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Who Else Is Bucking the Smartphone Trend?

Started by Ned Weasel, March 26, 2021, 06:43:45 PM

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nexus73

No smartphones for me.  I have had PC's on the net since 1995.  My home phone is an old-fashioned landline, which works when the net or power goes down.  Since I am home most of the time, there is no need for constant connectivity away from my residence.

One gets the communications devices they need.  In hand I have an excellent emcomm system for use after the Cascadia Subduction Zone quake hits.  It is a fantastic setup but how many people will need such around or have the skill set to operate it?  Were you a log truck driver on BLM forest roads, a CB is essential.  If you are on a boat in local waters, Marine VHF is a necessity.  Flying a plane means AM VHF radios are needed.  Be in a business needing radio and odds are VHF FM commercial gear is part of the plan. 

Want it simple?  We have a place in Coos Bay called Hollering Point.  It is where one could stand and holler across the bay to anyone on the North Spit when the winds were right.  Human powered communications with an assist from nature!

Communication capabilities are truly remarkable in these times.  Alas, they do have their hazards.  TV watching as a child in the Sixties was restricted in my younger years.  Now we have to watch out for smartphones taking over our lives.  In between these two eras we had the CB radio craze, the rise of cable TV and the beginning of the net with PC's and dialup connections.  I wonder what will be the next great social impact comm tech which comes along?

Rick
US 101 is THE backbone of the Pacific coast from Bandon OR to Willits CA.  Industry, tourism and local traffic would be gone or severely crippled without it being in functioning condition in BOTH states.


1995hoo

Regarding the CB fad, I read something suggesting its rise coincided with the beginning of the 55-mph national speed limit and its end (aside from truckers) largely coincided with the availability of radar detectors. Makes sense to me for the average driver out there. I can't say as I really recall the CB fad in the 1970s because I was a bit too young, although I knew what CB was as a kid watching the Dukes of Hazzard.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

bing101


How much of the rants about smartphones are related to being attached to Social Media? I got out and deleted my facebook account permanently in 2019 and this was before COVID-19 and how politicized Social Media have been for the past 5 years though.





ZLoth

I got my first smart phone as a college graduation present for myself in December, 2010. At that time, the iPhone was limited to AT&T, thus I ended up with a Droid 2 phone running Android 2.2 . It has come a long way since then. And, yes, in my position, I have to be constantly connected. The good paycheck is a nice offset. It all cloud-connected, thus in some circumstances, some functionality is better on the web app than on the phone app.

Consider the following:

  • My contacts on my phone is synched up with the web, so when I migrate to a new phone, it's just a matter of attaching my Google account. Need to share information? Here's the VCF card.
  • When I schedule an event on the calendar, I can invite the needed people from the contact list as well as link to the location. Oh, my friend is suggesting that we get together at a later time? Both of our calendars are coordinated.
  • At the time of the event, I can click on the location and use my phone's navigation to find the best route.
  • I can use Yelp and Yomato to find some good family-owned restaurants along the way that are well recommended. Because of Covid, some restaurants have made their menus available online through the phone instead of a paper menu.
  • Oh, I'm short on cash? Not only can I check my account balance, but be able to locate a ATM that is affiliated with my credit union and get cash without a ATM surchage.
  • While I'm driving, I can be listening to an audiobook or a music that I downloaded, or stream music through an online service.
  • I can take pictures or videos of things that I see along my journey.
  • If I'm staying overnight at a hotel, I can watch a movie or show from my own personal media server or through a online streaming service rather than the limited selection on hotel TV. I can also listen to my hometown stations or local stations through an online app in better quality than the hotel radio. Oh, did I mention a smart key?
  • With Google Pay, I can make payment by tapping my phone on a compatible terminal and have my credit card charged.
  • I can find out about weather warnings, view the current weather radar, and even get localized weather alerts.
  • Reading books is a pain on a phone. I found that a dedicated e-reader or tablet works out better.
  • My phone is a critical part of two-factor authentication, which helps secure my critical accounts.
Thus, the smart phone replaced a personal organizer, paper maps, dedicated GPS unit, CD player, MP3 player, portable DVD player, camera, camcorder, and radio. It took a while to get used to entering in the data differently. And, no, I didn't even mention posting on social media.
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: bing101 on March 27, 2021, 11:01:36 AM

How much of the rants about smartphones are related to being attached to Social Media? I got out and deleted my facebook account permanently in 2019 and this was before COVID-19 and how politicized Social Media have been for the past 5 years though.






Not really a Smartphone thing but I have noticed that Facebook has kind of shifted in what I would consider a boring direction this past decade.  I used to share my highway, hiking and ghost town stuff to my personal page which was much more a normal thing the further back in time you go.  Most personal pages now are just memes, selfies, political takes or family photos.  I guess that's what people wanted out of the platform but it is also kind of lame (IMO).  I've moved more towards Instagram for photo/place sharing as described above.  My only real presence on Facebook now is on the Gribblenation Page and the various groups I participate in (mostly highway and history). 

thspfc

Facebook is in big trouble of losing their title as the largest social media platform in the world. The vast majority of their users are older. Among the most important demographics (ages 13-39 roughly), they're a lot smaller. Facebook is almost non-existent to people under 20 in my experience. So they're going to have to make some big changes if they want their success to be sustained.

NWI_Irish96

When I am home, I use my laptop instead of my phone for just about everything, but I find my smartphone essential for:

1) avoid packing and taking my laptop with me on trips
2) have a Pandora subscription with a customized playlist for my car that I find much more enjoyable than any terrestrial or satellite radio station
3) taking and sharing photos/videos without having to own a camera and taking the time/effort to transfer the photos/videos from the camera to the laptop

That said, we only get new phones every 3 years or so and always buy phones that are 1-2 generations older than the newest. We also have a wireless plan bundled with my home internet and streaming TV, so between phones for myself and my wife and the data plan, we're paying < $100/month, and that goes down even more in the 3rd year when the phones are paid off.

Could I live without a smartphone? Yes, but the convenience is well worth what I pay for it.
Indiana: counties 100%, highways 100%
Illinois: counties 100%, highways 61%
Michigan: counties 100%, highways 56%
Wisconsin: counties 86%, highways 23%

Rothman

Quote from: thspfc on March 27, 2021, 12:38:50 PM
Facebook is in big trouble of losing their title as the largest social media platform in the world. The vast majority of their users are older. Among the most important demographics (ages 13-39 roughly), they're a lot smaller. Facebook is almost non-existent to people under 20 in my experience. So they're going to have to make some big changes if they want their success to be sustained.
Look into the other apps Facebook owns.  They're broader than you think. 
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

interstatefan990

Quote from: Rothman on March 27, 2021, 02:34:33 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 27, 2021, 12:38:50 PM
Facebook is in big trouble of losing their title as the largest social media platform in the world. The vast majority of their users are older. Among the most important demographics (ages 13-39 roughly), they're a lot smaller. Facebook is almost non-existent to people under 20 in my experience. So they're going to have to make some big changes if they want their success to be sustained.
Look into the other apps Facebook owns.  They're broader than you think.

Whatever happens to Facebook's social networking services, they'll always have loads of personal information on their users to sell to data brokers and third parties, so they're OK for the foreseeable future.
Multi-lane roundabouts are an abomination to mankind.

Scott5114

Quote from: interstatefan990 on March 27, 2021, 04:11:42 PM
Quote from: Rothman on March 27, 2021, 02:34:33 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 27, 2021, 12:38:50 PM
Facebook is in big trouble of losing their title as the largest social media platform in the world. The vast majority of their users are older. Among the most important demographics (ages 13-39 roughly), they're a lot smaller. Facebook is almost non-existent to people under 20 in my experience. So they're going to have to make some big changes if they want their success to be sustained.
Look into the other apps Facebook owns.  They're broader than you think.

Whatever happens to Facebook's social networking services, they'll always have loads of personal information on their users to sell to data brokers and third parties, so they're OK for the foreseeable future.

The sort of data that Facebook collects tend to go stale really fast, though. And it's nowhere near as useful if you can't pair a set of user data with a device being actively used (so you can show it ads).
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

bing101

#35
Quote from: stridentweasel on March 26, 2021, 06:43:45 PM
I hate those damn things!  Especially when they all have touchscreens, and that's the only way to use most of them.  But it's not only that.  The internet was supposed to be this thing that you just do at home in your spare time, or at an internet cafe, or maybe use at school when you're too lazy to get off your ass and go to a library to research stuff, or maybe use at work if your job involves sending data and/or emails back and forth.  But nowadays, people are putting it in their pockets and taking it everywhere they go, and it's really bloody annoying.  It costs enough for a cell phone with a talk and text plan.  Having a data plan is a pretty significant expense on top of that.  Sure, you can use WiFi on a smartphone instead, if you're someplace that has an open WiFi network.

I used one of those damn things for four years until I finally said enough is enough.  I sort of had to get it in order to do a silly project in computer science school, because we had to make smartphone programs (some people prefer the monosyllabic "apps"), and using an Android emulator on my PC only had so-so results.  But I'll admit, when I finished that degree and got my dream job as an over-the-road trucker, I did find the thing really damn useful.  Especially because the TruckerPath application tells you which truck stops are where, how many parking spaces they have, and whether they're full at the time.  And it was nice for browsing Twitter or instant messaging with friends when I was getting loaded/unloaded.  But after I had to leave because of personal reasons, the smartphone became a lot less useful.  I dropped the data plan because I was no longer making a lot of money.  And earlier this year, my smartphone got so slow, that it was a pain just to bother trying to use it.  And it wasn't even that old; I had replaced my first one less than three years prior, when I accidentally dropped it on the pavement one too many times.

So I switched my phone plan back to a flip phone, and when I want to use the internet, it's right here at my PC, which is the better way to do internet anyway.  But I resent all these "apps" that you can only get for Android or iPhone.  Fortunately, you can get BlueStacks for Windows, which lets you run any Android program on a PC.  But I honestly worry that society is giving too much power to tech companies and letting them try to create a computer-dependent society, much in the same way car companies did over half a century ago.  I refuse to participate in tech culture, and I think ditching the smartphone was a good step toward getting away from it.

Anyone else here had enough of the smartphone craze, or never bothered with it in the first place?
I didn't start using a smartphone until 2017 at least a decade after the first Iphone was released. For a while I used a flip phone from the early 2000'a but it was starting to fade by then. 

I did use a smartphone for facebook and Twitter initially but then I had to delete my accounts permanently from these two places once the spamming from politicians came into place.  Well it's good to hear music on them and play some games via Google at. But I also have a Chromebook laptop that can access google play apps from android too. Now it's more school and work relates files.

bing101

Quote from: Rothman on March 27, 2021, 02:34:33 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 27, 2021, 12:38:50 PM
Facebook is in big trouble of losing their title as the largest social media platform in the world. The vast majority of their users are older. Among the most important demographics (ages 13-39 roughly), they're a lot smaller. Facebook is almost non-existent to people under 20 in my experience. So they're going to have to make some big changes if they want their success to be sustained.
Look into the other apps Facebook owns.  They're broader than you think.
You are right Facebook inc owns Instagram, Whatapp and Messenger. Part of this is that Facebook has to hunt down other demos besides the one they initially have Facebook designed for such as University Students from the mid 2000's.

interstatefan990

Quote from: Scott5114 on March 27, 2021, 04:15:44 PM
Quote from: interstatefan990 on March 27, 2021, 04:11:42 PM
Quote from: Rothman on March 27, 2021, 02:34:33 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 27, 2021, 12:38:50 PM
Facebook is in big trouble of losing their title as the largest social media platform in the world. The vast majority of their users are older. Among the most important demographics (ages 13-39 roughly), they're a lot smaller. Facebook is almost non-existent to people under 20 in my experience. So they're going to have to make some big changes if they want their success to be sustained.
Look into the other apps Facebook owns.  They're broader than you think.

Whatever happens to Facebook's social networking services, they'll always have loads of personal information on their users to sell to data brokers and third parties, so they're OK for the foreseeable future.

The sort of data that Facebook collects tend to go stale really fast, though. And it's nowhere near as useful if you can't pair a set of user data with a device being actively used (so you can show it ads).

Well true, but some data doesn't expire or lasts longer than other data, like sexual orientation, marital status, children, food preferences, interests and hobbies, address, etc. And even for people who stop using Facebook, they still have their device identifier/advertising identifier, though some tech companies like Apple are adding features to prevent apps and websites from accessing them without permission.
Multi-lane roundabouts are an abomination to mankind.

Scott5114

Quote from: interstatefan990 on March 27, 2021, 04:44:09 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 27, 2021, 04:15:44 PM
Quote from: interstatefan990 on March 27, 2021, 04:11:42 PM
Quote from: Rothman on March 27, 2021, 02:34:33 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 27, 2021, 12:38:50 PM
Facebook is in big trouble of losing their title as the largest social media platform in the world. The vast majority of their users are older. Among the most important demographics (ages 13-39 roughly), they're a lot smaller. Facebook is almost non-existent to people under 20 in my experience. So they're going to have to make some big changes if they want their success to be sustained.
Look into the other apps Facebook owns.  They're broader than you think.

Whatever happens to Facebook's social networking services, they'll always have loads of personal information on their users to sell to data brokers and third parties, so they're OK for the foreseeable future.

The sort of data that Facebook collects tend to go stale really fast, though. And it's nowhere near as useful if you can't pair a set of user data with a device being actively used (so you can show it ads).

Well true, but some data doesn't expire or lasts longer than other data, like sexual orientation, marital status, children, food preferences, interests and hobbies, address, etc. And even for people who stop using Facebook, they still have their device identifier/advertising identifier, though some tech companies like Apple are adding features to prevent apps and websites from accessing them without permission.

Yes, but even that information gets stale because you can't continue to associate it with a user. Someone switches ISPs or moves to a new location, so now their IP address doesn't match. They get a new phone or computer so their MAC address changes. This data is really only useful if you can use it to target people with advertisements ("I want to show an ad to men, ages 18-39, who live in the United States, and are into poker...") If there's no reliable way to connect the data with the user, it's kind of useless.

And even the things on your list can change over time. People get married or divorced, start having kids or the kids they have stop being kids. They pick up new hobbies or lose interest in old ones. I identify with a different sexual orientation now than I did 5 years ago. Even food preferences can change–you start a new diet or catch something like covid that makes your taste buds totally different.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

interstatefan990

Quote from: Scott5114 on March 27, 2021, 06:00:09 PM
And even the things on your list can change over time. People get married or divorced, start having kids or the kids they have stop being kids. They pick up new hobbies or lose interest in old ones. I identify with a different sexual orientation now than I did 5 years ago. Even food preferences can change–you start a new diet or catch something like covid that makes your taste buds totally different.

Yes, that's the stuff that would fall under "lasts longer than other data" .
Multi-lane roundabouts are an abomination to mankind.

Scott5114

What do you suppose a business would do with that data if they couldn't associate it with a user they could deliver advertising to?
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

interstatefan990

Quote from: Scott5114 on March 27, 2021, 06:25:47 PM
What do you suppose a business would do with that data if they couldn't associate it with a user they could deliver advertising to?

They could still use it for demographics and trends. For example, if 80% of users (even if no one knows who those users are) in City X have visited coffee shops in the past month, compared to 20% of users in City Y a few miles away, then a coffee business would know that they have a greater chance of success with advertising or opening a new location in City X than if they did in City Y.
Multi-lane roundabouts are an abomination to mankind.

Scott5114

Facebook does not currently make information of that type available to their customers.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

interstatefan990

Quote from: Scott5114 on March 27, 2021, 06:41:51 PM
Facebook does not currently make information of that type available to their customers.

Really? How do you know? I don't trust that Facebook doesn't use or sell that information in some way, shape, or form.
Multi-lane roundabouts are an abomination to mankind.

Scott5114

I make use of this information for my business. They don't give me the option to buy that kind of data. It is only available through advertising tools.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

Roadgeekteen

Smartphone's aren't a "trend" anymore they have been around for over 10 years.
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Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

bing101

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on March 27, 2021, 07:16:49 PM
Smartphone's aren't a "trend" anymore they have been around for over 10 years.
True too it's a way of life though.

CoreySamson

I will say that I do own a smartphone, but I have a couple of thoughts:

- I only have an iPhone 7, and I have no desire to upgrade to a newer model as long as mine stays functioning and not obsolete.
- I have no social media other than Facebook, and have no desire to have another.
- Kids under age 13 should not have them.
- I do not like them being the only option for certain things (i.e, boarding passes, tickets, etc.)

That being said, I agree with Zloth upthread that the cell phone has basically made it so you don't have to carry around a ton of extra stuff. Take cameras. Why take a camera anywhere nowadays when a smartphone takes amazing shots? Plus it's less complicated to upload pictures from a smartphone than from a camera.
Buc-ee's and QuikTrip fanboy. Clincher of FM roads. Proponent of the TX U-turn.

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ZLoth

Quote from: CoreySamson on March 27, 2021, 10:29:33 PMKids under age 13 should not have them.

I disagree... but with strings attached. :D To all those who say "We didn't have smartphones when we were growing up." or "We didn't have mobile phones when we were growing up.", I respond by saying, "Yeah, but there were plenty of payphones, and it helped to have a quarter with you at all times." The number of payphones went from a peak of 2.6 million in the United States in the mid 1990s, to around 100k in 2019. AT&T exited the pay phone business in 2007, and Verizon followed in 2011, thus pay phone services are only offered by third party providers.

Having said that, the kid need to understand that having a phone is a privilege, not a right. In an ideal world, the kid would receive a basic "dumb" phone that was locked down so that all he could do is call/text their parents, school, trusted relatives and friends, and doctor's office. If they want a smart phone, congratulations, there is a garage to clean, lawns to mow, and chores to do. No, you cannot make monthly payments. After all, if you work hard for something, you are likely to treasure it more and take good care of it. The reality is that the kid is probably going to receive a hand-me-down phone, and hopefully, the parent is tech-savvy enough to lock down the phone.
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: ZLoth on March 28, 2021, 06:35:41 AM
Quote from: CoreySamson on March 27, 2021, 10:29:33 PMKids under age 13 should not have them.

I disagree... but with strings attached. :D To all those who say "We didn't have smartphones when we were growing up." or "We didn't have mobile phones when we were growing up.", I respond by saying, "Yeah, but there were plenty of payphones, and it helped to have a quarter with you at all times." The number of payphones went from a peak of 2.6 million in the United States in the mid 1990s, to around 100k in 2019. AT&T exited the pay phone business in 2007, and Verizon followed in 2011, thus pay phone services are only offered by third party providers.

Having said that, the kid need to understand that having a phone is a privilege, not a right. In an ideal world, the kid would receive a basic "dumb" phone that was locked down so that all he could do is call/text their parents, school, trusted relatives and friends, and doctor's office. If they want a smart phone, congratulations, there is a garage to clean, lawns to mow, and chores to do. No, you cannot make monthly payments. After all, if you work hard for something, you are likely to treasure it more and take good care of it. The reality is that the kid is probably going to receive a hand-me-down phone, and hopefully, the parent is tech-savvy enough to lock down the phone.

Considering what my 12 year old niece (my wife and were the guardians for awhile) has done on her phone and how much I've had to take it away I would definitely say no.  Her Dad is the one that lets her have it but her interactions with other slightly older kids have me really concerned what might happen if one creepy adult comes into the picture.  Either way, it sure put the question in my mind for if and when we have a kid. 



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