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Putting you iphone away for a week

I

ikeer

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 26, 2012
3
0
Just as a test. Because I think we're overly dependent on iphone and it takes up spare time which should be spend with our family or friends. It makes you kind of, forget life. Do you think you could do it? I'd just do it to prove that I'm not overly dependent on a smartphone, when I already know that I am.

I'll go throught one week without iphone

dare you put your iphone away for a week?
 
ikeer said:
Just as a test. Because I think we're overly dependent on iphone and it takes up spare time which should be spend with our family or friends. It makes you kind of, forget life. Do you think you could do it? I'd just do it to prove that I'm not overly dependent on a smartphone, when I already know that I am.

I'll go throught one week without iphone

dare you put your iphone away for a week?
Click to expand...

That's a good idea. I went on a date with a girl who was on her phone alot of the time and I cut it off early. Same with my family when I get together they either watch TV or do stuff on their phones/tablets instead of talking and doing stuff together :(

Not sure that most people (especially the ones who love their phone enough to join a forum about it) could handle being without their iPhone for a week though ;)
 
briantaylor619 said:
That's a good idea. I went on a date with a girl who was on her phone alot of the time and I cut it off early. Same with my family when I get together they either watch TV or do stuff on their phones/tablets instead of talking and doing stuff together :(

Not sure that most people (especially the ones who love their phone enough to join a forum about it) could handle being without their iPhone for a week though ;)
Click to expand...

LOL, it's true!

iPhone is addictive, just something about that UI, you want to use it, you are looking for reasons to use it.
 
When I have my iPhone I'll use it constantly when I'm alone and with friends. But when I don't have it handy/forget it somewhere I don't really miss it. I actually relish the break...
 
I like using it alot, but I've gone completely phoneless for like 8 months at one point (used an iPod that's it) so having it or not having doesn't affect my being.
 
I am guilty of using my iPhone while in the bathroom. Catch up on world events and browse through some important medical articles. :)
So I can't even imagine putting my iPhone down for hour.
 
Tbh I don't use my iphone to its full potential. When I first got it I did but nowadays all I use it for is texting, calling, facebook, the odd photo, some web-browsing and receiving emails from uni... perhaps the novelty has finally worn off after 17 months of use. I reckon I can live without it for a week as long as I have a regular phone in return ;)

Edit. I don't think we've just become dependent on iphones, but addicted to technology itself - when we sit as a family we all have our phones/ laptops/ ipads out while watching a film lmao
 
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ikeer said:
Because I think we're overly dependent on iphone and it takes up spare time which should be spend with our family or friends. It makes you kind of, forget life.

dare you put your iphone away for a week?
Click to expand...

You thought wrong. Sorry to not take you up on your dare, I need a mobile phone. Especially starting when I cancelled my land line many years ago. What you're actually talking about is the will power to only use it when appropriate. If you want to play Angry Birds, fine. Just don't go to a movie and play Angry Birds.
 
There would be a few problems with my "putting my iPhone away" for a week.

First and foremost, it is my only phone. I am expected to be reachable by work, family, etc. Not all hours of the day, but if I just "disappeared" for a week, there may be consequences.

I also run five days a week and use the phone to track my runs. Certainly I could run without a phone tracker, but there is also the safety aspect of having a phone while running in moderately remote locations.

Lastly, it is my music player. This I can certainly do without, but I am not sure what I would be proving. I take public transit to and from work/school and use it to drown out the din of the crowd. If I am riding with someone I know (rare), I don't plop my headphones on. instead, I have a conversation.

IMO I think you (the OP) have good intentions, but you can achieve your goals without banishing your phone from your life (unless you are a severe addict to things like texting, facebook, etc.) If you are picking up your phone rather than interacting with family and friends, why not just make it a point to spend more time with family and friends? I see no real reason to stop using the phone for a week unless you are so massively addicted to the things I mentioned that you literally have to have all temptations removed from your presence.
 
briantaylor619 said:
That's a good idea. I went on a date with a girl who was on her phone alot of the time and I cut it off early. Same with my family when I get together they either watch TV or do stuff on their phones/tablets instead of talking and doing stuff together :(

Not sure that most people (especially the ones who love their phone enough to join a forum about it) could handle being without their iPhone for a week though ;)
Click to expand...

I have a friend that is an absolute slave to her iPhone. We have lunch together, she puts her phone on the table and is constantly texting and answering emails and calls. When in the car, the phone sits in a holder and is connected to the car so she can talk hands free. I really feel sorry for her because friends and family won't stop texting and calling as long as she keeps responding. It's like her whole family is addicted to their iPhones. She will turn it off for a few minutes, and then, fearing she is missing something important, turns it back on. This sounds just like some sort of drug addiction.
At the end of the day, the only thing she has accomplished is the answering of hundreds of texts, calls and emails.
 
Done that for a month+.. If you said put away the smartphone.. then that's hard lol. I was using Samsung Galaxy S II as the iPhone replacement and then Samsung Focus S. I can definitely live without the iPhone, but not a smartphone.
 
ikeer said:
Just as a test. Because I think we're overly dependent on iphone and it takes up spare time which should be spend with our family or friends. It makes you kind of, forget life. Do you think you could do it? I'd just do it to prove that I'm not overly dependent on a smartphone, when I already know that I am.

I'll go throught one week without iphone

dare you put your iphone away for a week?
Click to expand...

This has very little to do with the iPhone and much more to do with technology (and how people use it) in general...as people using Androids and other smartphones are just as guilty using their phones in inappropriate times.

Of course, before smartphones, Facebook, and twitter feeds stealing everyone's attention, there was (and still is) texting and calls. Before that, beepers were the main annoyance when dining out...and so on and so on.

I remember, while growing up, it was nearly impossible to separate my sister from the wall phone- as she amazingly made the 5' phone cord stretch to impossible lengths throughout the house.


Technology, like everything else, can easily be abused. There's no reason to put an iPhone in a drawer for a week to prove anything, but I do wish more would show a little constraint....especially since, while technology is supposed to be bringing people together, it's actually keeping people more and more separated.
 
Definitely could not do it. Even if I was limited to work use only, there is just too much I do with the phone to not have it for a month.

I have an old iPhone 3GS that is currently retasked as an iPod. I figure in an emergency, I can activate that one. Ha Ha.
 
I just went on vacation to the Bahamas and since I didn't want a large data bill, I turned off data roaming and even kept it on airplane mode. Spent 2 nights on a cruise ship and 2 nights there and only used my iPhone to tell the time and as an alarm clock. I didn't find it too difficult.
 
ucfgrad93 said:
I just went on vacation to the Bahamas and since I didn't want a large data bill, I turned off data roaming and even kept it on airplane mode. Spent 2 nights on a cruise ship and 2 nights there and only used my iPhone to tell the time and as an alarm clock. I didn't find it too difficult.
Click to expand...

That's why you're only supposed to vacation within the US. Gawd.:rolleyes:

The Bahamas is amazing. I got married on the beach there!


I don't see the point of purposefully cutting yourself off from something useful. I can understand doing it for reasons like ucfgrad93's, but to do it for no particular reason doesn't make sense to me.

Could I go without my iPhone for a week? Yes. I did it for many weeks before I got my first one in 2008, so I think I could handle it now too.
 
Better idea: Just don't be rude when you're talking to someone in person.
 
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ikeer said:
Just as a test. Because I think we're overly dependent on iphone and it takes up spare time which should be spend with our family or friends. It makes you kind of, forget life. Do you think you could do it? I'd just do it to prove that I'm not overly dependent on a smartphone, when I already know that I am.

I'll go throught one week without iphone

dare you put your iphone away for a week?
Click to expand...


I'd rather put my family away for a week.
 
ikeer said:
Just as a test. Because I think we're overly dependent on iphone and it takes up spare time which should be spend with our family or friends. It makes you kind of, forget life. Do you think you could do it? I'd just do it to prove that I'm not overly dependent on a smartphone, when I already know that I am.

I'll go throught one week without iphone

dare you put your iphone away for a week?
Click to expand...

Maybe if you are a kid with no life or responsibilities. Grown ups like myself use our phones for work, couldn't take a week. maybe a few days vacation.
 
I can put my iPhone away and use a dumb phone instead. I'll just use an iPod touch along with it.
 
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