Datawych

I don't exactly see a problem with this.

A smartphone is simultaneously - a rolodex, a notepad, a mailbox, a television, an internet browser, a stopwatch, an alarm clock, a pedometer, an mp3 player, a map, a camera, a VIDEO camera, the weather channel, a tide chart, a gameboy, and I'm sure there's 100 other things that I'm missing.

I bet if we totaled up all the time we spent with all those other things before smartphones became widespread, the totals wouldn't be that different.

madmalloy

They're great at people tracking, causing brain tumors, and making people brainless zombies too!

Datawych

Causing brain tumors

Actually the brain tumor myth has been debunked

making people brainless zombies

Explain how a smartphone makes someone a zombie more than a television or a computer.

people tracking

If you're an interesting enough person for this to actually be an issue, odds are you use burner phones anyway.

MayorHarrison

I think the problem is that we've put all the eggs in one basket. I use my phone for calls and texts. But I also use my phone for notes. I read all my news from my device. "Shit, it's Sally's birthday Friday." Amazon two day shipping on my phone.

Point being, its more than a phone. Its your personal pocket computer.

hypersong

I think that's right. "Too many eggs in one basket." Phone next to night table, it's my alarm. Use phone first thing when get up, again it`s my alarm. Check phone regularly, just checking time. So on.

I don`t doubt there are many who overuse their phones, the problem comes from just using for everything, you commonly pull it out w/o thinking, like opening fridge and remembering you are not hungry.

AugustusRome2

I'm guilty of this. If my phone runs out of battery life I get very uneasy and frantically plug it into a charger.