skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I am certainly not the first person to switch to a smartphone. When I look around me, sometimes I think I am the last person to do so.
Furthermore it has taken me a long time to make this decision. I work from home, so I am not that often on the road. The most time I am away it is private. And do I really want to be connected to the world 24/7?
I belong to one of the last generations who grew up with well ... nothing of the kind. We had limited tv with programs for kids only on wednesday afternoon. No computer, dvd-player, games console or mobile phone. I was over the moon when I got my first cassette player. And yet we survived and we were even happy!
Remembering those days, I am not always sure I want to be connected 24/7. When I go on holiday I would like to hide myself from the world. No tv and no computer. Well at least I managed that untill I started my private practice. Since then my views have changed a little. I do feel the need to be able to get in touch in case of emergencies and to anwser quick questions.
Also I am a little bit paranoid when it comes to my internet connection at home. I have more than one computer in case one breaks down. [Let's be honest here, more than 2 as well] But I vividly remember changing providers about 3 years ago. The new provider promised I would be only the next day, it took 18 days of frantic phonecalls to both the old and the new provider to get me connected again. In those cases 20 computers in the home would not help. And as I handle sensitive information I do not use internet cafe's or unprotected wifi.
So now I have a back-up plan. My HTC ChaCHa should arrive within a few days. And I bought a new dongle, hopefully fast enough for internet. I think that will cover me for most emergencies.
So how about you? Do you want to be connected 24/7 all the time or not?
Image via Wikipedia
Image by Jemimus via Flickr
Image by karlaredor via Flickr
Posts
4 comments:
Yes and no. I like having the option, is what it comes down to for me, but certainly being reachable and entrenched in the global media of the web tends to bring me down at times. It is rare when I don't have my iPhone with me nowadays, but on occasion when the world's voices have become a gale force wind, I've muted it or stashed it away after letting people know I won't be available.
The problem is in this day and age though, that people take for granted that such statements of indisposition are not genuine. They will even go to great lengths such as full on online stalking to be sure you are true to your word. And, having failed to reach a satisfying determination, they call, or text, or message...
Overall I think it's good you've gotten a smartphone to cover your connectivity angles, but do be careful. It is a difficult road to understanding for us as users when the tool needs to be put away, and when it should be close to heart. I am no professional counselor, and yet my friends and family seek me out often. I thought after many year I had achieved balance with my smartphone, and for the most part I have, but a recent friend in need made it clear to nether I have not. I am having to behave like a stern parent re-educating friends and family alike so that they can understand that my not answering is as simple as: this time is for me, deal with it.
:-S
Thanks for sharing.
Strangely I am not much of a phone person, I prefer e-mail. So I will watch my usage from the beginning. I also do not want to spend too much on it. I have found a provider which whom I can turn on internet use per month. So if I am away from home for a few days or weeks i will turn it on that month.
I forgot my iPhone on a recent trip - away for four days - and it completely freaked me out for the first two days. I had the laptop so it wasn't a total disaster for getting online, but not being able to text was terrible! However, by the third day I was quite chilled about it and by the fourth I had more or less got used to not being connected 24/7. I learnt a lot from that... I learnt that not being connected isn't actually the end of the world...
I know that feeling. At home I think I am addicted to the computer and I go crazy if I can't get online for a few hours due to technical problems. But once I am on holiday I don't miss it at all. Yet once I get home one of the first things I do is check my mail. :)
Post a Comment