage is that I never leave the house. The disadvantage is that I never leave the office.

Having 2 phones seems to me to be the best answer by far. I have a flip for the main phone and have a smartphone which mostly sits i a drawer unles i am travelling. I don't even know the phone number on it.
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Offline Yonah

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Just curious what boundaries people here have? I would love to get more ideas, I try to currently have three and I’m still open to new ideas.
1) don’t look at my phone during davening at all for any reason
2) don’t look at my phone before shachris
3) try to minimize my phone use in front of my kids

The first one,  I’m proud to say I’m pretty good at, but 2 and 3 is a work in progress

While I am not so strong, one of my friends has a "no phones upstairs" policy when it comes to bedtime. Essentially they have a dedicated shelf in their kitchen where all phones get charged overnight (both parents and kids). This way no ones checking their phones at midnight - or at 2am.

I think that 1,2, and 3 above are also awesome choices.

I think that all three of these speak to the 'always on/instant response/instant gratification' world we live in. Mincha and Maariv combined take what - 20, 30 minutes max? Do we really live in a world where someone is expected to respond within 5 minutes of any message? Think for a moment of all of the messages you get everyday, how many require an instant response?


Offline aygart

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I think that all three of these speak to the 'always on/instant response/instant gratification' world we live in. Mincha and Maariv combined take what - 20, 30 minutes max? Do we really live in a world where someone is expected to respond within 5 minutes of any message? Think for a moment of all of the messages you get everyday, how many require an instant response?


The biggest difference I found when I switched to a flip phone was that I realized how many emails really made no difference if they waited until I went back into the office.
Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline grodnoking

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While I am not so strong, one of my friends has a "no phones upstairs" policy when it comes to bedtime. Essentially they have a dedicated shelf in their kitchen where all phones get charged overnight (both parents and kids). This way no ones checking their phones at midnight - or at 2am.

I think that 1,2, and 3 above are also awesome choices.

 Do we really live in a world where someone is expected to respond within 5 minutes of any message? Think for a moment of all of the messages you get everyday, how many require an instant response?

If you do amazon, once in a while you have things that need to be done ASAP. But I feel its better to loose those couple dollars that you might make to be able to live normally and not check your phone every 5 minutes not during work.
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Offline cozmohoot

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Its crazy how many people are staring at phones in different shuls!

Offline mochjas

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Its crazy how many people are staring at phones in different shuls!
some have a siddur on their phone

maybe they are texting Gd

Offline aygart

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some have a siddur on their phone
no difference
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Offline cozmohoot

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I have even seen people texting during shmona esrei because they were using it as a siddur.

It got me disgusted and vowed to not take it out at all.

Offline CountValentine

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The biggest difference I found when I switched to a flip phone was that I realized how many emails really made no difference if they waited until I went back into the office.
I have yet to answer an email via my phone.
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Offline aygart

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I have yet to answer an email via my phone.
retiree.... Do you know the difference between email and voicemail? :P
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Offline CountValentine

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retiree.... Do you know the difference between email and voicemail? :P
I had a cell phone before most here.  ;)
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Offline stooges44

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I have even seen people texting during shmona esrei because they were using it as a siddur.

It got me disgusted
and vowed to not take it out at all.

See here
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