
Are smartphones the new 'opium of the people'? - jfk13
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48923485
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drewcoo
More like the new cigarette. 50 years ago you'd look around and see adults
everywhere smoking to waste time or to because it was the thing to do or just
out of habit/addiction. This happened at train stations, waiting in lines,
shopping in stores, everywhere. It was often one of the first things people
did (in bed!) on waking up and the last thing before falling asleep.

~~~
marcusverus
And if you think you’re not addicted, just leave your phone at home for a day
and count the number of times you catch yourself patting your pockets, looking
for a quick hit of dopamine. It’ll gross you out.

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quxbar
[https://imgur.com/gallery/vdsHl8y](https://imgur.com/gallery/vdsHl8y) "Before
phones, people used to talk to each other"

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HNLurker2
>One of his most quoted, but least understood sentences concluded that
religion is "the opium of the people". Look at your teenager this evening,
glued to social media. Better still, look at yourself, twitching if you don't
have your smartphone to hand. What is it stored in there, amid the circuitry,
data, addictive material and astonishing engineering - if not the opium of the
people?

Atleast religion could solve my existential dread :(

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panpanna
Can you wait for the bus without taking our your phone?

Next time, look around and count how many are NOT taking out their phones
10-20 seconds after arriving.

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pteraspidomorph
It's an efficient use of that otherwise dead period of time. I don't use any
mainstream social networks (or take the bus) but if I'm made to wait like
that, I will still take out my phone and... read HN.

~~~
kranner
IMHO there are no really dead periods of time. We used to use that time to
relax, to observe the clouds, to daydream, to wonder about problems or
curiosities. It was a space for creativity and inspiration.

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dukoid
Is Science a Religion? No. [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/excellent-
beauty/201...](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/excellent-
beauty/201710/is-science-religion)

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RickJWagner
Yes, absolutely.

A smart phone with wifi provides entertainment, communication, endless
information, maps, weather, etc. etc.

Just a phone can provide for a lot of needs.

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marczellm
Emphatically yes

