So, a couple weeks ago, I admitted in class that I had a dumb phone. I know, shocking, who would admit such a lame thing? But I found the conversations that we had in class very interesting. People talked about how they used their smart phones to entertain, pass time, pretend they don't see people, and overall avoid face to face interaction with other humans. With a dumb phone, there is only so much you can do. After 5 minutes, everyone knows you aren't doing anything on your phone other than avoiding the people around you. I've played the trial versions of Tetris, Uno, and Scrabble on my phone several times; I've organized my pictures; I've managed my messages; and I've typed "asdfghjkl" over and over again to pretend that I am actually having an engaging conversation with someone and I can't possible look away or talk to you. And I survived.
Last week, in one of my classes, we had a random online assignment we could work on in class that I had no warning about. I didn't bring my laptop, so I asked the teacher if there was something else I could do. "You can use your phone," is the response I got. Um, no, I can't. The teacher looked at me quite perplexed and said I could go to the lab. Wow, way to judge me for not having a smart phone. But this isn't the first time I've been ostracized for not having a smart phone. My freshman year, I was told that it was insane trying to be a telecommunications major with a dumb phone. Gee, thanks, now I really want to pursue this major. So I finally broke down and got a smart phone, well begged my parents until they gave in.
And on day five of having this phone, I must say, I almost wish I had my dumb phone back. Not only have I been getting a bazillion text messages saying, "OMG! You got an iPhone?", "You better follow me back on Instagram!", "I SnapChatted you like 20 minutes ago, why haven't you replied?", "I sent you an email, and I know you can check it on your phone, why haven't you responded?" and so on and so forth, but I've been bombarded with information from everyone and their brother. All I can say is, holy crap. Connection overload. Fun fact: I don't actually want to talk to everyone 24/7. So I am in an awkward adjustment phase.
I don't answer phone calls very well; I blame autocorrect for EVERYTHING, because I can't type; and I have a death grip on my phone constantly. I'm terrified to drop my phone, when before, eh, no big deal. So, maybe an iPhone isn't worth it? I will admit, I like being able to check my email, track the busses, and see how much money I have in my bank account, but is it worth it?
In one of the articles and class discussions, we talked about how we become more disconnected and rely heavily on our phones. I can say that I spent 25 minutes on Facebook yesterday during a class while the teacher droned on and on about something that I cannot for the life of me remember. So I missed out. I used to be that person that talked to people on the bus or in line, but now I can do stuff on my phone, and not have to make other people awkward. So going off the article, "Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?", I would ask, "Are our phones making us lonely?" Probably. We get absorbed in this idea that it is socially acceptable and required to have a smart phone that most people freak when someone tries to talk to them. Newsflash, that's how you make friends...you talk to strangers. My mom, who has no need for a smartphone, is considering getting one for her upgrade because the regular phones are A.) all the same, B.) suck, and C.) aren't really upgrades, you just have a new version of your old phone.
So am I happier with my new phone, I guess. My old one sucked, but I probably would have been just as happy with an new version of it. I do like my new phone, but I guess I just don't see what all the hype is. Maybe it just takes some getting used to.
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