I will admit that I am just as addicted to my smart phone as the next person. It does all that I could want, and more. It even provides me with an outlet for my penchant for hacking and customising all technology that I come into contact with, all because I'm vain enough to think I know better.
Having owned a smart phone since August of 2012, essentially as soon as I returned from Japan, I have rarely been without it. There was a difficult moment on a plane returning from Prague when the battery died and I was forced to read the in-flight magazine (and discovered much about salt: an epicure's delight). Aside from that, I can't think of a time when I haven't had it on me.
Of course, addiction to my smart phone is more than just that: it's the connectivity, and it's the convenience. Where once I would just use my phone to make calls and send texts, I can update Facebook or Twitter on the go, take high quality photos, check my email, catch up on my RSS reading, search for "useful" information, and all the rest.
And I can't stop.
It has long since stopped being a convenience to check Facebook or my email from the palm of my hand; it has become an obsession. I don't want to have to wait until I can get to my ageing laptop to check my emails or read the next pseudo-intellectual post on Facebook (which, once again, I am guilty of). I don't want to be without the convenience of Google in my pocket, which could mean I get lost trying to find the sorting office in Leeds, or look stupid by not knowing when the Cold War ended.
When I first arrived in Japan I saw many of my fellow exchange students lamenting the loss of their smart phones, and I mocked them. I was astounded to hear them say the words "but what will I do without Google Maps?" or "if only I had my phone, I could Google [Liam Neeson's height]..." How little I knew! I too have become a slave to the convenience of instant access to the Internet. The sorting office? Found it. The Cold War? Ended in 1989 (or 1991 depending on the source).
Before I owned a smart phone and was cursed with easy Googling privileges, I was forced to sketch out a map to somewhere I'd never been before, or get lost, or (and this is the scary one) interact with another human being. Sketched maps are fun, getting lost is how adventures start, and interacting with new people is how crazy stories happen. If I didn't know the date of the end of the Cold War, I'd probably not even have cared enough to find out later, and just been happy in my ignorance. But now I'll find out, just because I can.
Months ago, I went to the theatre to see Doctor Faustus, and I really enjoyed it. But something happened during the interval that scared me: 90% of the audience that didn't go to get a drink or a bite to eat pulled out a smart phone and began checking what had happened on Facebook, Twitter or whatever. I'm ashamed to admit that I did the same. A whole ninety minutes had passed and I had to know what had happened whilst I'd been disconnected.
As it is, when I realised that I had just joined the herd of addicts, I pocketed my phone and went wandering off. It's become a subconscious thing to just pull out my phone and check it when long enough has passed since the last time I looked at it.
And I hate it.
I hate that I'm addicted to my phone. I hate that I can no longer wait until the end of my day to check my emails, Facebook and catch up on all the blogs I follow. And I hate that every time I convince myself that I should spend some time just using an ordinary mobile phone, I can come up with genuine justifications as to why my smart phone is more necessary to have:
Some day soon, I'll disconnect. And I'll feel better.
What I'm Listening To
Go and 'List For A Sailor by Eddy O'Dwyer
My big brother's most recent album. It's a good 'un too! Check it out if you haven't done already... I can guarantee that there is something on here for everyone. Go and listen to it before he gets famous and you can say you liked it before it was cool!
Having owned a smart phone since August of 2012, essentially as soon as I returned from Japan, I have rarely been without it. There was a difficult moment on a plane returning from Prague when the battery died and I was forced to read the in-flight magazine (and discovered much about salt: an epicure's delight). Aside from that, I can't think of a time when I haven't had it on me.
Of course, addiction to my smart phone is more than just that: it's the connectivity, and it's the convenience. Where once I would just use my phone to make calls and send texts, I can update Facebook or Twitter on the go, take high quality photos, check my email, catch up on my RSS reading, search for "useful" information, and all the rest.
And I can't stop.
It has long since stopped being a convenience to check Facebook or my email from the palm of my hand; it has become an obsession. I don't want to have to wait until I can get to my ageing laptop to check my emails or read the next pseudo-intellectual post on Facebook (which, once again, I am guilty of). I don't want to be without the convenience of Google in my pocket, which could mean I get lost trying to find the sorting office in Leeds, or look stupid by not knowing when the Cold War ended.
When I first arrived in Japan I saw many of my fellow exchange students lamenting the loss of their smart phones, and I mocked them. I was astounded to hear them say the words "but what will I do without Google Maps?" or "if only I had my phone, I could Google [Liam Neeson's height]..." How little I knew! I too have become a slave to the convenience of instant access to the Internet. The sorting office? Found it. The Cold War? Ended in 1989 (or 1991 depending on the source).
Before I owned a smart phone and was cursed with easy Googling privileges, I was forced to sketch out a map to somewhere I'd never been before, or get lost, or (and this is the scary one) interact with another human being. Sketched maps are fun, getting lost is how adventures start, and interacting with new people is how crazy stories happen. If I didn't know the date of the end of the Cold War, I'd probably not even have cared enough to find out later, and just been happy in my ignorance. But now I'll find out, just because I can.
Months ago, I went to the theatre to see Doctor Faustus, and I really enjoyed it. But something happened during the interval that scared me: 90% of the audience that didn't go to get a drink or a bite to eat pulled out a smart phone and began checking what had happened on Facebook, Twitter or whatever. I'm ashamed to admit that I did the same. A whole ninety minutes had passed and I had to know what had happened whilst I'd been disconnected.
As it is, when I realised that I had just joined the herd of addicts, I pocketed my phone and went wandering off. It's become a subconscious thing to just pull out my phone and check it when long enough has passed since the last time I looked at it.
And I hate it.
I hate that I'm addicted to my phone. I hate that I can no longer wait until the end of my day to check my emails, Facebook and catch up on all the blogs I follow. And I hate that every time I convince myself that I should spend some time just using an ordinary mobile phone, I can come up with genuine justifications as to why my smart phone is more necessary to have:
- LINE/WhatsApp won't work, and some people only talk to me via LINE/WhatsApp
- What if I get an urgent email/Facebook message?
- What if I want to take a picture of something?
- I don't have any taxi numbers stored in my phone
- I won't be able to listen to music as I go places
- I can't look up Japanese words I don't know
- I'll have to remember where my lectures are
- I won't be able to use a constantly updating, GPS-enabled map to find my way
Some day soon, I'll disconnect. And I'll feel better.
What I'm Listening To
Go and 'List For A Sailor by Eddy O'Dwyer
My big brother's most recent album. It's a good 'un too! Check it out if you haven't done already... I can guarantee that there is something on here for everyone. Go and listen to it before he gets famous and you can say you liked it before it was cool!
