I have a TracFone with enough minutes to handle emergencies and travel, the ability to text and take photos, and other features I don’t use. I’ve only given my cell phone number to a few people, mostly those who might need to reach me in an emergency. I’m not interested in getting one of those do-it-all gadgets with all the bells and whistles, and I sure as heck don’t want everyone in the universe to have my cell phone number.
My niece forced me to start texting just this year when we were dealing with family health emergencies and she and I needed to stay in touch. I decided I like texting but still don’t want to expand my contact list beyond family and emergency contacts.
I have a basic Kindle and a basic Nook tablet. I use the Kindle for reading books and mostly use the Nook for checking e-mail when I’m traveling.
For social media, I stick to the blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. I’m signed up on Goodreads but haven’t spent much time there yet. And I’m in Yahoo! Groups for the organizations I belong to. I have no desire to jump on the Pinterest/LinkedIn/GoogleConnect bandwagons….or most anything else new that pops up these days claiming to be the newest and best way to spread your message to the universe.
Staying a bit old-fashioned is nice in a way. Do-it-all gadgets with bells and whistles are expensive and usually require some kind of monthly contract. By limiting all those social media options, I give myself more time for other pursuits. And I like the feeling that only a few important people can find me when I decide to unplug and hide out somewhere to write…or just think in peace and quiet.
Are you a little old-fashioned like me? Or are you a techno-junkie who can’t unplug no matter how hard you try?
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I’m not exactly techphobic, and I pick it up when I need to, with an emphasis on the word NEED. Most of the time, I just don’t want to bother to learn it. I have to know I have a definite use for it. There are things I don’t get. I can’t wrap my head around Twitter because my brain doesn’t work well in that short of snippets. Oddly, my job requires that I work with tech to some extent.
It may partly be backlash against my geeky techno-addicted to all forms of gadgets husband too.
Pat, I agree with you on the cell phone. I don’t give out that number especially since I don’t keep it with me all the time. I don’t text.
Mary Montague Sikes
You know I have all the gadgets! No cell phone though. Might get one soon. I’ll still refuse to text though.
I’m pretty similar to you on these points although I’m going to eliminate my home phone and go to only a cell phone soon, so I’ll probably have to get an update on my overly basic plan 🙂
You’re old-fashioned…but you blog, tweet and Facebook. I think that’s very impressive! *And*–you’ve been blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking for a long while and it’s habitual. That’s a huge deal, I think! 🙂
I am way more old-fashioned than you, Patricia. I don’t do Twitter and only have a Kindle and a regular cell phone, not a smart phone. I do text some, but not much.
I’m definitely more like you. I just got my first cell phone contract last year with the birth of my son and a real phone that took decent photos. I tweeted before I texted. The only reason I created a twitter account or started blogging was because I felt I had to maximize my potential to connect with readers.
Nothing wrong with being old-fashioned.
Much to my children’s dismay we still don’t have a data plan for our phones. My daughter refers to my cell phone as the Pink Dinosaur both for its color and ancient properties. Hey, it works. I do a bit more on social media, but find it overwhelming sometimes, so you might be on to something. It can all be too much!
I understand being old fashioned. For a very long time I just blogged, because it was and still is the only type of social media that I do enjoy. I only recently joined Google+ to try new technology, but in truth, the less technology I use, the better I feel.
Pat – There is definitely something reassuring about old-fashioned approaches to communicating. I think that too much reliance on ‘the latest and the greatest’ technology can isolate us from each other in an odd way. I’ve seen couples for instance who, instead of talking to each other, sit next to each other, each absorbed in a ‘phone.’
That said though, I have to say that my smartphone sames me an incredible amount of time and is awfully flexible. I suppose it’s all a balance…