Were smartphones a mistake?

[PACOX]

Think of it this way, smartphones are literally the fancy little communicators you see in your favorite sci-fi shows, if now better because they are more than just a walkie talkie.

[Acidbaron]

Having a smartphone is an option, not a requirement. But yeah.. the more technology in our hands, the less knowledge in our head.

Not at all, access to information doesn't mean you retain less information. Instead of looking at facebook at work when you have spare time you use khanacademy.org or brilliant.org to refresh knowledge and test yourself.

[Gaidax]

Is this some sort of neo-amish thread? Technology hermits?

No, it wasn't a mistake - it was a revolutionary invention that afforded access to information, internet and services to hundreds of millions, if not outright billions of people who could not previously afford such.

The technological advancements this little brick pushed in last decade are unprecedented.

There are addicts and/or people who use this to for the "mundane" crap? Oh noooooo. How dare they! Cancel everything!!! Dumb thread.

[AeneasBK]

Is having access to the culmination of all human knowledge in the palm of your hand a mistake? No.

I just feel like this is a wanton misrepresentation of the use of smart phones. Whenever I've argued the point in the past about smartphones being completely unnecessary I get reminded that it's much more a case of "you don't have a life". But still, I find it weird that everyone tries to paint it as this super useful tool for doing all these amazing tasks they'd otherwise never complete and it just reeks of bullshit. 99% of the time it's a camera, a phone, whatsapp and an mp3 player in one.

Sure it gives you access to some of the world wide web. But that use accounts for a fraction of a percent of the total battery power used. And most of that is using youtube

[Daedius]

Anywhere you go, people are staring at the damn things. My sister and niece are on it 24/7...

I honestly hate them.

[Ayirasi]

Great invention, but way too easy to document ourselves being stupid.

[Dezerte]

Smartphones, no. Social media, maybe.

[Yunru]

Smartphone evolution fells like taking 10 steps back.
1. You have to clean up any new phone of any new garbage as it only slows it down (preinstalled crap)
2. It keeps whining for updates (wich fuck up your settings)
3. Every damn store wants you to download their usless apps, so they track you and get information of you. (and rip you off, pretending a good is a discounted)
4. I once tried to go to mcdonald and they asked me to use their wall order food crap.... hell no,i wana order the food with stuff i want in, not with crap inside
5. Goverment can easy find you (unless you put a tinfoil araund the phone to stop any signals) and if country goes to shithole, you can die due to it
6. Google can fuck off with preinstalled crap
7. For any app that i install i have to use luckypatcher to remove all crap that add tracks on you
8. Using phone game emulators is better than actuly playing games on store, they are way more games that those games
9. F-Droid is much easier to use
10. Those things can easy break (unlike nokia phones)

[Tuor]

I used an old nokia x3 until around April, it stopped working and i had to buy a new phone. Got a samsung... I really don't need half the crap it comes with, and its big compared to my old Nokia.

[Grimbold21]

More like the lack of self-discipline and personal accountability.

[Shadowferal]

Too many are using it to replace their brain and common sense.
I always get a chuckle at how lost people are without it.
Take away their toy and too many become useless.
More funny is how deluded people are in thinking they need it....you don't. This is a fine example of profiteering technology.

[Blur4stuff]

They won't be around forever. Eventually we'll just have the tech inside us one way or another. Either hardware or bio.

[Shadowferal]

They won't be around forever. Eventually we'll just have the tech inside us one way or another. Either hardware or bio.

Humanity has devolved enough.

[kamuimac]

Humanity has devolved enough.

deevolved from what ? from hunting for animals in wood ? from wearing animal skins as our only clothes ?

also bold statement that "humanity " deevolved when historicaly untill like 50-100 years ago (depends on part of world) only extremly tiny amount of population got any kind/form of education

100 years means 4 generations at best . when they had time to deevolve exackly when 100 year ago most of society were illiterate uneducated people.

[Felya]

Smart phones are one of the most underrated inventions in human history. You have the Library of Alexandria at your fingertips, at all times...

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deevolved from what ? from hunting for animals in wood ? from wearing animal skins as our only clothes ?

also bold statement that "humanity " deevolved when historicaly untill like 50-100 years ago (depends on part of world) only extremly tiny amount of population got any kind/form of education

100 years means 4 generations at best . when they had time to deevolve exackly when 100 year ago most of society were illiterate uneducated people.

It’s an ignorance is bliss argument... that’s all calls to return to nature is... it just doesn’t sound as bad.

[Shadowferal]

Smart phones are one of the most underrated inventions in human history. You have the Library of Alexandria at your fingertips, at all times...

But no one uses that way. If people did this tech you laud would've died years ago and for the basest of reasons; it would be unprofitable.

It’s an ignorance is bliss argument... that’s all calls to return to nature is... it just doesn’t sound as bad.

The ignorance is your own if you don't recognize how stupid people have become in past few years, let alone the past decade.
Telcoms gave convinced the population that they can't live without this bs. And like every drug addict you willingly pay to zone out...and become more brain-dead. Sure, everyone claims to know better...

[Felya]

But no one uses that way.

Yeah, you do... you just take for granted. Also, not using an invention to its full potential, does not invalidate the invention.

If people did this tech you laud would've died years ago and for the basest of reasons; it would be unprofitable.

What?

The ignorance is your own if you don't recognize how stupid people have become in past few years, let alone the past decade.

No, I have not recognized how stupid people have gotten in past few years. But, then again... I am not willing to call anecdotal evidence of a few years, devolution... so, despite you trying to exemplify your point, I have to disagree.

Telcoms gave convinced the population that they can't live without this bs. And like every drug addict you willingly pay to zone out...and become more brain-dead. Sure, everyone claims to know better...

This is gibberish... before smart phones, I wanted to work hard and study all the time... lol :|

Edit: Maybe it started with comic books... kids would just look at that garbage and zone out... or, maybe it’s sticks... damn those kids rolling wheels with their sticks... look at how zoned out they are... not a care in the world...

[Shadowferal]

*nods*
Addicts always say the same.

[Felya]

*nods*
Addicts always say the same.

Really? Addicts fruitlessly waste their time trying to explains something, when the right thing to do was simply say... Okay, boomer...

[Unholyground]

They've made us less attentive, less focused, more sad due to social media and so on. Smartphones more like dumbphones. We should have stuck with nokias and stationary computers plus laptops.

I always have my phone on silent and check it every so often, the phone revolves around my life not the other way around.