Like, you just look weird if you sitting by yourself (example: waiting at a bus stop) and just stairing into space, so like its basically social expectation to be on your phone when you are by yourself.
Plus, just feels like if you don’t have a phone on you, you are missing a lot of information (access to the internet, maps, etc.) that you might need in case you get lost or something.
No. It’s not hard to entertain myself by simply observing the world around me and daydreaming.
My pockets feel unusual. Same when going out without a wallet. Constantly feel like I left them somewhere.
Ooposite, i feel weird and unreal when I have a phone, like I’m not human, just bound to this box and that’s all I am, no me. also I’m embarrassed using my phone in public, because it is embarrassing and when I see people doing it my respect sinks by 70%.
its basically social expectation to be on your phone when you are by yourself.
Books and newspapers are not forbidden (yet?)
I leave my phone behind now and again so I don’t feel the obligation to always be reachable, a privilege I’m sure. I don’t often get lost but I speak the local language so I can just ask a stranger if I do. I absolutely don’t find it weird if someone’s alone and not looking at a phone and don’t think anyone around me does, though I’ve never been one to care about that sort of thing anyway. I’ve intentionally removed all the timewasting apps from my phone as well, namely social media and news and all that.
No. I usually read books anyway, and i tend to forget my phone very often. So nothing unusual.
Removed by mod
A bit, I need it for contactless payments as in my country we use eletronic payments for almost everything
I do not. I don’t feel awkward necessarily just sitting there doing nothing but I also tend to avoid situations where I am like that because I do get bored and impatient fairly easily. I also just don’t like phones. I don’t do much with mine other than the things I find very useful like calls, text messaging and maps. I much prefer my PC whenever possible.
I’m American, and I’m 40. I didn’t have a mobile phone until I was like 19 and didn’t have a smartphone until I was probably about 28 or something.
I understand why people would feel awkward without their phones for sure. Especially if that’s what they are used to. I used to smoke cigarettes and I remember kinda feeling silly just standing there not smoking after I quit.
I feel weird if I’m taking a shit and I don’t have my phone with me, forget about leaving the house without it.
Time to study air freshener first aid.
For the second yes, but mostly because I get lost very easily. The first not really, many people outside are not on their phones.
If you take public transport, everyone is on their phones. Well maybe not exactly on their phone but some are listening to music/podcast via headphone/earbuds that are playing on their phone.
Maybe you live in a rural area and people are less attached, but in cities, everyone is addicted af.
Nah I live in a medium sized city and it’s not everyone. There are many people with headphones sure and some are doing things on their phone. There are also many people not doing anything or looking out the window (when in busses). It may have to do with demographics, it’s mostly older people who aren’t doing anything and teenagers in groups who spend the whole ride talking and that’s a big part of public transport users so they affect the general image.
For what it’s worth I probably bring the phone usage up cause I read on my phone but you can do that with a physical book and there are some people doing that too.
If I take public transport, then I look outside the window.
Bring a book or newspaper/magazine. Those people are the minority but it’s still fairly common to see people read on the train or at the bus stop.
Do you feel weird/anxious if you go outside and don’t have a phone with you?
Nope. I sometimes forget my phone at home, no big deal I seldom use it. And even when I don’t forget it I have zero social apps or games installed on it, not even email ;)
I only use it to pass phone calls and to manage IDs and finances (and it’s only because my banks all require me to use their stupid apps, I would gladly tell them to go funk themselves but I need to be able to access my accounts).
What I never forget and I never hesitate to use whan I have the opportunity is a pocket book, so I always have something to read (without distraction, aka no Internet) and a pocket notebook/pen so I can write stuff (without any distraction, bugs, updates or whatever…) and in both case without any worry about being tracked.
so like its basically social expectation to be on your phone when you are by yourself.
Is it? And then people are surprised they’re exhausted, and constantly anxious and/or angry at one another? Doom scrolling is poison for the mind and for the soul. I’d rather look around, or speak with people.
you are missing a lot of information
Do I? Well, so far it has not caused me much issues.
that you might need in case you get lost or something.
When that happens, I ask my way around to people. It sometime is a nice opportunity to start a real conversation ;)
edit: typos and clarification.
No. I’m an 80s kid. It’s kind of nice once in a while to forget it.
I imagine people with their phone in their faces while shopping, walking their dogs, etc. must have max anxiety over even the fleeting thought of not having their precious.
I don’t even know how I survived the 90s. When you were waiting for the bus the most entertaining thing you could do was stare at your shoes or throw a rock at the stop sign
I would run out of ads to stare at and then just space out.
The boredom was real, but also like…thoughts would turn over in undirected and sometimes fruitful ways, too. At least for me. My mind does far less just “idling” these days, and while too much of that is a real kind of misery, I think some is probably useful.
When I have idle time for thoughts to enter my brain is when bad things happen.
Heard lol, it’s not a universal good
A Walkman or book
Or a handheld… Those ones still exist… Thankfully.
Even nowadays I don’t feel “entertained” when forcing myself to use the smartphone when I am in waiting situation outside…
I pretty much always have a handheld with me. I have this fear that I’ll randomly get forcibly stuck somewhere for half an hour and will need to bust it out. Usually it’s my R36S, but sometimes it’s a Vita, or a PSP 1000. If I’m feeling especially nostalgic, a modded Gameboy Color.
They come in super handy at lunch, grocery store lines, and when my kid falls asleep on me.
How could I have forgotten gameboy
You had to pick up rocks on the way in case there weren’t any good ones at the bus stop. Or you’d have to ask people there if they had any spare rocks. So embarrassing.
