Technology Breaks: "How can You NOT Have Your Phone???"

I was doing something at work — updating information on a web site where I have a membership — that required me to be sent a "verification code" on my phone.

So I got up and trudged off in search of my bag, where my phone was safely stowed away. Where I discovered that the phone was actually out of charge — and God knows for how long that might have been the case — and needed to be plugged in to even turn ON.

Another cold northern winter sunset

My neighbor's co-worker — a young woman of about 28 — was totally horrified.

How can you NOT Have Your Phone???

She asked, somewhat incredulously.

Even though I am 58, I'm by no means a technophobe or Luddite of any sort. However, I am not permanently connected to my phone.

Now, some of you might be shaking your head slightly and thinking to yourselves "Wait a sec... you seem to be on Steemit or in some Discord channel pretty much all day!"

That's perfectly true... I just don't tend to use a phone for anything much other than actual phone calls, an occasional photo and an occasional text message. I use a computer — desktop or laptop — for pretty much 100% of my online work.

Maybe it's just an "age thing," but I can't stand typing on a phone. It's slow and cumbersome, especially if you are a writer/blogger who creates lots of formatted text.

Center of a calendula flower

The Right Tool for the Job!

I guess — at least for me — it's less a case of "being old" than it's a case of simply choosing the right tool for the job.

However sophisticated it might be, a smartphone is ultimately a communications device not a word processing device. And if I wasn't a writer — I often churn out 5000-6000 words of prose per day — I'd probably use my phone a lot more for web work.

Of course, that's a completely separate issue from the whole question of how I can "survive" without having my fully charged phone attached to some part of my body, 24/7.

To which I have to reply that it probably is an "age thing."

I was a kid and grew up at a time where — if someone didn't answer the phone — you didn't worry about it, and simply called back later. There were no issues of being worried about someone "not liking" or "disrespecting" you for not replying to your every word within 3.5 seconds.

And times have certainly changed from that.

However, it may be 2019, but I still don't think people need to be able to have "instant access" to me, 24/7/365! But that's just me, and I admit to being both an introvert and a bit of a misanthrope!

Thanks for reading!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 190222 23:38 PST
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