Community discussions

[Iona-D]

I have taken a formal Technology Break for the past month or so. That is why I seemed to stop posting anywhere online-even here on this Community Forum.  And now I have changed my approach in using my devices in my own life.  

• My "old" (still newish) smartphone broke after I had a rather nasty recent fall. I downgraded to simple feature phones & a feature plan from a nationally known MVNO.  They handle most anything I need to be done.  Anything from verifying my ID to staying in touch with important people just as easy as before.  These phone have rather hidden WiFi access and "smarts" via Kai OS similarly like smartphones offer.    I actually bought 2 really cheap flip phones with each one having a carrier plan well under $10.00 a month.  Even Data is thrown in with this Feature Phone orientated Basic Plan. Though I generally simply make calls or simple SMS type texts most of the time.   Which leads me to.....
• Roku (i.e. streaming options) is now limited to where it really belongs.  On a larger television screen.  Not on cramped portable devices like a smartphone.  Where human error (gawking) and other unexpected distractions might cause injury or worse to it's own user or others.  Does that mean I watch less?  No, I watch safely and more smartly.  Does that mean I cut down on my viewing time?  No!  Just more wisely and aware.

Plus here are some interesting concepts I gathered online-links listed below-on the maturation of Tech Usage And Roku which helped me greatly during my transition period:

Streaming Devices Have Peaked

https://www.techhive.com/article/2040483/streaming-devices-have-peaked.html

https://www.theverge.com/23621907/streaming-tv-boxes-roku-amazon-google-apple-nvidia

https://cordcuttersnews.com/scammers-are-targeting-cord-cutters-know-how-to-keep-yourself-safe/?amp=...

[MrXxx]

Sounds like you think like me. Tech is cool but it can definitely take over. Assigning various devices to focused tasks helps a lot. I don't need to be notified about every little Facebook post or message, Tic Tac, or even every phone call that rings.

This stuff literally all started with postal mail. People didn't even have boxes at their house. They made a special trip to check for anything and they often didn't even need to check because the postmaster knew when they had something and would tell them. Nobody interrupted their daily activities to get the mail until mail became so commonplace one had to have a box or slot on the door, or one at the end of the drive that we checked every day. So at first it was a once per day interruption, and only if one chose to check that often.

Then the telegraph came along. You knew if somebody went to the expense of sending a telegraph (that charged by letter or word) it HAD to be important, and usually was important enough for the operators to send messengers to find the person being addressed. Still, those were quite rare.

Then the telephone showed up. But even then you had to crank up an operator and often anything beyond your immediate area wasn't free and charged by the minute. When anyone got a long distance call they dropped what they were doing to answer it because it was expensive!

When the phone system started integrating dials so people could bypass the operator, phones became more numerous and a local call to your Grandma or Auntie was free, it was no big deal to just pick up the phone and ring them up. And since everyone was in the habit already of dropping what they did to answer it, everyone just kept doing it. It was considered rude to not answer a ringing phone. But calls became more numerous. Then telemarketers appeared. Bill collectors would harass with repeated calls. Caller ID appeared and gave people more control. Some people used it (myself included) to screen every call and stopped answering any calls they didn't recognize.

Still, today everyone knows that if they call someone they know, the person on the other end knows who's calling and if they don't answer, well, many take it personally. Which is unfortunate. Maybe I'm up to my arms in preparing a meal and can't pick it up right now. Or maybe I'm just not in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment. Besides, we all have voice mail. If it's that important, leave a message.

So the old "I don't know where this came from but it's been this way all of my life so I don't question it" mentality persists as it always has. If you don't pick up the phone or return messages as soon as they appear there are still some folks who take it personally and think you're being rude.

...but I digress because what you're really talking about is the overall effect so many features in tech we carry with us or used at home became overwhelming many years ago, but there are ways to deal with and simplify. Sadly it seems too many people just don't get it.

I agree. My TV is for passively watching shows I don't have to interact with. My phone is for phone calls. Messaging is for leaving messages and waiting for responses. Same with email. I do not need or want immediate gratification. Immediate gratification is what all this tech is designed to hook us all on so that we can't wait to pick up that phone, type a response, or get online and look up the answer to some trivial question someone just asked.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could just look something up on our TV online?"

No. No it wouldn't.

I love being able to keep my entertainment, phone calls, messages, online research, and every other little thing I use tech for, each in it's own separate little box of time and tech.

(...he said as he's typing this post on his laptop while watching a movie on his Roku TV with a cell phone next to him in case he needs it for a two step verification. 🤣)

[Iona-D]

Thank you for responding so quickly in spite of your busy day with your own devices and activities.  To tell you the truth, I really chose not to actually give up any  these devices (except for the broken smartphone)-just organize or relegate them to a less distracting/distancing way of personnal involvement.  

I fluff up my pillows to lie down to watch Roku streaming away all the while actually relaxing and really (not halfway) watching really fantastic & mostly free content.  My new feature phones handle any calls/texts that need my attention immediately and screen out the rest.  The new replacement Moto smartphone stays turned off in my dresser drawer and taken out only to do the things which it is made to do best for and the dependable but not so bright dumbphones really cannot handle it well or maybe not at all.  Then I make it disappear back where it belongs until the next time it's needed.

It has been almost 6 weeks since my accident.  In a very strange way, I am glad it happened as I appreciate each device I own and value each for it's  contribution in my life.  Balance is called for here, not device hate bashing or expecting these high tech devices to be something/ perform any more that  they cannot ever be.

[MrXxx]

I've been searching for over twenty years for an electronic means of planning activities and projects so as to only get notifications that actually matter to me personally and also help me stay on track. I've yet to find one that actually works, and instead have found that lack of such an effective tool is the worst failure of this new world of tech.