Interview 1194 – Larry Rosen Gives Practical Advice on Controlling Your Smartphone
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Do you use your smartphone and other tech devices intelligently, responsibly and sparingly? Then congratulations, this interview isn’t for you! But if you (or someone you know) find yourself distracted by your fondleslab and feel anxious when you’re not able to check your latest notifications, then it’s time to admit that the technology is starting to control you. Today we talk to research psychologist Dr. Larry Rosen about how our technology is turning us into Pavlov’s dog and how we can regain control over our devices and our lives.
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Dr. Larry Rosen’s homepage
Are We All Becoming Pavlov’s Dogs?
The CIA’s ‘Pokémon Go’ App is Doing What the Patriot Act Can’t
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I have been through data addiction and do still suffer but to a lesser extent. I have weened myself off checking my phone in another way however. I got a data plan with 100MB of data a month which gets used up pretty quickly. This forced me to turn data off. But there is enough there in case I have to look something up when out and about.
I also turned off all but basic notifications (email, calendar, text) and cancelled my facebook and twitter account (the only twitter account I have now is anonymous).
This also enabled me to turn off wifi and put it in flight mode so when I walk around I’m hopefully not getting tracked and not frying my reproductive organs. I did try using a dumb phone for about 3 months, but they are so bad for usability I couldn’t bare it.
Over time I have become less of a pavlov dog and friends and family now know I don’t reply immediately. Facebook users email me separately, or just wait until they see me in person.
My conclusion is that almost all of this new information is frivolous. I haven’t been “missing out”. Constantly checking computers when you’re out and about is not what life is about.
But thank you for the video. It reminded me to purge useless twitter follows and delete the browser bookmarks I never visit. All just cognitive noise that builds up and needs to be expelled.
I am a self-employed IT professional and my mobile rings and beeps got me very distracted. Especially through customers whom felt they had an emergency and therefore needed to get hold of me RIGHT NOW. If I would choose not to pick up my mobile they either would ring again, again and again or leave a voice message and just in case a Skype and/or text massage. Checking all these different platforms for massages would eat too much time. Taking a call while working at a customer’s site was not a smart move either because people felt you can make some time to listen to their computer/network problem and hint for some solutions since you decided to pick-up your phone…
Four years ago I decided to shut-off my phone completely for a trial period of three months. I kept the mobile at an inconvenient place to reach to overcome possible temptations. I informed my customers about this experiment and the reasons why. From that moment on customers (and family/friends) could get hold of me by using either my landline (with a receptionist service) or by email.
Long story short; I sold my smartphone and have been without a mobile phone since. I have not lost any of my customers because of it. Finding my way in a new town or a not familiar neighborhood goes the old fashion way by asking people in the streets for directions. Having face-to-face conversations and meeting interesting people because of it.
I have never purchased a smart-phone for myself (bought one for my son though), but I don’t think I ever will. Just thought I’d share that 🙂
I had a real problem with “smart phone” addiction and I was in dire straights. Liking and friending while being a pall bearer (ah, it had hinges and he was only about 170 pounds–poor wife-never liked me anyway-thew him right back in..no big deal-over the shoulder and back in..thump). Texting while consummating my very short marriage and while cleaning myself after evacuating my bowels (sold it on ebay–bought a new one-ah just wiped it off) It finally occurred to me that these Pokey Men might be hiding in BOOKS IN THE PUBLIC LIBRARY so I started reading. I read book after book hoping I’d catch that damn Pokey. After a while I learned that “hey, I’m kinda learning stuff I didn’t know before”. Who knew?
Finally I ran across a book about Gladio B and there it was..what I had been looking for……the reason why I was obsessed with finding the Pokey Man with the wings and tale. I then looked for Pokey Man Transgender in a Alexander Solzhenitsyn book (and a book on abnormal psychology). Oh boy, did I find what I was looking for. All was then revealed.
I’m now looking for a new Pokey man in Nexus-Lexis and you’ll never know what I’ll find. I’ll let you know. Good luck out there to my fellow searchers. Rumor has it Power Rangers is next with these deals and I’m reading all about Haim Saban in Tel Aviv. That book may be my head start when they release the rumored Mighty Morphin Power Rangers emoji’s (is that what they’re called?). So far the book is very, very creepy.
I’m now reading a book about heavy equipment. Caterpillar C-32 Bulldozers, Large Excavators, Large Land Scrapers and large three axle articulated dump trucks and the affects of rock salt on soil when buildings have been demolished and repurposed as road base (once being crushed) and the soil tilled with 40,000 tons of rock salt. I’m reading that in the Washington D.C. public library. That last Pokey Man must be there. I’ll find him. Then he can never return to that area ever again (or anyone else for that matter).
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One thing that I have not seem mentioned in regard to massive data mining is the case of developing psychological profiles of individuals and groups. Skilled individuals have the ability to created very accurate psychological profiles of anyone, provided they have enough relevant information. So the more detailed the information the more accurate the psychological profile.
These psychological profiles could then be used to manipulate specific people or groups in very subtle ways without these individuals even knowing. This includes manipulating their beliefs and there behaviours, things that they should worship and things that they should fear.
Seems to me that accurate psychological profiles of a large portion of the worlds population is exactly what any wannabe tyrant/s would find handy.
Portlandia – Technology Loop and “Mind-Fi”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe-zq4bFPFU
Gosh, hadn’t watched your super link before posting – Gosh!, I realize I sound like the people the video in just now….!!
eeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!
Yes smartphones et al are priming us for the transhumanist fusion with technology.
I know lots of people who would be delighted to be able to have their smartphone surgically integrated into their bodies.
Yes oxytocin, endorphins and the whole shebang – it’s literally painful, concrete and excruciating suffering for my high school students to put their phones away. Some just can’t. It hurts.
I leave my phone on my desk when I go walking for my hourly lunch break. I also leave the phone in the car when going to the shops. A couple of simple steps that do not cause much in the way of separation anxiety.
Give it a try.
I got my first mobile phone around 1995. I got my first smartphone around 98-99…
There is nothing wrong with smartphones.. I would not be able to live without contact list, e-mail, maps, what’s app, and many other useful applications including the conversion tool and calculator.
That said, I don’t have a facebook, twitter and all the other social media BS. I did not understand the concept, as for me, i would rather talk to people i know than text them.. (what’s app is for when i can’t reach them. better than voice mail)
so.. the problem is not the technology..
The problem is with leadership…
As long as we are lead by thief’s and crooks (running government), then we will live in an environment strongly influenced by The broken windows theory.
Solution… improve education after you kill all the current government.
Ahhhh man! I’m halfway through all of the podcasts. Does that mean I have to stop listening to the Corbett Report??!?
(Putting phone down)
Good interview. Appreciated the perspectives.
When I do upgrade to a smartphone, I will keep this interview in mind.
I had a surprise just a few minutes ago. I have an iPhone 6. I have a few ipads as well as computers. Have had multiple computers over the years. All my devices have auto updates turned off. No exceptions. Some software developers can’t crank out the updates instantly just because Apple feels the need. I double checked my phone when they came out with the new update to support contact tracing. Auto updates still off. Just now I walked in the house and looked at my phone. Lo and behold, there is a message that it is going to auto update later tonight. Trust me, I didn’t forget or get confused. Has to be something Apple is trying to do via backdoor. I have no intention of updating. Ever. I have backups in case they try it again.