Do smart phones make us lazy?

I primarily use my smart phone as a phone (and would be very happy without it)... although I do have an e-book app with some e-books and a music app with music that I occasionally use to drive a Bluetooth speaker; when things ge slow while camping... (I prefer to camp in areas without cell service).
So, since I might use the phone once between chargings, (I'm not a phone person) I don't see a problem with it making me lazy(er)...

Enjoy!
 
Interesting...


Hmm...really? “I take a photo of my parking ticket so I know when it runs out, because it’s an arbitrary thing to remember. Our brains aren’t evolved to remember highly specific, one-off things. Before we had devices, you would have to make a quite an effort to remember the time you needed to be back at your car.”

But this is good: But hard things are good for you, because they engage cognitive processes and brain structures that have other effects on your general cognitive functioning.”

And, heh! “Let’s be real with ourselves: how many of us are using the time afforded us by our banking app to write poetry? We just passively consume crap on Instagram.”
 
Interesting...


Hmm...really? “I take a photo of my parking ticket so I know when it runs out, because it’s an arbitrary thing to remember. Our brains aren’t evolved to remember highly specific, one-off things. Before we had devices, you would have to make a quite an effort to remember the time you needed to be back at your car.”

But this is good: But hard things are good for you, because they engage cognitive processes and brain structures that have other effects on your general cognitive functioning.”

And, heh! “Let’s be real with ourselves: how many of us are using the time afforded us by our banking app to write poetry? We just passively consume crap on Instagram.”
This is a funny example, since using a photo obviously requires constantly reminding yourself to check the picture and compare to the time. Yet setting an alarm on your watch has been a more effective solution for 300 years since you don't have to remember anything until the alarm goes off.
 
I've found that having GPS makes me more daring when I travel. Instead of sticking to the main route that I can easily follow on the map, I am more emboldened to turn off when I see something interesting and feel comfortable that I can find my way back without problem.

Last time I tried to rely on my phone for an adventure, I lost signal and was lost until we stopped at a boat launch and somehow got in range of a tower. However, I could have found my way back to where we lost signal because my mom trained me from a young age to pay attention.
 
I'd argue the opposite. When I want to know something I ask Google, and learn something. Lot's of times that something is remembered and hence I know more than when I started, so by definition smarter.

Lazier? Perhaps.
Harder to satisfy? Certainly.
More obnoxious? Without doubt.
Less polite? Unfortunately yes,

(And the list could go on and on.)
 
The Mountain Rescue lads advise that you keep a back-up magnetic compass in your rucksack when you're out on the fells, because they've had to help down several people that were relying on their phone apps to navigate, and had lost the signal or run out of power.

My favourite story, though, is the woman that rang the 999 number for Mountain Rescue and demanded they summoned the Air-Sea Rescue helicopter, because they were a long way from their car and were going to be late for the dinner they'd booked in a posh restaurant in Keswick. I believe she got a polite, two-word response...
 
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It’s a little difficult to prove it, but essentially- we have convenience and escapism in our hands daily. The tasks we need a machine for (navigating, writing, calculating…&tc.) are simple, practical tools that meet our needs. Yet, the majority of our time spent on them is only superficial entertainment, ways to pass the time indoors.


This article was okay as a counter-argument, but I feel like it’s too politically motivated to glean any truth from it.
Not going to pay to read the actual paper, but the Science Daily article is glib and lightweight.
 
The Mountain Rescue lads advise that you keep a back-up magnetic compass in your rucksack when you're out on the fells, because they've had to help down several people that were relying on their phone apps to navigate, and had lost the signal or run out of power.

My favourite story, though, is the woman that rang the 999 number for Mountain Rescue and demanded they summoned the Air-Sea Rescue helicopter, because they were a long way from their car and were going to be late for the dinner they'd booked in a posh restaurant in Keswick. I believe she got a polite, two-word response...


It's amazing how easier it can be to get up a mountain, but not always so obviously as to get back down again. I remember once near Catbells seeing a slope that led downwards, but a quick investigation saw that it only led to a sheer drop. If it had been rainy/slippy, I do wonder how easy it would have been to have ended up going over the edge. Thankfully we found a cairn that helped.

That's one of the things with places like the Lake District; you have to use common sense, because there are few (if any) warning signs. We're so used in life to being told what is and isn't safe for us to do/where to go that when you get off the beaten track it can take some time to readjust to making decisions for yourself.
 
As for smart phones making us lazy. The answer is yes and no.

Want to know how to clean a drain? Look on Youtube. Want to know how to paint a wall? Look on Youtube.

Once upon a time you had to have a go yourself (and probably fail), ask a friend (who could just as easily muck it up), pay a tradesman, or go on a course. Now you can just look on Youtube and become an instant expert.

Want to know how to navigate? There's an app for that Want to find some cool walking routes? There's an app for that.

Once upon a time you had to go to a bookstore and buy a map. And a compass. And a walking guide. And perhaps take an orienteering course

It's far, far easier and cheaper to use your phone for just about anything. But it also cheapens the experience; knowledge gained without being earned.

But have they made us lazier? Well, perhaps we wouldn't have gone on that walk if it hadn't been for the apps. Perhaps (probably) we wouldn't have tried to plaster that wall if it hadn't been for the app. Perhaps we would have spent half a day travelling to a conference instead of having it on Zoom.

I think that mobiles give us a chance to have a more fulfilling life if we wish; they certainly free up spare time that could be better spent doing something else. Of course if that spare time is spent playing CandyCrush or logging on to FaceBook, then that's another kettle of fish altogether.
 
I have even noticed people paying in shops eschewing bank cards for a bank phone app of some sort
"Danger, Will Robinson."
I was at Blackpool pleasure beach last year, I hadn't been for a few years.
I made sure I had plenty of cash and we left our bank cards at home (we lost one once on a day out and had some fraudulent purchases before we managed to cancel it).

When we got their we found every concession was now card only, no cash taken.

I had to activate the Google pay app on my phone and spend 20 minutes setting it up before we could even buy the kids a cold drink.....I'm such a saddo that I have my 16 digit card number memorised !
 
I have even noticed people paying in shops eschewing bank cards for a bank phone app of some sort
"Danger, Will Robinson."
I use this all the time. It is simply using a card, stored on Apple wallet via the phone bluetooth. Saves time fumbling with my wallet. A natural extension of contactless payments as far as I am concerned.
 

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