eOf course, it's absolutely true that many of the things I did on my iPhone can still be done as long as I have a Wi-Fi connection. It functions almost exactly like my iPad, yet it's more compact. What I realized as I traveled yesterday is that I still need to be very careful about thinking of it in these terms, however, because I could very quickly revert to my old defaults -- things like immediately picking up my iPhone if the conversation lags, or if I'm bored or uncomfortable. I might just pick it up and play a game of solitaire or search the Internet or read a Kindle book, or write a three paragraph text. I don't actually pull out my iPad with the same frequency as my iPhone again because of its size and weight. I also always have my iPhone actually on my person. It would be very odd indeed to do that with my iPad! With the ever increasing dimensions of smartphones, however, it may not be long before our phones are as large as our iPads. Nonetheless, I am very aware of the seductive nature of having the iPhone too close within my range.
I got into an elevator at my hotel in Vegas night before last. I had a momentary flash of insight as the elevator doors were closing that my iPhone is a coping mechanism because I'm an introvert. Sometimes, like on elevators, I don't really want to encounter and talk to people I don't know -- especially extroverts who think everyone wants to talk to them! To avoid this unpleasantness, I almost always pull out my iPhone the moment I step on an elevator. I don't talk or look at anyone, and it doesn't seem as rude to me as just staring into their faces but not speaking. Unfortunately, I didn't have my iPhone with me so I couldn't pull it out. And really, it's a tad ridiculous to pull out a flip phone and stand there staring at it. So, I pushed outside my comfort zone and connected with someone who was stepping into the elevator. We cracked a joke together and laughed for 6 floors. I think I could have had dinner with he and his partner afterward.
But, here's an interesting thing. When I arrived at the very remote conference center where I will be for the next week, the young woman at the desk who checked our group in said that cell phone access is very limited. She suggested that we go into our Settings on our smartphone and set up Wi-Fi calling in order to make calls. I looked at her and said, "What if I'm using a flip phone?" She was a bit aghast, and after collecting herself and thinking about it for a moment, she replied, "You won't be able to make calls. If you need to call anyone, come here to the office and we'll call out for you using our office phone!" Yes, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and all others who have worked on cell phone technology, have completely shifted the paradigm. In this experiment of separating from my iPhone 7, I am trying to get off the grid. Yet, I come to a conference center that is off the grid and they tell me I must have a smartphone to be 'connected' with the outside world!
So, I'm left wondering: Do we really need electronic coping mechanisms, or smartphones for areas without cell access, or can we find ways to connect that don't feel invasive or overwhelming? Ways that might even lead us to a new experience we might never have had if we had just quickly buried our nose into a scrolling screen of photos and texts, brought to us by the familiar marketers who shall remain nameless in this post...
I got into an elevator at my hotel in Vegas night before last. I had a momentary flash of insight as the elevator doors were closing that my iPhone is a coping mechanism because I'm an introvert. Sometimes, like on elevators, I don't really want to encounter and talk to people I don't know -- especially extroverts who think everyone wants to talk to them! To avoid this unpleasantness, I almost always pull out my iPhone the moment I step on an elevator. I don't talk or look at anyone, and it doesn't seem as rude to me as just staring into their faces but not speaking. Unfortunately, I didn't have my iPhone with me so I couldn't pull it out. And really, it's a tad ridiculous to pull out a flip phone and stand there staring at it. So, I pushed outside my comfort zone and connected with someone who was stepping into the elevator. We cracked a joke together and laughed for 6 floors. I think I could have had dinner with he and his partner afterward.
But, here's an interesting thing. When I arrived at the very remote conference center where I will be for the next week, the young woman at the desk who checked our group in said that cell phone access is very limited. She suggested that we go into our Settings on our smartphone and set up Wi-Fi calling in order to make calls. I looked at her and said, "What if I'm using a flip phone?" She was a bit aghast, and after collecting herself and thinking about it for a moment, she replied, "You won't be able to make calls. If you need to call anyone, come here to the office and we'll call out for you using our office phone!" Yes, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and all others who have worked on cell phone technology, have completely shifted the paradigm. In this experiment of separating from my iPhone 7, I am trying to get off the grid. Yet, I come to a conference center that is off the grid and they tell me I must have a smartphone to be 'connected' with the outside world!
So, I'm left wondering: Do we really need electronic coping mechanisms, or smartphones for areas without cell access, or can we find ways to connect that don't feel invasive or overwhelming? Ways that might even lead us to a new experience we might never have had if we had just quickly buried our nose into a scrolling screen of photos and texts, brought to us by the familiar marketers who shall remain nameless in this post...
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