Are Our Phones Leading Our Lives?

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tions you might or might not relate to.</p><p id="7747">Apps that depend on the internet do not provide notifications when there is no service. With continuous internet service, our phones are always beeping. Once the phone beeps, most of us grope for these machines. The reality is some of these notifications can wait. Yet, we do not ignore them. It has become a norm to respond to each notification, even with a glance. Sometimes, it seemed as if people lost taking initiative. The phone beeps, then we follow.</p><p id="dd5c">Much earlier before this, I had reflected on how our lives were pretty much run by our phones. It’s like we lived in our phones. Phones had become almost as important as breathing air. Someone once remarked that she felt naked without her phone. I remember that sullen mood that followed misplaced phones.</p><p id="47da">Or what about the ‘strange behavior’ on dates? Long before the days of social distancing and shutdowns? You and I plan to hang out with friends. Instead of bonding with the people before and around us, we are bonding with our phones. Once a notification goes off, that becomes more important than the person in front of us. For many, the phone is ample opportunity for escapism. Why face the challenge in the actual world when we can escape to ‘an alternate reality’?</p><p id="3358">Well, when my service provider gave me crappy service, they

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cut me off from the internet anytime I was in transit. I particularly missed two apps. The apps were Duolingo and Medium. These were my go-to apps while waiting in line, either at the grocery store or somewhere similar. Despite this, the world did not stop. Anyone who needed to reach me called me. A few opted for emails. I responded to these emails whenever I connected with the internet. There was always an opportunity to connect before the end of each day. Whenever I did, I caught up on all those notifications. Many times, there weren’t very many of them that were that important. Life continued and I actually felt more peaceful. What’s your experience with your smartphone? Do you have an unbreakable bond with your phone and its notifications?</p><div id="e730" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/who-would-have-thought-this-was-coming-d77348ff272e"> <div> <div> <h2>Who Would Have Thought This Was Coming?</h2> <div><h3>You can only predict things after they have happened. — Eugene Ionesco</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*xNy0ty5eZ3YryPHL)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Dance like nobody is watching, because they are not, they are all checking their phones. — Anonymous

I got myself into an unintended experiment with my cellphone. I had reason to switch internet service providers[ISP] on my trip abroad. After switching ISP, I noticed that their service delivery was very poor. Although I purchased a plan that promised airtime and data, my phone never had internet. At first, I thought of switching service providers again. I then heard of a new government regulation preventing the sale of extra phone lines. The other option I had was to use an internet modem as a complement to my phone’s internet service. The modem worked on and off.

The result of all this drama was that many times while in transit, I had no internet service. Of course, that had its challenges, but that’s not the focus of this story. At the end of this story, I’ll touch a bit on life without continuous internet service. These might be situations you might or might not relate to.

Apps that depend on the internet do not provide notifications when there is no service. With continuous internet service, our phones are always beeping. Once the phone beeps, most of us grope for these machines. The reality is some of these notifications can wait. Yet, we do not ignore them. It has become a norm to respond to each notification, even with a glance. Sometimes, it seemed as if people lost taking initiative. The phone beeps, then we follow.

Much earlier before this, I had reflected on how our lives were pretty much run by our phones. It’s like we lived in our phones. Phones had become almost as important as breathing air. Someone once remarked that she felt naked without her phone. I remember that sullen mood that followed misplaced phones.

Or what about the ‘strange behavior’ on dates? Long before the days of social distancing and shutdowns? You and I plan to hang out with friends. Instead of bonding with the people before and around us, we are bonding with our phones. Once a notification goes off, that becomes more important than the person in front of us. For many, the phone is ample opportunity for escapism. Why face the challenge in the actual world when we can escape to ‘an alternate reality’?

Well, when my service provider gave me crappy service, they cut me off from the internet anytime I was in transit. I particularly missed two apps. The apps were Duolingo and Medium. These were my go-to apps while waiting in line, either at the grocery store or somewhere similar. Despite this, the world did not stop. Anyone who needed to reach me called me. A few opted for emails. I responded to these emails whenever I connected with the internet. There was always an opportunity to connect before the end of each day. Whenever I did, I caught up on all those notifications. Many times, there weren’t very many of them that were that important. Life continued and I actually felt more peaceful. What’s your experience with your smartphone? Do you have an unbreakable bond with your phone and its notifications?