Smart Phones.

A bit random and a right ramble, but here goes;

Are smart phones the basis of evil?

A vast majority of us have one.

Are they destroying human interaction and conversation?
Is it really a good thing to have the world's knowledge at your fingertips?

I am old enough to remember the era before smart phones, Me and my mates would have long debates about any subject. Arguments about who was right or wrong, sometimes we would drag total strangers into the mix in the hope their knowledge was better. Now we can kill any question with google and 4G.

I would wonder what an old friend was up to who I hadn't seen in years.....now thanks to Facebook I know what he had for breakfast this morning.

I can be reached at any moment anywhere in the country. (I am also tracked by google maps)

I stopped at a red light in a busy street yesterday while driving, a good 80% of pedestrians were being led by their phone.

Is there life without a phone?

Have I crossed the threshold into old fart territory to even suggest such a thing?

This is a very interesting talk about this subject ( you have to listen to end) In end specially he elaborates about your question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hER0Qp6QJNU

Welcome to the old fart territory haha! It's actually an ok place to be :) I have a mobile phone but it's only used occasionally...by that I mean I'm on a prepaid plan that costs me $20 a year and sometimes even that amount does not get used. Obviously it's not a smart phone, I've never owned one and, frankly, don't think I ever will.
It saddens me when I look around a restaurant/cafe/pub and see so many on their phones...people at the same table not talking to each other. I'm always giving my own family into trouble when they're in my company and just have to check their face book...I mean the information will still be there to read an an hour FFS!

Also, I think google has made us all brain dead to a point...I mean, I remember my dad giving us kids little quizzes, like name the 7 dwarfs for example and our little minds would mull through them (sneezy was always the elusive one for me) it kept us busy and our brains healthy IMO.

So there you go...I'm with you Darren...I don't like google to know I'm in my local pub either haha!!!

Good subject, Darren.
I agree with what you say and yet one cannot but change with the times or run the risk of getting out of touch with the world around them. In my profession I have to be reachable every day and evening for medical emergencies and so I cannot travel anywhere without my mobile phone. Also, I had to join several Whatsapp groups for the studies I did and keep in touch with colleagues and friends that way...as it is so easy to share info and documents/ photo's via smartphones!
But I have indeed noticed people seem to be preoccupied by their phones, even in company, even at the dinner table! Completely unacceptable in my book. People have lost the need to remember things by heart as they all have their 'memory bank' in their pockets, lol! I do fear we will lose the ability to use our brain more and more, as the saying "use it or lose it'' also rings true for the ability to think.
I hope parents will keep investing in their children and teach them to investigate and make up their own minds about situations they come across, rather than to go by what the media ( in whatever form) tries to make them believe. I must not think of an entire generation raised by Google :-(

I don't own a mobile phone - I detest them and what they are doing to us. Like anything, we take a good idea, get carried away and end up ruining it for ourselves. Phones/social media were supposed to make us more sociable - they have had the complete opposite effect in my opinion. You cannot go to a restaurant anymore without seeing people together all on their phones to someone else. Mothers in McDonalds ignoring their kids, tweeting that they're in McDonalds. People in supermarkets calling each other to make known what aisle they're in.

My rants over...my blood pressure is on the up. Thank you, Darren.

I think that smart phones have pros & cons. I agree with almost all of the arguements that have already been made against them however there are some valid arguments for them too.

They are a huge help to the disabled. For me if i fall, become too ill, break down on my mobility scooter or forget where I am or what im doing then i can call for help and my husband can find me using the locator app.

I write lists and reminders of things i need to do appointments, renewals, anniversarys etc. And when stuck in bed i can chat with my friends using WhatsApp video so its like im in the same room. They send me photos when they are on holiday so I feel like I'm on holiday with them.

I can look up prices and reviews when buying a product, & buy things on line, use the conversion app and calculator, watch movies, tv, news articles, read & write poetry, go online to write comments on p&q. Take photos of my dog, read news, poetry & books on kindle app, play games, make & take calls, send messages and all of this in one little gadget.

Without the smart phone my quality of life would be much poorer. For me it's a life line and entertainment & reminder system that helps keep me safe and releave the monotony of being ill.

Thanks for your replies

Milly I think you have highlighted how crucial these can be used in the right context.

I do feel the next generation will be dumbed down and struggle to converse freely.

But I suppose we have to move with the times.

Good thread, Darren, thanks for posting this.

Love reading the replies and how such technology has impacted a person's life.... especially with you, Milly. Thanks for sharing that and I'm glad it helps the monotony of life.

I had a flip-phone up until a few years ago, then I had a phone with a pull-out keyboard, and then just this year, I got a Samsung Galaxy. I remember when I started doing plays/musicals my sophomore year of high school, my dad gave me a flip-phone just for emergency purposes. A few years later, my dad actually won a Kindle fire and he passed it onto me, so I used that to write in college and any Internet purposes. The only reason I upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy was because of our family plan, and it was actually cheaper somehow (I'm horrible with figuring that stuff out). So I have a few apps for fun, word games like Ruzzle, and then a Dunkin Donuts app (since I'm constantly going there before/after work). I don't text too often, but my phone helps me with things I need on-the-spot, and I write a lot of daily reminders since I'm always forgetting things. I also have been documenting a lot through photo or videos, especially with activism I do, it's great to be able to check-in to places real time and upload content from the event.

I still love the feel of a laptop and will occasionally take it to Barnes & Noble so I can sit down, cozy, and write. I don't often write poetry from my Galaxy.

Also, does anyone else drop their phone almost daily?!?! I will forget it's in my pocket, then bend over, and BAM. I already have a crack in my new phone and I'm very cautious of leaving it in weird spots since I have the tendency to be both clumsy and forgetful lol.

But back to the evil question: Hmm, I don't think phones have the tendency to bring out evil in us. It's human nature to be distracted, and I think there will always be someone or something that provides a distraction and break from reality. Yes, it is about balance, and not being so consumed in technology, but I really think it is up to each individual. If you have enough respect if, let's say, another person is talking to you and you really want to keep checking updates on Facebook... do you have enough courtesy and self-control? I think people lean on technology and can use it as a safety net. But I also see it as this ability to create more. Videos, photographs, anything in the moment that one might not be prepared for. Instead of saying, "oh I need to go grab my camera", I can just pull it up quick on my phone. So many things in life happen at moments we don't expect, and I think smartphones have made it easier to handle that/prepare for that.

(Just my random rambling!)

Bit of a sweeping generalisation there about a generation of kids!
My son is 17, and yes, his whole life is on his phone, but he knows when to put it down and is by no means less educated because of it, nor less chatty or able to debate about the things he feels strongly about.
I think there's an argument for smartphones. My son used an examination board approved app on his phone as one of his revision tools in his GCSEs and he did very well. He's using an app at the moment to learn about the highway code to go with his driving lessons. He can do all of this while he's on the bus to college. I doubt he'd have taken a book to study.
He loves watching seminars and interesting videos on YouTube and is far more knowledgeable because of it. As for having knowledge at his fingertips via Google, I think he probably knows more BECAUSE he's able to look up info so readily. I doubt he'd go to the library to research all the funny little facts we can find so easily now.
I don't think in the days before smartphones we were these wonderful people that had so much to say to each other. It's nostalgia. I think the things we share on our phones bring us together as much as they move us apart.
I'd be lost without my phone I admit. And I certainly wouldn't find the time to sit at a laptop and write or post poetry (a good thing you might think, lol).
I know what you mean about people sharing too much info on social media though. The great news is that no one is holding a gun to your head. If you don't like it, delete them or come off Facebook. I closed my account a while ago and I have to say, it's actually rather liberating!
I've got the giggles because I'm imagining the 'old farts' when TV was brought to the masses. I bet they were having the exact same debate and felt it would be the root of all evil! Lol :-)
Evil people are the root of evil. Always have been and always will be and they'll use whatever means available to them to achieve this.
Great 'thinky' thread :-) x
=^.^=

Since we are on the subject of smart phones...useful tip...

if you drop your phone in a sink, bath or down the loo. Get it out of the water and get the battery out and dry it as quickly as possible then dry the phone (if the battery doesn't come out just dry the phone) then put the phone in a bag with the battery loose with a handful of uncooked rice. Seal the bag and leave for at least 24 hours before putting the battery back in. It should now work.

This method also works with hearing aids :)