Until 2007 (in June, to be exact), every human who’d ever lived did so without the benefit of a smartphone. How did they manage?!? Novelist and freelance journalist Michael Grothaus accepted his editor’s challenge to live without his smartphone for one week and write about the experience. Read about his experience in this July 2016 Fast Company essay.
Read it here: Michael Grothaus: “What happened when I gave up my smartphone for a week”
- Grothaus’s account of his week without a smartphone is perfectly straightforward and clear. What about the image that accompanies it? What does the image show? Give a prose description of the image. How well does the image complement what Grothaus is saying? Why?
- Grothaus describes various stages of anxiety, frustration, and relief during his week without a smartphone. Were any of his responses surprising to you? Why or why not? Do you think you would have had the same reactions? Why or why not?
- In the very first sentence of his essay, Grothaus takes a bit of a risk with his credibility. He begins his account with an admission that writing that initial sentence took a long time because he interrupted himself eight times to check his phone. Did Grothaus’ admission damage his authority? enhance it? Why do you think so?
- Read Tristan Harris’s essay about smartphone addiction posted on They Say / I Blog. Harris and Grothaus take different approaches in examining smartphone use. Do they arrive at similar conclusions? How are their principal arguments similar? In what ways are they different? Point to specific examples from each essay to support your reasoning.
- You may or may not use a smartphone yourself, but it’s certain that you observe other people with theirs. What do you observe about smartphone use by the people you spend the most time with? Is the quality of their attention to you diminished by their smartphone use? improved by it? If you could change one thing about people’s smartphone habits (including, perhaps, your own), what would it be? Write an essay responding to these questions.
They Say I Blog 
I agree with Grothaus that we need to limit our time using smartphones so we can enjoy the world around us. It is extremely easy to be distracted by the information provided by these smartphones. Social media, the weather, the news, and so much more can be pulled up in just a few seconds. I agree with Kathleen’s statement that is is sad how much we let our phones control our lives. Personally, I check my phone multiple times a day because I don’t want to miss anything. This can even cause stress or anxiety if I start to feel like I am disconnected. In reality though, being on a smartphone all day causes me to miss out on real things going on around me. I miss out on interacting with people around me and I am distracted by notifications while trying to get work done. I believe people would be a lot more productive and happier if they used their smartphones within moderation instead of every 5-10 minutes.
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After having read this blog post, I think that the image shown by Michael Grothaus is that people feel as if they need absolutely need a smartphone and observing the obstacles faced without one. This image compliments what Grothaus is saying because people before 2007 did not have luxury of having a smartphone. The responses were not surprising to me because people have adapted to smartphones and it has become a huge factor in their lives. I would not have reacted the same because I have had my phone taken away and I always had an alternative to having fun or contacting people. Grothaus’ admission was damaged because he is displaying the negative effects of a smartphone. He also talks about people’s addiction to their smartphones and how it wouldn’t be bad if they did not have negative effects. Grothaus talks about how he started to recognize all of the reasons he used his smartphone and how valuable it really was to him. On the positive side he was able to wander freely in his mind. Throughout his experience he enjoyed the experiment, but was happy to get his iPhone back. People have grown so attached to devices and their smartphones that it becomes a part of their everyday life and it makes life easier for them and possibly makes them more lazy.
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After reading this article I don’t think any of his feelings were surprising to me because it is completely normal to feel the way he did. I feel like anyone that has a smart phone would have almost the same feelings as he did. If I gave my phone up for a week I would survive, but it would be really hard because you do miss a lot of things if you don’t check social media or emails for a week. I was shocked that people check their phones 8 billion times a day but I also believe it.
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I use a smart phone and am addicted. I know a lot of people that are in my family that have similar addictions to their phone. When I was with my family over Thanksgiving, I noticed my little cousin watching TV at the same time she was scrolling through Instagram and Twitter. It was difficult to get her attention to talk with her when she was engrossed in her phone. Another person that has addiction to their phone in my family is my little sister. When she does her make up in the morning she always is watching Netflix or Hulu Plus. I am not really different from my sister or my cousin. Neither is anyone else that lives in the 21st Century. I admire the author for going without his phone for a week. I agree with Kathleen Joyce Chu’s post and think that if I went a while without my phone I would realize the value of more of the people and things around me. I feel like every one now is addicted to there phone. Some how, I think people all just want to be connected to one and other but, while connected on their phone, they are disconnected to real life.
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In the first sentence Michael Grothaus talks about how it took him a longer time then most he says to right the first sentence, because of the fact that he stopped multiple times to check his phone he said maybe 8 or 9 times. When a writer is real with the people it makes people understand the point they are trying to convey more clear. Which is why we he stated that clearly he is as much addicted to his phone as everyone else in this world it only made the topic of the article more produced, because it is sharing what initially the point of this article and why he decided to even do the challenge in the first place. It was all because of the phones; this technology now a days has taken over our time and our lives. Talking with my parents specifically my mom she said when she was my age she would always be out with her friends or doing fun stuff, we would always make sure that when we hung out that we were spending as much of the time we had together, well paying attention to each other; where as, now a days whenever I even go out to eat with my friends each and every one of us are on our phones, texting or snap chatting or posting something on instagram instead of laughing and goofing around with each other, our minds have been taken over by these pieces of technology and it is sad. Michael Grothaus, is a genius for starting out an article especially on this topic with an opening sentence that points out his flaws that along with him everyone else is guilty of, but him dong that he relates more to his audience, because he sure captured my attention. what about you?
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In my opinion, none of his responses surprise me.I use my phone for everything, to check time,weather,calendar,gps, and social media. I have experienced not having my phone for a week before, i was on a cruise for spring break and turned it off because of roaming and it would cost on my phone bill. During that time i felt like i was always forgetting something, that is because my phone is always in my hand. I never knew what time it was and i never knew where anyone was at because i couldn’t text nor call them.When i finally got to turn on my phone i felt like i was behind in the world and needed to catch up. Could i live without a phone, yes i could, but everyone else cant have a phone either.
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Hearing what Michael Grothaus had to say about not having his phone for a week made me think what it would really be like if this generation we live in now would be like and act like without technology. The way he was talking about the stages he went through would be a perfect clear picture of how the world would be if we did not have technology. Some people would be very frustrated, because they would’nt know how to function properly without their technology. They would start augments with people for no reason, because they wouldn’t know how to communicate with them; due to the fact that technology has weakened most of our communicational skills. Were as other people, could feel a great amount of relief in having no technology in their life. Me personally I feel it would help me tremendously, because sometimes we don’t see this but technology for most people it consumes their emotions. Technology does this by having all the social media cites they think that its all great until one bad comment is made and all hell breaks lose. Reading this article opened my eyes to bigger things that I didn’t know about this topic before. The image is however you see it as I see it as our world if we did not have technology, what do you see?
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When reading Michael Grothaus’s article about his smartphone free week, the reader is able to incur Michael’s perspective and what he was feeling when going through the week without a smart phone. Michael starts off with creating an image of how reliant he is on his smartphones apps and how even his career relied heavily on the rectangle that everyone carries around. Through the creation of the vivid imagery he presents, the readers are able to sense just how incomplete and lacking Michael felt without the use of the many applications he used on an hourly basis. “During the day I actually was nervous to leave my computer—my only link with the Internet—and journey into the world without it, lest I miss some big news when I’m out” (Michael Grothaus). Missing out on the options he had with his smart phone was enough to give Michael a tremendous amount of anxiety.
Throughout the smartphone free weak article, Michael explains how later on in the week he began to realize how much he relies on his smartphone besides what he had a general idea about from before starting his smartphone free week. Michael started to have to carry more items than he was used to normally carrying. The smartphone acted as an all in on gadget and now he had to keep his wallet, his bus pass, & more on him to perform some of the actions his smartphone would normally enable him to do. Later on in the week, Michael also started to get a sense of relief and freedom from not checking his smartphone for notifications throughout the day. “After you get through the withdrawals of not being bombarded by email alerts, tweets, and Slack messages you come to appreciate this lack of easy access others have to you” (Michael Grothaus). Michael started to appreciate the world around him more such as by talking to people more or finding happiness in reading the newspaper. However, this was at the cost of the convenience of not having access to his smartphone.
In the end, Michael is much more relieved to have his smartphone with him again. Michael describes the smartphone as a gateway to information and many other utilities that make our lives much easier. Using a smartphone as a distraction while waiting in a line is what many people with smartphones tend to do to avoid the awkwardness of standing in line although Michael states that without a smartphone he had started a conversation that he normally wouldn’t do. Michael’s comparison about what he did with and without a smartphone shows how the quality of attention that Michael payed to the world visibly around him was greater when he did not use his smartphone however, the quality of attention that Michael payed to the world not visibly around him was greater when he used his smartphone. “The smartphone not only makes my life easier, it makes the world smaller and more surmountable” (Michael Grothaus). Michael successfully shows the ups and downs of having smartphones in our worlds and how they have become an essential part of our lives while also giving the reader the perspective he went through during his smartphone free week. This is how Michael comes to the conclusion that moderation is key when surrounding yourself with both the world directly around you and the world not directly visible that the smartphone helps to provide.
-Austin Wood
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Taking the challenge: Michael Grothaus on his smartphone-free week
When I watch other people that I spend the most time with observe their phones, I see my sister laughing at what she is looking at on her screen. My sister is also always on her social media accounts, like twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. She is always taking pictures of herself and putting them on snapchat. Whenever we are on our way to school in the mornings, we don’t talk very much. She is always on her phone taking pictures and sending them to her boyfriend on snapchat. I do not like having to compete with a cell phone to talk to my sister. So I usually just worry about driving or listen to music.
The quality of her attention to me has diminished over the years due to her cell phone usage. When we were younger, she was more involved in what the family was doing. She actually engaged in family time. Now that she is older she is always in her room laying on her bed while on her phone. Now that her boyfriend lives in Arizona, she is talking to him on Facetime all the time. She sometimes stays up till late hours in the morning talking to him. When she does that she usually ends up sleeping morning and does not get u till noon. On school nights it becomes a problem for me when I have to get her up in the morning. She never wakes up when her alarm goes off, and when I have to wake her up she always gives me an attitude.
If I could change my sisters smart phone habits, I would be extremely happy. I don’t think I would know what to do, just as much as she would not know what to do either. She is on her phone all the time. I would start by limiting the time she is allowed to use her phone and when she could use it. That would be so amazing. I would really enjoy having my sister back. I also think that if my sister was to limit her cell phone usage, her grades in school would most likely go up. I know this because we have a math class together and most of the time she is on her phone and not paying attention to what the teacher is saying. So when it comes time to doing homework and quizzes she has no idea how to do them. I feel like she would get more sleep and she wouldn’t be tired all the time. She is always taking naps when we get home from school.
I could also change the amount of time I use my cell phone. I would be able to spend more time doing homework and more time studying as well. I would also miss a lot of my family members that I keep in contact with via Facebook. I do not get to see them or talk to them very often, so Facebook helps me do that.
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I read Michael Grothaus article with interest and it reminded me of what a technologically driven and obsessed world we live in. When the latest iPhone comes out and people queue for hours and expend upwards of £700 just to be the first to boast they have an iPhone whatever number….! I dismay at our reliance as a human race on this technology which only serves to enslave us in its digital and internet web (spider’s not website; no pun intended!). Michael speaks eloquently about his week without his iPhone, his reaction perhaps kin to somebody coming off drugs before the realisation sinks in that the drugs were not needed and one can survive fairly well without them. Alas he gives into the need to have his iPhone back, although his life seemed to be of a better quality without it. Which begs the question ‘why must we be switched on, plugged in and in tune with the cyber world? To the degree we are falling more and more out of tune with the true world of our circadian rhythms, spiritual self, ability to evolve intuition and yes perhaps telepathy’. The conspiracy theorists amongst us would say we are living in an engineered society hellbent on keeping us asleep to the truth of our being, some agenda is at play to make technology the new drug, an all persuasive drug that keeps us so enamoured we forget what it is to see, nevermind smell, the flowers on the way to work! Are we so lost we must absorb ourselves into an online image and persona which is ever more frightful and Bolshevik than the genuine article that lives a day to day life following the mundane tasks of existence?
Woe is this world when technology has become our focus and our dream, our very crutch through life has become one of technology rather than one of old, religion or leaders. Is this any better, are their less wars based on technology? No, just less awareness of what is really going on in the world or perhaps not even that, awareness is there but instead of fighting or making a stand on the streets, we now fight as keyboard warriors and the world dwindles away whilst a new app takes our focus….find a Pokemon anyone?
I could quite happily ditch my iPhone, I care not for it, I only got it because family were so argumentative at not being able to contact me at all times. I prefer face to face communication and
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Reposted as cut off.
I read Michael Grothaus article with interest and it reminded me of what a technologically driven and obsessed world we live in. When the latest iPhone comes out and people queue for hours and expend upwards of £700 just to be the first to boast they have an iPhone whatever number….! I dismay at our reliance as a human race on this technology which only serves to enslave us in its digital and internet web (spider’s not website; no pun intended!). Michael speaks eloquently about his week without his iPhone, his reaction perhaps kin to somebody coming off drugs before the realisation sinks in that the drugs were not needed and one can survive fairly well without them. Alas he gives into the need to have his iPhone back, although his life seemed to be of a better quality without it. Which begs the question ‘why must we be switched on, plugged in and in tune with the cyber world? To the degree we are falling more and more out of tune with the true world of our circadian rhythms, spiritual self, ability to evolve intuition and yes perhaps telepathy. The conspiracy theorists amongst us would say we are living in an engineered society hellbent on keeping us asleep to the truth of our being, some agenda is at play to make technology the new drug, an all persuasive drug that keeps us so enamoured we forget what it is to see, nevermind smell, the flowers on the way to work! Are we so lost we must absorb ourselves into an online image and persona which is ever more frightful and Bolshevik than the genuine article that lives a day to day life following the mundane tasks of existence?
Woe is this world when technology has become our focus and our dream, our very crutch through life has become one of technology rather than one of old; religion or leaders. Is this any better, are their less wars based on technology? No, just less awareness of what is really going on in the world or perhaps not even that, awareness is there but instead of fighting or making a stand on the streets, we now fight as keyboard warriors and the world dwindles away whilst a new app takes our focus….find a Pokemon anyone?
I could quite happily ditch my iPhone, I care not for it, I only got it because family were so argumentative at not being able to contact me at all times. I prefer nobody to contact me and if they must then write a letter, by the time I get it, it won’t matter and the person sending it will also realise how frivolous it was to begin with. Nothing in life matters so greatly that we need to be attached by umbilical cord to our technology, restart, refocus and regroup. We are essential human beings and evolution into spiritual beings of light is only natural, and we will access everything that matters effortlessly with those yet underdeveloped and overlooked parts of ourselves, our heart and our mind!
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I do understand the way the Grothaus felt, when had a smart-phone free week, but not a lot of people would accept this challenge nowadays. We live in a modern society where phones and internet became a part of our lives, these makes our lives a lot easier, and it is up to us on how addicted we want to be from internet or phones. Do not say
noto smart phones or internet completely. This would not be as harmful as totally giving up on it. It has become very popular today to limit ourselves in its usage by deleting unnecessary and useless apps from smart-phone and by filtering the information you want to receive. This would help to do not become addicted and have a time for real life.LikeLike
After reading the article I find that I am at a battle when trying to figure out how I feel towards smartphones. Grothaus makes some brilliant points in his piece on both sides. He highlights how convenient his phone is in numerous different circumstances such as checking maps and news. He then contrasts with how he felt he had a sense of relief, this is after getting over the initial feeling of being at a loss, he came to enjoy reading a newspaper again and his mind had time to wonder. By exploring both the pros and cons Grothaus concluded that he would rather be with his smartphone than without.
Once I had read the comments made on the article I would have to agree with the observations that smartphones are ideal and indeed a good asset in one’s life in moderation. The pros and cons can be explored further in discussions within the news and on social media. For example, negatives have been highlighted on sites such as Facebook on how children are increasingly being ignored by parents, due to them spending more and more time on their phones. Yet on the other side an article, in the small business chronicle, highlights the positives. The article mentions that with the ability to access emails, keeping appointments up to date and having the facility to conference call via the phone, businesses and employees have trouble to imagine a day without their smartphone. Taking into consideration both the pros and cons I find it difficult to commit to ether side as I do feel the smartphone brings many useful and convenient applications. However, these could also be found from other sources such as a computer, newspapers and ordinary maps.
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After reading this I wasn’t surprised when Grothaus talks about all the emotional changes he went through. Just recently there have been more and more studies about smart phone addiction and at first I thought this was an over exaggerated term, but I don’t believe I would have been able to go one week with out my smart phone. I believe that with any addiction there are form of withdraw and this was what Grothaus was going through, anxiety, boredom, depression, isolation so on and so forth, then relief. We don’t realize just how stuck we are to our phones, until we give it up. I was however astounding by the statistic that in the UK young adults check their phones up to 84 times a day. I feel that he paints such a dependent picture, I think selectively we don’t realize how addicted we are to social media and the Internet but I think that if we all stepped back and took a look at the bigger picture that we would be shocked!
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Groathaus responses of anxiety, frustration, and relief were not surprising to me at all. As for anyone that relies on their smart phone for everything, we would more than likely have anxiety and frustration just as he did. Anxiety of not being connected to everyone all the time, missing out on important events, and even not having music to entertain you would be frustrating. I’m sure also not having that escape from the real world for a little bit would be frustrating as well. I’m sure relief came in when he realized that he can still have a life without a smart phone and it also was probably relieving to have a break from our fast pace society that is constantly at our finger tips. I’m sure I would have the same reactions as he did. There are times that I turn my smartphone off for a few hours just because I find my self so indulged in it and it’s not helping me get things that really need to be taken care of done.
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Michael Grothause wrote about his experience of not using his smartphone for one week. He felt it to be refreshing to experience life around him but not before experiencing a few symptoms of withdrawal during the first day. Here is my response to a few of the questions asked at the end of the article.
2) I believe Grothause description of the various stwgesnhe experienced during the week was extremely accurate. Any habit is very hard to break with the first few days being the hardest. Anxiety and stress are common emotions during the first several days of quitting a habit. Finally when the habit is just about broken a person can begin to enjoy things they missed out on while occupied focusing on his or her habit.
3) I believe his admission to reaching for his phone numerous times while trying to write his first couple of sentences enhanced his credibility of being a addicted to his phone. It allowed the reader to not only have a visual picture of Grothause’ daily phone use but they could also relate to him.
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I can definitley relate to Grothaus attitude, anxiety, and overall frustrations in the case of giving up his phone for an extended period of time, and i think thats the scary thing about how bad our attachment to cell phones has become as a society in general. Iv’e actually tried something similar in the sense that i stayed off all social medias for an entire month, and while towards the end i experienced some of the calmest, most peaceful days in recent memory, the beginning days were terrible on my psyche. As far as the use of smartphones by ones close to me goes, i can definitley see a sense of almost addiction to the immediate gratification they can bring, and truly its a shocking thing to behold sometimes, i feel like as a society this trend could hurt us socially more than we can even imagine in the coming years.
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Grothaus describes various stages of anxiety, frustration, and relief during his week without a smartphone. Were any of his responses surprising to you? Why or why not? Do you think you would have had the same reactions? Why or why not?
None of his responses seemed abnormal or surprising at all, mainly because I’ve actually experienced these phases myself. Back a few years ago I didn’t have access to the internet from my home because I did everything through the internet on my phone…and then i broke my phone and REALLY didn’t have a way to communicate with the outside world until my new phone arrived. I basically experienced everything and more than the author because unlike him, I didn’t have access to the internet at my job and without my phone I had no way to tell people what was going on. It made everyday life extremely difficult for me to say the least.
To answer the second part of the question, I had all of those reactions and more because I actually felt like if I were in any sense of danger that I wouldn’t be safe because I had no means of communication, I had set myself up to live off of one cell phone for everything and when you depend upon that ONE thing to carry you through life’s everyday challenges it quickly becomes frightening at what can happen without that saving grace, needless to say, I changed the way I used technology and lived my life after that.
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Like Grothaus I believe that anyone would feel some anxiety, frustration and relief during this process if their smart phone was such an important part of their life. Smartphones have many features that we need. As stated the GPS function, weather and news and for many the only way of communication. I myself do believe that i could go with out my smart phone as the theory has been put to test many times when my children get a hold of it. I go without it for many days at a time, and I wouldn’t say that I feel isolated but in a way relieved. Although there are many useful features, there is also social media and with that come drama,and judgment. That I can defiantly do without. It really depends on what you use it for and what it means to you. I have my smartphone because I like to take many pictures in the moment and keep my kids quiet when trying to get work done. other then that I’m okay without. I have no problem not answering the phone if I don’t want to talk.
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This past weekend I went and visited my cousins and was able to meet most of their friends all of whom while we were all hanging out as soon as there was a break in the conversation everyone pulled out there phones and played on them until they realized that they had already looked at the same Instagram and Facebook posts 12 times. Our society has a problem we can’t seem to put down our technology for any real span of time we focus more on the people across our state, nation, or world more than we do sitting around the same table or in the same living room as us. It’s so sad that most people today have little to no conversation skills because we don’t really take the time to practice them on a daily basis.
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Whenever I am with someone who is constantly using their smartphone, it diminishes the attention on me, and even us;especially if its a date or an outing. If someone has a bad habit where they are always on their smartphones in social settings, they could do this trick that my friends and I do. For example, if we go out to eat or to a bowling alley, we allow put our phones away in our purse, and the rule is we cannot take them out unless of an emergency, or once we we leave the function. This allows for us to spend more time together and actually have fun together.
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to the robert safian and fast company magazine. another editor from more magazine abby perlman resently got involved in dirty coraption business with crazy cbs anchor otis livingsto to steal money from fast company magazine employees bank accounts. never trust abby perlman and otis livingston they bouth belong in jail.
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I believe that Michael Grothaus’ challenge to get rid of social media, and the cell phone, for a week is a good idea. This article demonstrated how disconnected people are when they are too connected to their phones. There are many benefits to having a smart phone but Grothaus pointed out how many things changed in his life that were not too terrible. The capability of being able to pull out Google Maps is very useful when trying to get somewhere quickly. However, when Grothaus has to find a way to get somewhere human connection has a chance to transpire, which could mean making a life long friend. This is the exciting part about getting rid of technology for a week. The amount of conversations Grothaus had to have in order to perform daily tasks was surprising. I believe that smartphones do not need to be omitted entirely, but I believe that people should know when to put their phones down in order to enjoy their day. It is important to not always be staring down at a screen, or be obsessed with documenting where the person is at as opposed to actually immersing themselves into what is going on around them. If people were able to live without this technology before I can be done in moderation at the very least. I believe that Grothaus had the right idea that it is more convenient to find out what the weather will be or to connect with friends. He did miss out on a get together without his smartphone, but he was able to find a love for newspapers again. The newspaper industry would sky rocket again if people would start retaining the news that way as opposed to relying on their cellphones. It seems that eliminating cellphones causes an appreciation to take things slowly and truly appreciate what is going on around these people.
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Grothaus response to not using his smart phone for a week didn’t really surprise me. I often take a break from social media and I tell you what, it helps. I reconnect with my kids and enjoy time with them; we make actual memories. Sure the first time I did it I was lost, how can I keep up with my family and friends? How will I know about events, the same things Grothaus described. But it did me so much good to step away from the phone that I started doing it more often. Being a single mother, it helps to take a step back from the rest of the world, so you can focus on the kids, when your not focusing on the other hectic activities going on. They are after all, only young for a little while.
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Speaking on tis article myself, I can agree with Grothaus. We as people have changed so much and its kind of scary. Its as if no one knows how to speak in person anymore or are scared to. I once went to a Military camp for a week, and my Sergeant took our phones for the time there. at first it was a little sad but after it was all over, I felt so much closer to all of the people around me. I even made a friend from a different school, who shocked me when stepping up and having my back against his own team member. Phones have caused so much trouble, a week without them would be like therapy, a month, would be a vacation I think.
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Before reading this article, I took a good look at the title and began analyzing it beyond its means. I questioned, “How is this guy going to feel during this process?” None of his responses surprised me. This is because I see it when others lose their phone and when their phone dies. I tend to feel the same way as well when it happens. Especially when he was saying that he uses it to find places and without it he had to find an address by calling the place itself. I get anxious when not knowing where I am or where I have to be. He said as well, that he stared a conversation instead of hiding in his phone while waiting in line. I tend to just ignore everyone around me and avoid all human interaction and stare at my phone to pretend I’m doing something, I guess that this is just what society has come to. Mr. Michael Grothaus talked about being able to free his mind without his smartphone. Freeing your mind is a huge thing that a lot of people in today’s society don’t do at all. People get so consumed with their devices and busy schedules that there seems to be no time to relax and free up your mind to relax or even think straight. I think that is a very important thing for people to be able to do in order to be able to do things to their full potential.So as for as that goes, I wouldnt be able to do this, but I hasve tried!
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None of Grothaus were surprising. I think if i was smartphone free i would feel the same way he did. I know i would worry toward the beginning just because i use my phone for so much more than texting. It helps me get through my everyday routine. I know toward the end of the week i would feel like my self. I know my smartphone has drained some of the life out of me. I don’t have the guts to do what he did but i know if i did this i would have the same reaction.
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The artical i read By MICHAEL GROTHAUS he wrote about what life was like without his phone for a week. he makes points about how people check their phones once every 10 minuets or 85 times a day. these stats seem very accurate even to me. personally i check my phone all the time. i especially connected to him when he said that he checked his phone to procrastinate doing work. this happens to me with everything i do. because my phone is arms length away, and takes me out of the boredom. do i think that i could live without my phone for a week? yes. would i want to? no. there are a lot of functions on my phone that i need to use everyday. but reading this articular i might try a challenge of going without my phone for a day.
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The use of smartphones have become apart of our everyday living. It is almost impossible to stay connected with the world around you without having one attached to your hip. Michael Grothaus explains in this article how his seven day hiatus from the use of smartphone technology allowed him the freedom of reconnecting with himself. He shared his thoughts on the negative side-effects of over usage and pointed out the dangerous outcomes that can occur from it’s distractions. I wasn’t completely surprised by his findings because I too have taken personal time off from smartphone use before and as he stated, coming back to it does pull you back into a bubble but knowing that you have the strength to escape from time to time is very helpful.
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Wow! Thinking about going a week without your smartphone? I think it’s great how he wanted to reconnect socially with the outside world after not using his smartphone for a week. Of course without having a smartphone, or being able to use one, you aren’t going to be update on the latest news, check the weather instantly, and many others. People use smartphones not only to stay connected and close to others, but for many services as well such as traveling, news, weather and many others. Not being able to check emails or anything. I wasn’t really surprised by his responses though because I feel as if everyone went a week without a smartphone, they would all have pretty similar responses.
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People in the world have turned out to be dependent on cell phones, they cherish the comfort of having everything comfortable fingertips. Everybody has become acclimated to moment delight, don’t have the foggiest idea about a telephone number? Google it. Don’t know where the nearby Starbucks is? There is an application for that. Cell phones have turned into a staple in day by day life. I for one never go anyplace without my cell phone, including simply strolling around the house. Consider the possibility that somebody were to require me. Or, on the other hand my companions were accomplishing something cool? Grothaus in the start of the article said that he had checked his telephone around eight times just in endeavoring to compose the main sentence. By and by when I compose I am a similar way, I have likely checked my telephone, answered to notices, and so forth., more than ten times since I started this post. Grothaus test of going seven days cell phone free is one I would consider taking. I can comprehend the test of making an effort not to take a gander at my telephone for five minutes. At the point when out with companions there have been times my telephone has kicked the bucket and I have been not able charge it until the point that that night and those days of being cell phone free are a test. I feel like there is continually something more imperative that not having my telephone is influencing me to miss. All of Grothaus starting feelings were ones that anybody would feel, cell phone compulsion is a major issue that we have. Cell phone clients need to make an adjust and discover control, this will get everybody back to living at the time of what is happening around them and not simply living in their screens.
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With todays day in age, its kind of hard to not use your smartphone for your every day live. We always have to look something up if its work related or just personal stuff, a smart is always handy.
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I agree with Grothaus. I think it is completely normal to feel the way he did after not use his phone for anything, but text and calls. When you cut your online source it will show you how many people actually call or text you just to check on you or just to talk. I would be extremely bored without my phone, because I am on it majority of they day; even when I am at work. I check my phone even if I do not have a notification.
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I thought this article interesting but honestly more shocking than anything else.The fact that people really have to think of if they could survive without their smartphones is absolute insanity to me. I am by no means anti-smartphone, it’s a very useful tool but the author opened my eyes up to how much of a problem they can be for some people.To me I’ve always looked at having a smartphone as a luxury and something that makes my life more convenient, not a necessity that couldn’t live without. The smartphone is definitely comforting to have, knowing I will never be completely lost and always being able to contact someone in a emergency is a nice feeling. After reading this article I started realizing how many other people would probably experience the same thing as the author, i’ve noticed while attending classes many students keep their phones right out in front of them and check them quite frequently. Even as I type this right now in the library I am watching students working on assignments and periodically stopping to pick up their phone. It seems like no matter where you are now most people’s heads are somewhere in else in their phones. The biggest problem I believe the author had was when he said checking his phone actually gets in the way of working and other daily activities in life. I don’t understand why the author said he was not able to keep up with his friends because he still kept phone calls and text messages on his phone. I don’t see myself having the same reaction as the author did with being without his phone for a week because i’ve gone most of my life without having a smartphone. In my opinion the smartphone is a useful tool but is abused by people too often, especially when its getting in the way of daily activities.The smartphone has taken a huge spot in modern society, I had a experience once when I went to the DMV to renew my license but needed to fill out some paperwork that that was only online and because I did not have a smartphone at the time I had to go all the way back home to get it done because they would not let me fill it out in person. This experience made me realize how much of a necessity smartphones are becoming. This article was enlightening to me for the reason that I never realized how reliant some people are to having their smartphones.
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The smart phone is an extremely useful tool this day and age. So much so that many people feel lost without it. His reactions did not surprise me because we rely so much on our smart phones and when it is taken away we don’t know what to do. But if you learn how to live without your smart phone, it could be relieving. I think I would have the same reactions because I heavily rely on my smart phone and for example, when it dies I find myself not knowing what to do, but I think that after a while without it, I could find it relieving. People check their smart phones as much as 80 times every day, most of which, the people checking aren’t even aware of. While I may not check my phone this many times a day, I often catch myself checking my phone with no real reason to check it. Like the author, I find myself checking multiple times when I’m trying to do work. However, I’m not the only one with this smart phone addiction. Almost everyone today has it including my family members. When one of my siblings is on their phone and I try to talk to them, they often give me a response that took no thought to produce or no response at all. If I could change one thing about smart phone habits I would make these habits to where they do not intervene when you are trying to do something productive or I would stop these smart phone habits from preventing social interactions.
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I agree that society these days have become very dependent with their phones. It may seem that just turning your phone off is easy, however with all the technology there is today and all the different uses phones and the media provides it’s actually a lot harder than it seems. I like that he pointed out how he started making more conversations and interacting with people more without his phone. Today people always have their nose in their phones and miss out on so many opportunities… It’s crazy to think we, Americans in total, check our phones 8 billion times a day. Although phones are very helpful, I think it’s important for people to put their phones down here and there and just live in the moment.
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Everyone in the world has a phone; it’s a very key part of peoples lives these days. So when I saw this article, I was very interested because I’ve always wanted to try it. It would be tough and as he explains in the article, he grew up in the 90’s so he has some experience being without a smartphone. But these kids growing up with technology do worry me. I do believe technology is great and everyone should use it, but there needs to be limitations on it. Everyone is addicted to their phone, whether if you believe it or not. I’ve seen kids that rather play on their phone than go outside and play. I believe this is why kids are becoming so depressed these days. If you go to a doctor and say you’re depressed, the first thing they will tell you to do is to go exercise or just even be outside. It’s amazing what it can do for you, so much we couldn’t function without it.
In the first few days of the author giving up his phone, he says he felt “isolated” and that’s not surprising because people have lost their social skills. Every time a second passes where nothing is happening, people look at their phone. People used to have conversations with random people, now they don’t. The phone is used as an escape, it’s made society connected, yet so far apart in real life. But it’s not the same; most people hang out with their friends and are on their phone half the time. I just want to say I don’t think technology is bad, I just think we need to step back and see how it’s effecting us. One day I would like to take on this challenge, I have always been curious to see what life was like without a phone. When finished I would hope to see the effects of my phone on my life, and try to limit my usage in the future.
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I agree with Grothaus. The smartphone was one of the greatest things ever invented, but we do need to cut back on the usage of it. I have gone through a similar experience as the author, and it’s not as bad as how the authors says. Cutting back on smartphone usage will make us appreciate and be grateful to the simple things we overlook in life.
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Before reading this article, I found the title very interesting and I wanted to read more of it because I always wondered what it would be like to give up my phone for a week. As I kept reading I understood what the author was trying to point out and gave some very good advice for anyone that would want to try this out. Michael Grothaus is the author of this article and he talked about how much of a sacrifice it was for him to give up his iPhone for a week. He shared his feelings towards it at the end by saying, “The key is moderating notifications, and setting boundaries. It’s knowing when to put your smartphone down and take advantage of the glorious real world around you.” He had some obstacles by taking this challenge and that was feeling isolated with friends and family, not being able to check the weather, No Google Maps (GPS), No new music, etc. He later states how important it is to use technology as a way of communication and just everyday life things. I get stressed out or I have anxiety when I can’t find my phone and it’s actually in the next room from me. I hang out with my friends a lot and I try not to go on my phone the whole time especially when we’re going out to eat. I want to spend quality time with my friends and not have my phone glued to my face the whole time. This is a great article for today’s society and the outcome some people may feel about their iPhones.
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I agree with Megan how I would feel the same feeling with Michael Grothaus giving up his iPhone for a week. I would feel distant with my friends if I didn’t communicate with them and also family. It would be hard at first to give up my iPhone but I know I will feel myself again and see the world as it is without my digital device in my hand.
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