Are We Addicted to Our Mobile Phones ?
Ask a Question
I just finished reading Paul Mertons article on yahoo news titled , ' I deliberately bump into youngsters who walk while staring at their phones'
I cannot post the link to the story as yahoo articles dont stay live long and i cannot find it elsewhere
But basically he is stating the fact almost everyone owning a mobile is addicted and obsessed with it, especially the young, constantly staring into them , even while walking in picturesque surroundings , and how much they are missing out on the beauty and life in general
One example he mentions is people filming firework displays on bonfire night , he says they use their 3 inch screens to try to capture everything, while missing out on what is going on around them , 'guilty as charged me laude' !!
People walk along like zombies looking at them , oblivious to what is happening around , losing all human interaction
Do you think he is right to think this ?
I did find an earlier article of his about this subject , i have posted it below, apparently he doesn't own a mobile either
www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/23153591.comedian-paul-merton-revealed-one-show-doesnt-mobile-phone/
I am often brought to task for not carrying one.I seldom take it out when I go out unless I have a train or flight to catch! No kidding.When in company I switch it off always .I was reprimanded for not having it at work but then I reminded them of the house policy on mobile phones which no-one (including the boss) seem to pay mind to.Mobiles are great when used for the right reasons but shouldn't be all consuming which they are rapidly becoming sadly. 
MelissaLee1 It's the way of the world now unfortunately M
Even our pets are getting in on the act 
MelissaLee1 The beatles were right M, he has been 'working like a dog ' on the dog and bone 
I'm always amazed on how much people spend on mobile phones too. I keep seeing mobile contracts for £70 a month with the latest phone and you are locked into a contract for 18 months typically sometimes more. Heading towards £1500 for that period. £70 a month is a huge amount of money. You can get decent entry level budget phones around £100 and RWG were doing a fixed price deal of £35 for two years with 250 minutes, 2GB data and I think 250 texts and that works out at about £1.60 a month approx.
The thing is if you have a mobile contract that is slightly restrictive then you tend to not use the phone quite as much but if you have a no limit expensive contract you are motivated to use it all the time to try to get value out of it. I turn my mobile data off until I need to use it and rely on wifi most of the time. If I'm in a cafe or shop with wifi I use that.
If you spend about £80 on a mobile contract per month over 10 years that is about £10,000. That is a serious chunk off a mortgage or a very decent secondhand car. The thing is I personally don't think a budget phone with a more restrictive contract is that much of a sacrifice. Yes the latest phones are slightly faster but nothing to worry about.
I'm using a Redmi Note 10 Pro with 6GB of memory and 128GB storage. It was £80 from cashconverters. It does 4K stabilised video, 100MP images, long battery life, slick operating system. Runs all the apps I need at full speed. It's actually got 11GB of memory as I've enabled virtual memory just in case the phone needs it.
BonzoBanana I suppose in some cases , not phone cases, it's to do with owning the latest and best and status , as with cars , so some people will spend ridiculous amounts on certain models just to have the most up to date , regardless of the cost
telmel It's diminishing returns though. There is a price where you get the optimum price vs performance ratio. I.e. 80% of the performance for 20% of the price.
When you look at the taxpayers alliance site you can see its about £150k of debt on every single person's head now. It's not just about being responsible to your own pocket but to the country's as well. We are heading for such a huge financial fall in a few years people with public sector pensions should be worried as a bankrupt country won't be able to pay them. It's a frightening prospect and many private pension funds have invested in government stock so there returns will be far less. There is real poverty to come and even if we sort ourselves out there will still be a minimum of 50 years of austerity just paying back all the debt we owe.
People really need to be thinking about minimising the products and services they buy that come from abroad. While a phone may not be as bad as a motor car its still can be a significant purchase if you go for premium models. The government is still borrowing and these debts are still getting worse. The information below is out of date much of these debts will have increased now.
www.taxpayersalliance.com/picture_real_national_debt_hits_143_000_per_person
Yes we are. The problem is everything is online these days. Work expects you to have a mobile so they can contact you whenever even if its to change schedule
Jerseydrew That's true J, it's the same with a bank account, you need one nowadays to pay bills etc , there are less places available to physically make a payment or collect from nowadays
100% he is right. I use mine mostly at home unless I get a phone call. Never seem to hear a text on my phone while I’m out. If someone is walking towards while on their phone, I walk to towards them. Usually they are very apologetic. I remember we were in Australia with our eldest daughter and she missed a lot of scenery due to her phone.
eyeballkerry It's a shame E, just seeing things through the eye of a lens and not the lens of an eye
I spend alot of time on my phone between looking online messaging friends to watching my shows when my little one hijacks the tv I'd be lost without my phone but I also know when to put it down and leave it alone
You are lucky L, some people cannot do without constantly holding and viewing one, afraid to miss a message in real time
Then it becomes a compulsion , you see it when people are driving and looking at their phones , despite the threat of fines or even worse, injury , that this can cause
Well yes. Everything is on it nowadays. Most apps have discounts or information. You can’t bank easily without one because banks have disappeared. Messages and emails. But I never walk along with mine and it annoys me people who do. They never look around and bump into people. I deliberately don’t move out the way too until they notice. I do charge mine in the car but would never dream of using it while driving. Also, I always put it down when eating at dinner table. I think it’s rude if you don’t. We always have conversations and listen to one another at the table.
I'd be completely lost without a phone , I must admit I use it alot, mostly on a weekend
I use my phone a lot, as it seems most every day tasks are connected to the phone, emails, banking, social media, audible, music apps 
school homework app, kids learning apps....I will try to use it less 
my printer is connected to the phone, the list is endless x
It’s not just the younger generation my friend is in her 70s and always answers her phone if she’s visiting me. I let my calls go to leave a message if I’m visit someone.
I am definitely addicted and it's annoying at times 
. I struggle to watch anything on TV without picking this phone up
Join for free to get genuine deals, money saving advice and help from our friendly community
Chief Bargain Hunter
