Some months ago I wrote about transitioning from a stupid phone to my new smartphone which happens to be the Samsung Note 3. I want to think that this piece of technology is not running my life, and in order to not have “sammie” control me, I came up with some do’s and dont’s to share with you if you have the addiction.
1. Don’t have your phone in your hand every second of the day waiting to comment on Facebook or Twitter as soon as your notification goes off. Better yet, turn off the notifications every so often so you do things without your phone telling you it’s time to leave your house, wish someone happy birthday or get to work on time. Did you function before you had your smartphone?
2. Put your phone in your pocket or purse when you are eating at a restaurant. How annoying to share lunch with a friend or have a business lunch while the other person is checking their email or commenting on their instagram. If you find it annoying, then don’t do it either.
3. Charge your phone at night in the room furthest away from your bedroom. I have jumped out of bed to answer a wrong number, or worse yet, telemarketers. Whatever pops on your phone can wait for morning.
4. Alternate from texting time and talking time with people. Conversations are better with voice inflections to get the point across. Our young people have great dexterity but no conversational skills. This is not good, especially in a job interview.
5. Don’t bring your phone in to the bathroom with you. Cell phones carry more germs than a toilet seat. Enough said about this one.
I am not an anti-techy person, but in my humble opinion people depend too much on their smartphone .Yes, I agree that having a camera at my disposal is a definite asset most of the time, and GPS/Google Maps is a lifesaver. Being able to check email is so convenient, and being able to post on Facebook etc., with pictures, is so unbelievably easy.
But, we should all remember how to use our phone as a phone, which is the second best way to communicate; the first having a face-to-face conversation. Remember those days?
My thoughts exactly!