AIBU to completely hate my phone?

[Sorab]

I am 55 yo, loved the internet when I first got on it, going on message boards then Facebook, downloading tracks from kazaa all the rest of it. I loved the convenience of being able to shop, bank, book holidays even (!) online and would fire up my trusty modem to do all this stuff.

So when smartphones came along I thought : great, now I can do all this without having to log in to my computer, I can just do it wherever. Everything will be simple and seamless, how freeing.

Fifteen years later and I hate my fucking phone. I had to turn off notifications because they were sending me mental but all that means is that every night I go through them, reply to the ones I can, ditch the others and increasingly I feel harassed and got-at. Because it's fucking endless.

Sign up for eternal emails or pay 10% more, review this product, please review this product, did you enjoy this product and if not why haven't you reviewed it what are you some kind of boomer. Any questions? Download our app. Want to park your car? Download our app. Please ensure you read the 140 page terms and conditions in the 30 seconds you have before payment is due in order that you can in full knowledge tick the consent box before we shaft you with a £75 fine.

Fancy a trip to the theatre? Download our app. Talk to the bot in the meantime. It won't help but it does mean your active life span is significantly shorter. Want to see the Uffizi? Wade through endless scam sites and getyourguide scalpers before, eight hours in, triumphantly securing an entry ticket for 4.30pm on the 56th of Doctember 2089. Bank error in your favour? WRONG, you fucking dweeb. I think you'll find that you consented to being hacked by some gibbering fool in St Petersburg when we closed your local branch and now this £2000 shortfall is on you.

And that's before you even consider all the personal communications. Nobody phones any more. It's endless fucking WhatsApps. It takes eleventy billion years just to arrange a drinks meet-up and when you finally get close to zero hour all day it's pingpingping 'i might be late ' 'im on my way ' 'im on the train but it's busy ', yeah sure fascinating but we don't need to know this. It's like being in a constant state of interruption. I'm not even including the hobby group/work/street WhatsApps because I've long ignored them. I figure if my house/child/town is on fire I'll realise and anything else I'll get to eventually.

In just a few short years, really less than 15, I've gone from thinking that technology is brilliant to feeling harassed, bullied and mildly mugged by it.

AIBU?

My DS is 22 and also hates his phone! His social life is conducted on it so there’s not much he can do, he often leaves it in another room when he has to concentrate on something etc

I am with you about apps. Especially for those who use a car and parking apps.

For me putting a small barrier in place is usually enough, it makes me stop and think "do I really want to go on this site, or is this just a habit/boredom/etc"? And it means when I occasionally did actually need to access the site (e.g. get details of an event from facebook) I still can.

There are apps and browser extensions that implement a harder block, that you can't get around, if that option works better for you.

I voted YABU.

I have had a mobile phone for 30 years, a smartphone for 25. Despite that I have managed not to let my phone take over my life. I don’t hate it. It is a useful tool. Nothing more. I will download apps if it saves me money or there is no other way to pay for something, but then delete them afterwards. The same with joining email lists. Get the 10% off then unsubscribe.

When I last changed my phone about four years ago, I just didn’t bother re-installing WhatsApp or any social media apps. I haven’t missed them.

The flaw in your argument lies in the 6th sentence down when you say whens there's no other way to pay for something - this is the fault with this smartphone world and precisely what the OP was talking about- you are way more dependent on it than you realise.

My mum and one of my friends don't have smart phones and they are hindered without me or someone else with a smartphone.
It's not just about social media addiction, the OP is alluding to, it's the world forcing you or someone you know , to have one.

Me too- even now every few minutes I’m back to mn/ facebook/ instagram. I’m off for one week, and I’m spending too much of it online. Worst thing is I’ve a tea good book at the moment (and a house to get under control but less of that!!😉)