addiction

Kick the Habit. You’re stronger.

~ Ron Walker ~ 18 Comments

Are you addicted to a device?
One sure sign is if you take it to the bathroom with you. If you can’t take a moment for bodily functions without your phone/device, then you’re a rabid stockbroker or addicted to your device.

Taking Control:
The first step to fighting social media addiction is to decide “you’re in control”. Your time is important, time can never be redeemed. Once a moment is spent, it’s gone forever. It can be remembered fondly, but it can never be repeated or changed.

Explain to family and friends, that you don’t always respond right away. You may be busy, or just don’t feel like texting or posting to social media at times. If they don’t want to understand that, it is on them. The excuse of, “How will you know it’s not an emergency” is not a valid excuse. A phone call is placed faster, if not as fast as a text, or social posting. Teach others, that the phone portion still works on the devices, and sometimes that is your preferred way of communicating.

Help Yourself break the habit:
I decided, that I would not be a slave to a device. “I” control my time. I started by leaving my phone in the other room for short periods. When I returned to the room after whatever I’d been doing, I would check it for a missed call or other communication. Many understood, some stopped texting me as much. Maybe their ego was Injured by the removal of instant gratification. Or maybe they simply understood. You’ll be amazed at how long you can go after a while, without checking for texts and social media updates. It’s like breaking any other habit. Baby Steps.

Turn off Auto notifications:
This gives you control. No more interruptions during dinner, theater, or conversations with others. Decide you are going to live without listening for a notification from social media and check it when “you” want. This is you controlling your time and life. At night, my phone is set to only allow notifications or phone calls from family. All of them know by now that it is set that way, and I don’t do midnight texting or calls unless it’s an emergency.

Stop watching me:
If you don’t know it yet. Social media is the biggest privacy leech invented. It knows what you discuss, read, search for, and produces ads based on these things. It also partners with other ad producers and social platforms to do the same. I have deleted my Twitter account. I mean, what does it actually do for me. Other than make me feel important once in a while when something gets retweeted.

I wish you luck, if breaking the habit is something you want, or need to do. It will give you less stress, more time, and improve your personal interaction with others. So, forget that phone for a moment, then make it two moments, then three. Suddenly, you’ll be looking for where you left it the last time, or you’ll place it on a table for easy access, just like our old landlines that didn’t rule our lives.

Do you have any ideas to help? Think you can do it, or do you want or need to do it. Maybe it’s too important to some. That is a decision we all have to make as individuals. Me? I feel in control, liberated.

Comments always welcome.

Mobile Devices. Losing ourselves, one moment at a time.

~ Ron Walker ~ 21 Comments

Definition of addiction

: a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence: the state of being addicted

-Míriam Webster

It started as a novelty. Something we had all wanted, and a way to save time and supposedly bring people closer. Devices, those things with which to save time and communicate have taken over our very lives. Social media was to bring us together and share information. Instead, it has come to consume nearly every waking moment of many. It has also served to isolate us from one another. There is no real substitute for personal contact. Without it, we become sick. Mentally, and physically.

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Courtesy and respect have taken a backseat, to contact and instant gratification. Families sit at dinner tables and stare at illuminated screens as if some unseen force compels them to remain motionless, and voiceless. Staring intently at an inanimate object craving for the need to feel accepted by others. Immersed in another reality, oblivious to those around them until some urgent outside stimulus pulls them away, like an addict in a drug room who just had the hose unplugged from their Hookah.

Young and old frantically searching for a way to recharge a device, so they don’t miss the next casual call or text. Some people actually become agitated when deprived of instant access. Mental Addiction?

We all know how it affects us, but we are still drawn into the darkness for that egotistical fix of feeling worthwhile, and important. All the time ignoring those closest to us, that are truly personal contacts. Show a person the Meme below, and they will chuckle. Knowing all too well it is a harsh truth, but it is easier to make light of it than to fix it.

Next time you’re out, look around and notice how many aren’t paying attention to what’s around them. Buried in a device of some sort.

Only we can make the decision not to be enslaved to devices, it doesn’t happen overnight. Like a smoker trying to quit, you have to be strong and resist it in increments. Take back your life, let those closest to you know you care. Don’t be afraid, take that first step. You’ll be glad you did.

Comments, welcome.

Apparently, my brain has “Facebook Antibodies”.

~ Ron Walker ~ 25 Comments

Apparently, my brain has something that just repels Facebook. I have tried a personal page, and a Facebook Page. Neither one is interesting to me, nor does it generate any interaction, at least not the type I enjoy. I spent more time filtering out political, religious, and “Please forward this” to attempt to prevent sensory overload.

I’ve never been one to chase statistics, number of people, or post counts. Interaction between people in a community is what drives me. For thirteen years I have run a general discussion forum. We are approaching 740,000 posts. Although not many members have met one another personally, they still share and enjoy interaction. We have on average 30-40 members per day visit. Facebook? So different. I have about 3-4 people that actually interact with posts. They are from the forum. They are always appreciated.

Minion memes, or semi-crude graphics

In the last couple of months, I have dropped back to sharing memes and graphics, just to see what type is liked. Apparently you gather large numbers of likes with Minion memes, or semi-crude graphics. “Likes” simply mean they saw it, and clicked they liked it, perhaps copying it to share with someone else. Or they may actually click the “share” button.

It’s truly addictive, and I have resisted that addiction

Maybe the stats aren’t that bad, but the interaction is nearly non-existent. I have tried posts with questions, and other things to garner responses, but sadly Facebook seems to be more of a self-gratification type of atmosphere. Everyone posts pictures to see how many “likes” they get. It’s truly addictive, and I have resisted that addiction. Perhaps that is what keeps me from having more interaction. I’m not into impressing myself, but want to give others a chance to interact.

The stats look okay, but nearly null on comments or posts, when you browse the page. Plenty of likes and shares. I’m not sad or bummed. I have always been a klutz on Facebook. It’s just not my “thing”. Many people, use it to share with family and actually converse, which is what it was meant for. Anyhow, I think I will step back from it. Maybe leave it active as an avenue for long-lost friends or old police buddies to contact me if needed. I can alert forum members to any problems should the forum go offline due to technical problems. Which is what the page was originally meant for.

How to you view Facebook. Know anyone that appears addicted? Do you use it much? I would love to hear your thoughts. Horror stories?

Comments always welcome,

What happened to us? We’ve been assimilated.

~ Ron Walker ~ 30 Comments

One of the benefits of life in the slow lane, is the time to sit and ponder the world. When going slow, you can see more around you.

What happened, to us. Once a very cautious and independent society, we have become lazy, and dependent, allowing others to decide what is good for us. This didn’t occur overnight, it has taken years, but it has worked pretty well. I’m not here for fear-mongering, just sharing my observations from slightly outside. Sometimes, it’s like living a Sci-Fi dream. People being controlled by objects, instead of the other way around, to the point of endangering themselves, and others. Texting while driving, operating equipment while texting (distracted).

I’m 67 years old, I’m the odd ball. Why? Maybe because I don’t have a smart phone within reach 24/7, yes I own one, but I control it, not the other way around. I bought and paid for my computer, I want to decide what communication comes in and out of it. Paranoid? Yes, and no. If wanting to protect myself is paranoid, then they can call me paranoid. I prefer oddball.

That switch was finally thrown

There was a time, when we could all control what came in and out of our machines. Slowly companies made things “convenient for us”. If we allowed them permission, they would handle the updates for us, and even collect information about any problems found, and store/share the findings We learned what the fine print of our operating systems meant. It was always there, but who reads 30 pages of legal jumbo when you think you own it. Years and years were spent wondering when the switch would be thrown. We all thought you paid for the software, but the fine print which no one reads, always said we were really leasing the right to use it. That switch was finally thrown after many years, with Windows 10. You now get updates whether you want them or not, ads displayed on your desktop. Your OS sends information back home, unless you dig deep and ferret it out. Most is on by default. Facebook, can even track those that don’t use Facebook. Regulatory bodies seem to look the other way.

Did you know (some of you do)? That your computer happily shares your bandwidth to provide updates to others? This can slow some older machines down, and cost money if you’re on metered service. It can be turned off, but it is on by default. Nice of them to use your computer and Internet you pay for, to help provide their software to others.

Some are truly addicted.

I’m not perfect, just have my head stuck outside the bubble a little. We’ve gone from having fairly decent control over our Internet lives, to sharing our most personal information on social media. Some are truly addicted. Many of us out there are. I’ve watched 70+ adults in medical waiting rooms, sitting right under the “Do not use phones” sign, talking or playing on the phone.

Just observations, shared on a Sunday morning. From Life in the Slow Lane.
Thanks to, Pete of “beetleypete” for jogging my memory to write this, after reading his ‘Anonymous’, Blog Comments, and Suspicious Sites post.

Comments always welcome,