I’m not ashamed to say I am tied to my phone.
I know, I know…that’s a controversial standpoint these days. I am supposed to lament the fact that I spend so much time looking at it. It’s literally the first thing I touch in the morning and the last at night. I use it as an alarm clock. Pedometer. Calendar. Calculator. It’s my business office — I check email, edit documents, take phone calls, and research questions from it…I’ve even signed documents and printed a copy for my files from my phone. It’s my game console. Television. Bookcase. Music player. Filing cabinet. Cookbook. Note pad. Camera and video recorder. Social life. When I say my whole life is in this phone…I’m not really exaggerating.
This one small piece of technology allows me to have all of those things and more in the back pocket of my jeans. And I freaking love it.
Ever tried to read a book while nursing a squirmy toddler? It’s pretty much impossible. Out comes the phone.
Hop in the car and start Spotify. Why settle for only 6 CDs?
Kids acting up in the restaurant? Show them cool how-to videos on YouTube to distract them.
What did I need from the store? I have the list right here.
What shall we have for dinner? Google recipes, then buy the ingredients. Save the recipe to Google Drive.
Oh, it looks like I have an email. New work project? Time to head home.
It used to take an entire backpack to hold all of the stuff I carry with me on this electronic device. I really wish I’d had something like this in college. Life would have been a lot easier.
“Oh, but people used to talk to each other! Now they just look at their phones!” Honestly, I didn’t talk to people before I had a phone. Years ago, perhaps, but not since high school. Nobody calls me. Nobody drops by my house. And vice versa. I talk to people more now that I have social media at my fingertips. Not in person, but I wasn’t talking to anyone in person before. I have a support network I never had before. So you won’t hear me fussing at people for looking at their phones instead of the people they’re sitting with.
I’m slightly baffled at the people who go on and on about technology and progress. Would you really go back to the way things were? I wouldn’t. My life is infinitely easier now. I am especially amused by the people who rant about these things on social media. So you’d prefer life as it was in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s? Well, put down the phone and walk away. It’s that easy. Participation in Facebook is not mandatory.
For me, well, I’m looking at buying a new tablet. Because with my phone and a tablet at hand, I can work literally anywhere. In the doctor’s office. At the park. In the car on the way somewhere. I’m not tied to an office, a schedule. I can manage my job, my home, and my life while playing with my kids.
Technology is awesome.
An Entertaining Mess 