Like, you just look weird if you sitting by yourself (example: waiting at a bus stop) and just stairing into space, so like its basically social expectation to be on your phone when you are by yourself.
Plus, just feels like if you don’t have a phone on you, you are missing a lot of information (access to the internet, maps, etc.) that you might need in case you get lost or something.
No. I usually read books anyway, and i tend to forget my phone very often. So nothing unusual.
I’d end up staring at people while I drink my coffee without my phone.
Ooposite, i feel weird and unreal when I have a phone, like I’m not human, just bound to this box and that’s all I am, no me. also I’m embarrassed using my phone in public, because it is embarrassing and when I see people doing it my respect sinks by 70%.
I don’t even know how I survived the 90s. When you were waiting for the bus the most entertaining thing you could do was stare at your shoes or throw a rock at the stop sign
I would run out of ads to stare at and then just space out.
You had to pick up rocks on the way in case there weren’t any good ones at the bus stop. Or you’d have to ask people there if they had any spare rocks. So embarrassing.
The boredom was real, but also like…thoughts would turn over in undirected and sometimes fruitful ways, too. At least for me. My mind does far less just “idling” these days, and while too much of that is a real kind of misery, I think some is probably useful.
When I have idle time for thoughts to enter my brain is when bad things happen.
Heard lol, it’s not a universal good
A Walkman or book
Or a handheld… Those ones still exist… Thankfully.
Even nowadays I don’t feel “entertained” when forcing myself to use the smartphone when I am in waiting situation outside…
How could I have forgotten gameboy
I’m 50, old enough to remember when we didn’t have answering machines or call waiting or anything, and yet I can’t go to the kitchen to stir my tea without my phone. I’m not saying it’s good. To be fair I do read a lot of books on it though.
I do not. I don’t feel awkward necessarily just sitting there doing nothing but I also tend to avoid situations where I am like that because I do get bored and impatient fairly easily. I also just don’t like phones. I don’t do much with mine other than the things I find very useful like calls, text messaging and maps. I much prefer my PC whenever possible.
I’m American, and I’m 40. I didn’t have a mobile phone until I was like 19 and didn’t have a smartphone until I was probably about 28 or something.
I understand why people would feel awkward without their phones for sure. Especially if that’s what they are used to. I used to smoke cigarettes and I remember kinda feeling silly just standing there not smoking after I quit.
I wouldn’t know. That hasn’t happened since I got my first phone in the 90s. It’s always with me.
I feel weird if I go to the kitchen and don’t have a phone with me. Then again, I’m weird, so having a phone with me may not be the issue.
I haven’t had a phone in years.
For the second yes, but mostly because I get lost very easily. The first not really, many people outside are not on their phones.
If you take public transport, everyone is on their phones. Well maybe not exactly on their phone but some are listening to music/podcast via headphone/earbuds that are playing on their phone.
Maybe you live in a rural area and people are less attached, but in cities, everyone is addicted af.
If I take public transport, then I look outside the window.
Hmm, maybe on a bus or train above ground. On a subway, there’s nothing besides the dark void of the tunnels.
Nah I live in a medium sized city and it’s not everyone. There are many people with headphones sure and some are doing things on their phone. There are also many people not doing anything or looking out the window (when in busses). It may have to do with demographics, it’s mostly older people who aren’t doing anything and teenagers in groups who spend the whole ride talking and that’s a big part of public transport users so they affect the general image.
For what it’s worth I probably bring the phone usage up cause I read on my phone but you can do that with a physical book and there are some people doing that too.
Maybe you live in a rural area and people are less attached, but in cities, everyone is addicted af
I live in Paris, France (hopefully enough of a city to qualify?) but I’m not ‘addicted af’ (not at all, for that matter) and neither is my spouse, nor are quite a few of the people we know ;)
That said I also see a lot of people walking looking at their screen, bicycling looking at their screen, driving and looking at their screen. And I see a lot of accidents too. I wonder, could there be a link?
Yes, it is odd these days.
If it’s just a local trip, I don’t really care, as long as I’m confident I just left it somewhere at home. Sometimes feels awkward on the bus because everyone besides the local homeless person or the group riders talking to each other is on their phone, but it’s fine.
If I’m somewhere unfamiliar I can get very paranoid as I worry if I dropped it, it got stolen, or if something else happens I wouldn’t know where to go.
I leave my phone behind now and again so I don’t feel the obligation to always be reachable, a privilege I’m sure. I don’t often get lost but I speak the local language so I can just ask a stranger if I do. I absolutely don’t find it weird if someone’s alone and not looking at a phone and don’t think anyone around me does, though I’ve never been one to care about that sort of thing anyway. I’ve intentionally removed all the timewasting apps from my phone as well, namely social media and news and all that.
its basically social expectation to be on your phone when you are by yourself.
Books and newspapers are not forbidden (yet?)
My take-out burrito wasn’t ready on-time and I forgot my phone in my vehicle. I had to look at posters on the wall while I waited! Please pray for me, it was awful and I’m still traumatized.
