How addicted are you to your phone?

[squibber]

Maybe it's retirement boredom but I usually can't go more than an hour without checking my emails, this message board, my news feed, and my Facebook feed to see if there is something interesting.

Is this typical? Maybe but I need to be mindful of how much and when I do it so my wife doesn't feel ignored.

[Ed Vette]

There are teams of engagers whose job it is to suck you in. Then there are the bots. The whole thing is set up for interaction. Look at this site as an example. We have more political "experts" now than we ever did before social media. People own their positions and take offense when it's being challenged. A shot at Daniel Jones is perceived as a personal attack by someone who's a supporter. Same for a presidential candidate. It's all designed to feed the viewer what appeals to their appetite.

[MightyGiants]

A shot at Daniel Jones is perceived as a personal attack by someone who's a supporter.

OR, A good thing said about Daniel Jones is perceived as a personal attack by someone who is a detractor of Daniel Jones

[MightyGiants]

Maybe it's retirement boredom but I usually can't go more than an hour without checking my emails, this message board, my news feed, and my Facebook feed to see if there is something interesting.

Is this typical? Maybe but I need to be mindful of how much and when I do it so my wife doesn't feel ignored.

Technically, it's more an addiction to the internet and/or social media.  The phone just allows easier access to the target of the addiction

[Ed Vette]

Technically, it's more an addiction to the internet and/or social media.  The phone just allows easier access to the target of the addiction

There Squibs, you stand corrected.

[MightyGiants]

There Squibs, you stand corrected.

I was thinking of my own situation where my phone time isn't too bad, but when I combine it with my company time it's probably too much.   Not that I don appreciate your disingenuous effort to spin my comment into some sort of insult.

[Ed Vette]

I was thinking of my own situation where my phone time isn't too bad, but when I combine it with my company time it's probably too much.   Not that I don appreciate your disingenuous effort to spin my comment into some sort of insult.

Ahh, the spin move. I knew that was coming. lol

[MightyGiants]

Ahh, the spin move. I knew that was coming. lol

    

[DaveBrown74]

Texting is what drives most of my screen time on my phone. The number of people with whom voice telephone is the primary means of non in-person communication is pretty small for me now, and most are elderly.  I have a bunch of text group chats I am in, and I also text regularly with a number of friends and family members.

I keep an eye on my weekly screen time, which comes out on my phone as a push notification every Sunday. If I don't like the number (ie it's too high) or I don't like the recent trend, I make a conscious effort to use my phone less.

[MightyGiants]

Texting is what drives most of my screen time on my phone. The number of people with whom voice telephone is the primary means of non in-person communication is pretty small now, and most are elderly.  I have a bunch of text group chats I am in, and I also text regularly with a number of friends and family members.

I keep an eye on my weekly screen time, which comes out on my phone as a push notification every Sunday. If I don't like the number (ie it's too high) or I don't like the recent trend, I make a conscious effort to use my phone less.

Jeff, 

While I am normally tech savvy, I am a ludite when it comes to texting.   Give me a phone call.  To me, which I think I would put in the socialization basket rather than phone time.  Not sure if that applies to group texts, though.

[DaveBrown74]

Jeff, 

While I am normally tech savvy, I am a ludite when it comes to texting.   Give me a phone call.  To me, which I think I would put in the socialization basket rather than phone time.  Not sure if that applies to group texts, though.

I do phone calls when it needs to be a lengthy conversation (which texting is cumbersome for) or it's something important. For just routine stuff I'm 90% texting now. Just easier. Especially for something very quick.

[MightyGiants]

I do phone calls when it needs to be a lengthy conversation (which texting is cumbersome for) or it's something important. For just routine stuff I'm 90% texting now. Just easier. Especially for something very quick.

In the early 2000s, I briefly worked for a communicationd company.   I was assigned to research this new texting thing that was starting to be used in Europe.   While I saw some limited usefulness of texting, I completely missed the boat in terms of its siezmic impact on communications.  Eliminating any thoughts I might have of being a futurist 

[LennG]

 I am NOT addicted at all. If I had to go a week without even seeing my phone, I wouldn't miss it one bit. When we cruise, I never buy the internet package and if we are on a long cruise, say a trans-Atlantic with about 10 sea days, then no internet, no email, no phone calls for that time, and you know what, I enjoy that very much.
I fully understand people need their phones for work and business and to stay in touch with family. But when we go to countries where some people are carrying around groceries on their heads and we go out west where some Indians are still living in huts, but they all have cell phones. It is a must in today's world.

[MightyGiants]

if we are on a long cruise, say a trans-Atlantic with about 10 sea days, then no internet, no email, no phone calls for that time, and you know what, I enjoy that very much.

Your pleasure would be a young person's challenge.  I am torn if I would enjoy being where my shoes are or if the cold turkey disconnect would drive me batty 

[T200]

I don't think I'm addicted but if you ask my wife...

For me, it's a boredom fighter. It engages me, even if it's trivial stuff.

I have a couple of games that I play in addition to scrolling FB, reading mostly bowling and detailing-related stuff.