How "connected" are you?

[JustKate]

I seem to remember an episode of a show back in the 80s that dealt with this. It may have been the New Twilight Zone or something similar. The episode revolved around one guy in a society that was constantly connected by way of phone, fax, beeper, and a few other things (but I don't think e-mail was one - this was the 80s!). The guy wanted to get some peace and not be constantly (and I do mean constantly!) within contact. When his family, friends, and coworkers couldn't get in touch with him (he kept destroying all the gadgets), they became concerned, and thought he was crazy for wanting to be alone sometimes. I think he ended up getting committed at the end of the episode.

I've been thinking of this particular episode a lot recently, because it seems that the society that was shown has actually come into being!

That sounds like a Ray Bradbury story - titled "The Assassin" maybe? Yes, it's definitely all come true.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Sometimes I seem to want to be connected via my mobile phone, e-mail, work pager, mobile internet in extreme circumstances only - especially if I'm working in a remote part of the country and unable to get hold of my work colleagues or loved ones. I get the feeling that there is someone wanting to get hold of me somehow, whether it's by e-mail, telephone of any form, or just a simple letter. [The Government are after you again, aren't they? - someone]

Yet sometimes (actually, a lot of the time) I feel I could easily disconnect myself and live off the grid for a while and not miss it.

 

[Spot's Meow]

As for email, I have three addresses; one for work, one for school, and my personal one. However, I don't check the work one on the weekends, check the school one about twice a week, and check the personal one about every other day because I am just too busy most of the time to look at it.

No internet on my cell phone. I work in front of a computer all day so I can do a lot of stuff there but some pages are blocked (like personal email). My cell phone is always on but it is on silent and sometimes I don't feel it. I can't really answer at work or my internship but I can send texts. I have a work phone that I guess people could call, but I don't think I've given anyone the number.

I am not at all reachable in class, which is about 3 hours twice a week. When I'm at home people can reach me by cell phone but I don't answer unless it's my mom or my boyfriend, but I live with my boyfriend so that's not a concern. We have a land line but no one ever calls it except wrong numbers. It exists for the DSL.

Actually, now that I live with my boyfriend, I don't use my phone or personal email much at all. I get some recipe newsletters in my email weekly and some other similar things, but I very rarely get personal emails from friends or family. I could delete my account and no one would notice. The person I talk to most on my cell phone is my mom. I talk to my boyfriend during my breaks and when I'm riding the bus.

 

[Warp Coil]

I don't have a land line at home. My primary phone is my cell (which is an iPhone). You can call, text, email or drop me a line on Facebook and I could check it with my phone. I also have a Blackberry for work, so co-workers can call, text or email me on that.

So yeah, I'd say I'm pretty connected.

 

[Starbreaker]

If I'm not asleep, I'm on facebook.

 

[Venardhi]

Generally I have my cell phone on or near me for the built-in music player, which has texting abilities but otherwise just makes calls. If I'm not wearing cargo pants or a jacket, the phone usually gets left in the car or at home. At home it'll sit in the corner charging or being ignored 'til it rings or I have need of it. I'm not a big fan of texting as conversation, and I have the bloody internet for that, which I'm usually on or near if I'm home.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

The only time I am out of contact with the world is when I'm sleeping because I put my phone on Silent.

Otherwise, anyone who has any reason to contact me can call or text. If I'm

Likewise here.

 

[The Sneeze Police]

More than I would like to be.

 

[trampledamage]

I don't have mobile internet, but I always have my cell phone on me and charged. I'm paranoid about falling down the stairs or falling over outside and not being able to get help (even more so now I have young children).

When I'm in the house I'm always logged into e-mail because that's the easiest way for the rest of my family to contact me and I like chatting to my sister using it.

 

[backstept]

I'm a total gadget nut . . . I'm on the internet for hours, but I like to think that I could live without it if I need to
I can quit whenever I want!

 

[Garrovick]

I have an iPhone 3G. With the "Get this Contract, or you are going to die" contract.

After 57 years on not carrying a communications device in my pocket. I need that?

Nice gadget though. Fun to play with.

Getting a wireless netbook next.

 

[Garrovick]

I'm a total gadget nut . . . I'm on the internet for hours, but I like to think that I could live without it if I need to
I can quit whenever I want!

Never happen. I tried it for three months 'cause I had an iPhone.

Internet is as mandatory as water and electricity.

 

[Goji]

I have a cell phone, an old one that barely has text messaging capability, and that's about it. I also leave it on vibrate and half the time it rings I don't notice it. This annoys a great number of people who try to call me. I like it that way.

 

[Mallory]

I'm not connected at all. I have a landline and my laptop and that's it.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Since I no longer carry a beeper, the only way to get in touch with me is email (and PMs on my Forums) and regular phone; I am, thankfully, pretty hard to contact.

 

[Lookingglassman]

I got a cheap cell phone that practically nobody knows the number too and this computer. I dont need to twitter or myspace or facebook or whatever.

 

[Trippy]

I have a crack...er...blackberry too and have the same features as Flux.

I put it on silent overnight, but I still get the updates to check in the am

 

[BigFoot]

I've got wifi on my iPod Touch. If there's no wifi available, I can browse the web using my phone. I don't use either device for IM though. If someone needs to reach me, they can call or text me. And I ALWAYS keep my phone with me.

 

[Caretaker]

I haven't made the transition to cell phone with text capability, and for Lent I am off of Facebook. But, in terms of social networking I am really connected. Myspace, Facebook, Geni, LinkedIn. And I'm on most of the instant message services.

I never give my work number to friends (and I work in a subbasement with little to no cell signals), except for emergencies.

One day, I will move to a smartphone and those unlimited data plans. But I refuse to do so for work, and I refuse to become a Crackberry addict.

 

[Holdfast]

I've turned down a work BlackBerry because I really don't want work emails reaching me out of hours. Unfortunately I have a sneaking suspicion they're going to try again to force me to use one later in the year. I will fight them all the way on this because I really don't want that degree of connectivity.

However, my cell is a different-brand PDA-phone, with an unlimited data package for web access, and built in sat-nav too. I don't generally bother to check emails on it but it's very useful to accesse the net from it.

I don't "do" any of the social networking sites, but a good friend frequently checks his facebook or something else (twitter maybe) from his phone. It's a pretty funny sight really.