Teenager Before Smartphones

[Disneylover99]

So happy that I was a teen in the 80’s away from all the technology.
Good times.

 

[igrsod]

I'm so glad I grew up in an era without smart phones. I hate them even now. I don't have the sound on, only answer if I recognize the number, never check voice mail and stay off of most social media. It's all just too much. There is something good about being quiet in your own thoughts for periods of time. A smart phone does not lend itself to that.

 

[sam_gordon]

I can see many people NOT wanting their boss to know they have a personal cell phone so they don't bother them when out of the office. If you get a company paid phone, that makes contacting others more convenient. Depends on the job and what your specific responsibilites are.

Except before cell phones, it was "normal" to give out your home number. If a boss abuses the phone, find out from HR what the minimum time is (if there is one) for work (some might have a two hour minimum if called in). Then, every time you get called, add that time to your time sheet. Guessing it will stop pretty quick.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ And ages ago there was the White Pages phone book where you could look up people's home phone. Nowadays they are all online too.

There are obviously differences in the expectations of salary vs hourly workers. Difficult to talk in generalities that apply to everyone. Even when our secretaries are all salary, I don't know of any of them who ever get business related calls at home on weekends.

 

[fla4fun]

I don’t know anyone who is less social because of their cell phones.
I keep reading and hearing this from people but have never witnessed it.

I do. My family, for one. It used to be that we would get together and talk and laugh and have a great time. Now we get together, and they pull out their cell phones and start scrolling and I am sitting there trying to have a conversation and not getting anywhere. The only reprieve is when we are dining together. They do turn their phones off for meals. I am not in the habit of spending my time on my phone, but they are. It’s not a generational thing, since we are all around the same age (+/- five years).

I see it in restaurants a lot too. Yes, there are some groups that are all laughing while sending texts and photos to each other, and the phone is part of the social interaction. But for every one of those I see, I see two or three tables that are completely silent, while everyone is on their phone doing their own thing.

I feel cell phones can be both good and bad when it comes to socializing. I would rather interact personally with friends and family than do it through a phone, however, when we can’t be together it’s nice to be able to see them and keep in touch through the phone.

As far as the conversation about work and personal phones (landline or otherwise) I have always had to have a personal number on file due to hurricanes. The decision to close down, and when, and then when the office will reopen, would usually go out via email, but after a storm a person may not have internet access and the phone number was considered a back up. They were good about not calling unless it was really important. I doubt I had a half dozen calls in twenty years. I no longer have a landline, so by default I would have to provide a cell number. Of course, there’s nothing that says I have to disclose whether the number is a cell or landline, so if they get voicemail, they get voicemail. I have never been assigned a work phone.

 

[TippyThomas]

I feel obligated to throw a "get off my lawn" out there for good measure on this one.

 

[disneyseniors]

I'm glad I didn't grow up with a cell phone, and I'm glad I don't have a cell phone now. Actually, I do; work insists that I be available when labs are in session, so they pay for a flip phone for me. I don't use it, though. I am in my office, 20 feet from the lab, when class is in session. It'd take more time for the teaching assistant to text me than it'd take for a student to come get me. That work phone just sits in a desk all the time.

leebee: I was like that too. Only had a flip phone which was off most of the time and only for emergencies.
However, now that we are retired and traveling a lot by car, I find that using the cellphone for navigation is priceless. I have come to love the ease of using it, and I actually like asking Siri about stuff. So easy, maybe too easy, but I love it. I also text alot and keep in touch with grandkids/friends/family more frequently.
We are going on a 3 week trip from one border to the other in February, and we will depend a lot on the cellphone navigation system. It is really awesome if you travel. We will take our old atlas just in case, LOL, because we just feel the need.
I was like you but now that I have one I wouldn't do without it. You don't have to be constantly on it or have it attached to your side 24/7. It's just very convenient for me.

 

[Babs Johnson]

A smartphone or even a plain cell phone would have been great in college instead of having to use the pay phones in the halls or writing messages on the dry erase boards on their dorm room doors.

 

[Caseheidi]

Not at all for me. In fact, sometimes I forget my phone, and I really enjoy not being in constant contact. And now that I am working as a teacher, it gives me permission to ignore my phone for hours on end, and I do not miss it.

I think on of the biggest problems with cell phones/smart phones for our teens is that they are not learning good phone skills, which are still needed in a professional world. They spend so much time texting and abbreviating words, that they just don't know how to talk to someone on the phone. Beginning to think they need a class on this in High School to go along with their career education!

 

[CynBeth]

Not at all. My parents had a landline and was known to spend hours on it talking to friends. Or since most of my friends were on my street, I just walked to their house and knocked on their door.
Of course even today I'm not tethered to my cell phone. It is my emergency phone, I don't give out my number, and all my calls are still done on a landline.

You sound like me. We had a landline and I would talk to my friends. I had a cellphone which I was given when I started driving in case of an emergency. Things have not changed much as an adult. My DH and I have a landline and I pretty much only leave my cell phone on when on vacation in case someone needs to contact us in an emergency plus a few other times and only a few people have the phone #. We don’t have kids so don’t have to worry about using it a lot to constantly check for calls or texts.

 

[Turn the Page]

The number of people that have been saved by having a cell phone is almost incalculable at this point. From people being followed, car accidents, being able to report things to emergency services. Then you have the ways it's improved quality of life, having maps and GPS available, being able to reach loved ones in cases of emergency. How many Amber Alerts have been resolved successfully because people got notifications on their phones? I remember going to Florida in the '90's and my mother having a huge file folder with all of the confirmations for plane tickets, hotel reservations, rental car information, now all of that is on my phone when I go.

Ok. How many of those things require a smart phone vs. a basic phone?

 

[DeeBee3]

Life was definitely easier/simpler without cellphones. I do like the security from having a cell phone, not smart phone. If the car breaks down, traveling, medical issue, etc.

It's just sad to see so many people (myself included) so addicted. I believe the lack of personal interaction (eye to eye) is really affecting society in general, especially kids/teens.

 

[Turn the Page]

Life was definitely easier/simpler without cellphones. I do like the security from having a cell phone, not smart phone. If the car breaks down, traveling, medical issue, etc.

It's just sad to see so many people (myself included) so addicted. I believe the lack of personal interaction (eye to eye) is really affecting society in general, especially kids/teens.

Just this evening I went on strike from cooking dinner. Every night we all get home and I am left to cook dinner and chase a very rambunctious 4 year old around while DH and 2 teenagers sit in their rooms on their phones.

No more. You either get off your butts and come help or you get sandwiches for dinner. Your choice.

 

[DeeBee3]

Just this evening I went on strike from cooking dinner. Every night we all get home and I am left to cook dinner and chase a very rambunctious 4 year old around while DH and 2 teenagers sit in their rooms on their phones.

No more. You either get off your butts and come help or you get sandwiches for dinner. Your choice.

I completely understand. When I see families out to dinner and they are all on a device (little kids on tablet) it just makes me sad. Just talk to each other! Color, etc. And I have little kids so I know how it can be.

 

[kymom99]

I completely understand. When I see families out to dinner and they are all on a device (little kids on tablet) it just makes me sad. Just talk to each other! Color, etc. And I have little kids so I know how it can be.

I tell my son, “I’ll throw that phone out in the street and let cars run over it.” when he won’t do what he needs to do or if he tries to get on it at the table. I’ve not had to do it but it’s tempting.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Just this evening I went on strike from cooking dinner. Every night we all get home and I am left to cook dinner and chase a very rambunctious 4 year old around while DH and 2 teenagers sit in their rooms on their phones.

No more. You either get off your butts and come help or you get sandwiches for dinner. Your choice.

Nothing to do with cell phones.
Mothers had same complaints 50 years ago lol.

ETA Okay weird formatting

 

[CdnCarrie]

Life was definitely easier/simpler without cellphones. I do like the security from having a cell phone, not smart phone. If the car breaks down, traveling, medical issue, etc.

It's just sad to see so many people (myself included) so addicted. I believe the lack of personal interaction (eye to eye) is really affecting society in general, especially kids/teens.

Guess it depends on the person.

I find life so much easier and simpler with a cell phone.

 

[Babs Johnson]

Nothing to do with cell phones.
Mothers had same complaints 50 years ago lol.

ETA Okay weird formatting

Yep. Hubby and teens got lost watching TV or reading the paper while Mom did all the work preparing dinner. Then when she yelled “Dinner’s ready” they’d reply “Be right there” but not appear for 15 minutes.

 

[sam_gordon]

Ok. How many of those things require a smart phone vs. a basic phone?

GPS requires a smart phone.
Taking notes requires a smart phone (unless you want to repeatedly press keys)
Keeping files (for traveling) requires a smart phone
Taking/sending pictures might require a smart phone.
Streaming video requires a smart phone (time killer)

No, none of these things are required for "life", but saying smart phones have NOTHING good about them isn't fair IMO.

 

[Mysterian]

In my younger teens, nah. In college, yes.

The built-in camera, texting, all would have been helpful. I remember days of buying calling cards for long distance, or taking trips with a pixely digital camera with the 3.5 floppy disc drive. Or any time you needed a phone when there was no payphone or landline nearby.