Comments on: So When Did You First Realize You Were Addicted to Your Smartphone?

By: mr hanson

mr hanson — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 01:41:07 +0000

pathetic! we are our own worst enemy. What is so damn important on this piece of plastic, that we ignore other around us!
I love watching people in traffic with their heads down, during a green light, and NO one honk or yells to get their head out of their ass, and focus on reality.
the question, without the usual buzz words..like, amazing, awesome…is WHY! are you that insecure! or has RIM or Apple did a great job on convincing you, that without their product..YOU ARE A NO BODY!

By: Presence & Absence | Curtis Trent, Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Presence & Absence | Curtis Trent, Licensed Mental Health Counselor — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:51:26 +0000

[...] writes about the intersection of social media/new technologies with ministry and relationships. So When Did You First Realize You Were Addicted to Your Smartphone is a recent post that I found very [...]

By: Rhett Smith

Rhett Smith — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:18:17 +0000

Kimberlie,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I bet you are seeing this in your therapy work as well.

I agree, I think we can miss the beauty of life. It’s not just about it interfering with our relationships, but us being absent to what is around us everyday.

Rhett
.-= Rhett Smith´s last blog ..ENOUGH: Put Down Those Ministry and Self-Help Books and Pick Up a Novel =-.

By: weekly review, mini-exploration edition « Exploring College Ministry blog (daily notes about our field)

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:20:44 +0000

[...] thinking theologically about the iPhone: The Washington Post looks engagingly at information-obsession, smartphones, and public connection with others. A lot has been written along these lines, but this is better than much of what I’ve seen – in large part because it asks questions more than it offers answers. It could be a really good, basic piece for waking up your students to this important discussion. (HT: Rhett Smith) [...]

By: Kimberlie Zakarian, MFT

Kimberlie Zakarian, MFT — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:03:52 +0000

We are getting caught up in “doing” again, instead of “being.” And that is potentially an unhealthy psychological pattern. People miss the beauty of life by being caught up in the instant high. Relationships with kids, spouses, parents, are damaged. As much as I appreciate the technology, I am begining to see the unhealth in it and how it can negatively impact relationship skills, face time, and create irritability – a real relationship killer.

By: Rhett Smith

Rhett Smith — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:31:15 +0000

Billie,

Wow, lots of great thoughts. I really appreciate it. I resonated with this statement from you “What a sad state we have become as people when we cannot put an electronic device down long enough to drive a vehicle from point A to point B without using the thing to the point of literal distraction.”

It is a very sad state, and something we all find ourselves wrestling with at various points in our lives as we adopt new pieces of technology into our lives.

Rhett
.-= Rhett Smith´s last blog ..So When Did You First Realize You Were Addicted to Your Smartphone? =-.

By: Rhett Smith

Rhett Smith — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:29:05 +0000

Kyle,

I will be looking forward to that post…..i think we are all a bit addicted to Twitter.
.-= Rhett Smith´s last blog ..So When Did You First Realize You Were Addicted to Your Smartphone? =-.

By: Rhett Smith

Rhett Smith — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:28:34 +0000

Lance....yes, that was a brilliant insight. .-= Rhett Smith´s last blog ..So When Did You First Realize You Were Addicted to Your Smartphone? =-.

By: Billie

Billie — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:26:32 +0000

Interesting article. When I read it, I sat back and thought about it for a moment. My husband and I have two kids, both in their mid-twenties. We have taught them to not be on their phones unless necessary when driving, and since texting has become such a craze, for our daughter to definitely not be texting while driving. My husband, son and I could care less about texting, to the point that we find it so annoying we had our cell carrier turn it off of our three phones altogether. We left it on our daughters phone though, since this was one of her means of communication with her friends. While sitting here thinking about the article and the whole texting thing, I came to realize that texting is so annoying b/c it is like someone tapping you on the shoulder all the time to get your attention, from the ding ding ding on your phone (or whatever means of attention you have selected for this medium). My husband would get a text on his phone from some source he didn’t even know, and come home and ask me to see if I could get rid of ‘this beep that is a constant annoyance’. That is what led to getting rid of the texting altogether, since the three of us weren’t interested in it anyway, and it seemed to be able to be abused by anyone who had your phone number, and it cost you money to get the text whether you got it (read it), wanted it, or even knew the person who sent it or not. Now the texting thing has become a road hazard with texting going on to the point that people aren’t aware of what the tonnage they are driving is doing on the road that can wreak havoc on other cars or pedestrians, if they are in an area where pedestrians could be present. What a sad state we have become as people when we cannot put an electronic device down long enough to drive a vehicle from point A to point B without using the thing to the point of literal distraction. I read that it takes the same part of the brain to talk on your cell phone as it does to drive. What a scary thought with all the people out there just talking on their cell phones and driving. I have to wonder what part of the brain it takes to use texting that has to do with also driving with all the weaving cars I have seen since texting has become so popular. I suggest that all cell phones have to be put in the trunks of cars (or the very backs of SUVs), with their accompanying accoutrements (ear connecters, etc) until drivers get from point A to point B whenever they are driving, then at least the roads will be safer, and the drivers can pay attention to the world around them better. If the driver HAS to talk on the cell phone (or text someone) for some reason, then get off the road and talk on it from a parking lot somewhere. When finished with the conversation/text session, resume driving. If more people would do this, I bet it would help break their having to constantly be doing this every minute of every day, and find that there are other savory moments to the day than their electronic self-imposed handcuffs. Any calls can go to voicemail and be checked once you get where you are going, or checked at points along the way when you stop if you are traveling. If I were dating today, I know I sure would be annoyed to be with someone who had to constantly interrupt time together and conversations to ‘answer’ to his cellphone for texts and calls than to our time together. I guarantee it would be a short time together!
Billie =D

By: Kyle Reed

Kyle Reed — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:02:36 +0000

I am working on a post tomorrow about Twitter and marriage (funny because I am not married, should be interesting).
I often wonder the same about how addicted I am to twitter.