this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023

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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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Modern life is so tied with smartphones living without it is increasingly becoming harder (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago by wabafee@lemm.ee to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world

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[–] emptyother@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Yeah. If calling/sms was all I used my phone for, I would probably still use my old Lumia Windows phone even as the app builders stopped supporting it.

But because its for public transport tickets, accessing the local library, accessing the gym center, ordering at restaurants or food delivery, sending money to family, car navigation, syncing my exercise watch, being invited to social events, streaming my cloud saved music library, rent a city-bike, check my medicine prescriptions..

I need a phone that is up to date. How is people living without a smart phone today?

[–] RaoulDook@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It would be fine if you had a computer, like a lot of us did before smartphones were popular.

On your list of activities, most of those are not things I use a smartphone for. I do use it to play music sometimes, and I use an open source maps app for long drives where I'm traveling to somewhere new. Otherwise I do all of that with a normal phone call or a website on the computer.

I don't install anybody's app. Fuck everybody's store apps, I won't do it. An app is not necessary for most of life's activities, and I prove it on a daily basis by not using them.

Last time I went to a nice restaurant, they wanted me to check in at the front on a tablet. I went through the motions until it wanted my cell phone number to alert me when a table was ready. I canceled the process and refused to give them my cell phone number. The host / receptionist was not happy but was able to accommodate our simple request of getting a table anyway.

All you have to do is just not participate in the data collection by saying "no" to that stuff. It's easy when you get used to that as a default stance. I'm still able to do everything I want to without all that invasive bullshit.

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[–] Metal_Zealot@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Even government services depend on you having a cell phone or access to internet in order to access services like EI.

Yet, internet (or at least decent internet) isn't available in most places in rural Alberta.

[–] DogMuffins@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Yeah in Australia we have an app used to identify yourself to government websites, called mygovid. It only works on phones. You need it. You can't even install your grandma's id on your own phone because then you'd lose yours.

"It'll be fine, 99% of people have phones" is a dumb idea when everyone needs it.

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[–] zikk_transport2@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

I can't love a modern life without following of what's going on in the world. Internet is the only thing that allows us to do this efficiently.

[–] Npad@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I love those qr codes at restaurants. No need to interact with waiters. Just browse and order at my leisure.

[–] Moonguide@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm SzPD and not from the states. Had to go through Houston last year on a connection flight, when I first saw those tablets in the airport I thought it would've been the bees knees. Thing is, those things are so overloaded with useless shit (like ads) I just wanted to talk to a waiter. So many clicks to get to the main courses on offer, and there wasn't any available space for notes, in case a costumer had a specific need (allergies for example). Plus, signal was so damn slow it took a while for it to load the dishes' pictures.

No contact ordering has potential but it needs UX designers on top of the whole thing in order to make it more convenient and faster than just telling the waiter what you want.

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[–] Ado@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 year ago

Are these shower thoughts or are they just thoughts?

[–] bappity@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

I went from a wallet with a bunch of cards and a bit of cash to my phone. nothing else. haven't used cash or my physical card in years

[–] GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Funny I just was thinking if I could go a weekend without my phone. And if I did it how many people would I have to tell before I did it so I didn't get a bunch of crap for not answering texts for 2 days!

[–] ObviouslyNotBanana@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I leave my phone at home sometimes. There's always something that comes up, but in the end I've realized it doesn't actually matter that much.

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[–] Charcoal8645@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Buddy, i fell the same! I wanted to make my smartphone a weekend thing, but I just cannot function wihtout it. I literally can not log in my work pc wihtout it, it's insane!

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[–] za_snake_guy@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

One of my favourite books is Hamlet's Blackberry by William Powers.

"The essential idea is simple: to lead happy, productive lives in a connected world, we need to master the art of disconnecting."

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[–] Hikermick@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I could live without the memes, cut pet videos, games, camera, social media, gifs and probably other junk. I couldn't do without the phone and the flashlight

[–] mikegioia@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

It is basically impossible in this day and age. Similar with credit cards. I have been using a LightPhone for 2 years and before that a Cosmos 3 flip phone for 5 years. Currently 7 years off smartphones and I’ll never go back, but I don’t see how a young person can do it right now. Just doesn’t seem possible and i hate that.

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