Thai people and their smartphones - your take?

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, Enoon said:

 

The top photo is filed as "Men looking at job advertisments" from 1919

 

I'm guessing the other one is similar subject.

 

So a very different situation from playing Candy Crush or sending/looking at selfies or people cooking/eating food........all ******* day.

 

Those men are highly focused on a specific important task.

 

And once they've finished they will be about their business........likely wearing out their shoes going for the jobs.

 

Even if they were utterly absorbed with reading the early comic strips in the paper, or checking the race results......it would be over an done with then on with the rest of life.

 

Answer is yes......things are very different re. the way mobile phones are used today vs the way newspapers were read in the early 20thc.

 

Kids reading comics, adults reading books....   At home, public transport etc...   this 'distraction' has always existed. 

 

The phone, just just an amplification of this....

 

Before you couldn't get your Photo Album out at a dinner table and show friends, now you can - its a great thing. 

 

But, as with all change and development, there are negatives and lot of people concentrate on those negatives. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ben Zioner]

5 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Annoyingly, various kids are often dumped in the falang house where they take over and expertly manipulate the big living room tv at full volume.

Not in my house mate.. But, but you can't be serious.

[Thingamabob]

It appears to me that the use of mobile 'phones in Thailand is much the same as all over the world. For myself, at 82 years old, I spend a lot if time on my Android when alone, but little or none when in company.

[Enoon]

14 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Hello, what do you think about Thai people and their smartphones?

 

1. How did did smartphones change the country since circa 2007?
2. Do people in other Southeast Asian countries have a similar relationship to their smartphones, like in the Philippines, Vietnam etc.?
3. Do people in Western countries have a similar relationship tp smartphones like Thai people?
4. What changes brought the advent of mobile data, selfie-ism?

 

Irrelevant small personal experiences:

 

1. Upcountry, but not in the big cities, at least once a week I enter a shop or restaurant where staff is so absorbed with their smartphones that they don't notice me at all. I am hardwired to not interrupt people having important business, so I just walk back out and they never know I was there. Also some streetside taxi drivers lose my business that way. When cycling small town roahat shop assistantsds, i often see motorcyclists parked in the middle of nowhere, staring at their phones.
2. The reception at The Hot Springs is in a closed box with a closed, sliding window. I look through the window and see a lady immersed in her phone, naturally not seeing me. Now I have to overcome my discretion and knock hardly on the window pane. She looks up irritatedly, slides the window open, all the while looking at her phone, not at me. I have to tell her my wishes while she is looking and tapping at her phone, never looking at me. Another lady guides me to the booked place, walking “blindly” while constantly looking down at her phone. I don't dare to ask any question.
3. I was intimate with a high flying, very well earning + living Thai lady manager whose TWO phones rang and plang constantly, also on her hours and days off (she was never off really). Asked if she might want to turn off or at least mute her TWO phones during sex, she gave me a very annoyed look as if I seriously let her down.

 

But are Thais and their phones something extraordinary? Or just like anybody else around the globe, including you and me?

 

The modifier in Thailand is the way that shop assistants, receptionists and other similar occupations are "managed ".

 

If they were not looking at phones they would be asleep on folded arms at their counters/desks or any other convenient lodgement.

 

Other than that I expect pretty much the same behaviour pretty much anywhere in the developed world.

 

2018:

"I've been on Facebook since 2012 and WhatsApp since 2015":

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-latin-america-44170881

 

 

 

[LikeItHot]

It's not like it's uncommon but I was sitting on a balcony overlooking a restaurant with beach tables set up.  A beautiful setting sun over calm seas was a few meters away from a group of four young Chinese tourists who were immersed in their individual cellphones.  No conversation. No spirit of companionship. No enjoyment of their setting which they no doubt paid a fortune for.  There's no question it's an addiction and it's pathetic.  People have abandoned reality for a filtered view of life on a 5 inch screen. 

[Freddy42OZ]

14 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Hello, what do you think about Thai people and their smartphones?

 

1. How did did smartphones change the country since circa 2007?
2. Do people in other Southeast Asian countries have a similar relationship to their smartphones, like in the Philippines, Vietnam etc.?
3. Do people in Western countries have a similar relationship tp smartphones like Thai people?
4. What changes brought the advent of mobile data, selfie-ism?

 

Irrelevant small personal experiences:

 

1. Upcountry, but not in the big cities, at least once a week I enter a shop or restaurant where staff is so absorbed with their smartphones that they don't notice me at all. I am hardwired to not interrupt people having important business, so I just walk back out and they never know I was there. Also some streetside taxi drivers lose my business that way. When cycling small town roads, i often see motorcyclists parked in the middle of nowhere, staring at their phones.
2. The reception at The Hot Springs is in a closed box with a closed, sliding window. I look through the window and see a lady immersed in her phone, naturally not seeing me. Now I have to overcome my discretion and knock hardly on the window pane. She looks up irritatedly, slides the window open, all the while looking at her phone, not at me. I have to tell her my wishes while she is looking and tapping at her phone, never looking at me. Another lady guides me to the booked place, walking “blindly” while constantly looking down at her phone. I don't dare to ask any question.
3. I was intimate with a high flying, very well earning + living Thai lady manager whose TWO phones rang and plang constantly, also on her hours and days off (she was never off really). Asked if she might want to turn off or at least mute her TWO phones during sex, she gave me a very annoyed look as if I seriously let her down.

 

But are Thais and their phones something extraordinary? Or just like anybody else around the globe, including you and me?

I have audible alerts for most things and a very active network of friends who because we are all expats are now scattered all over the world.

I guess 80% are friends I knew in HK, 10% are old school friends from 35-40 years ago and the rest people I've met in Thailand. With social media, it now means that just because friends have moved to another country for their job doesn't mean the friendship has to end.  You can still stay in contact and keep each other upto date on your lives etc. 

I'm also active on social channels with communities where the people are not real friends, but we share an interest in the same topics.  Lots of crypto groups on Discord and Telegram, topics on Twitter, groups on Facebook for web development, the Bangkok car scene, AI groups, new tech etc

There is so much info out there that I want to stay up to date with it means I have my phone in my hand or next to me 24/7.  

 

[rexpotter]

Makro does not allow employees to use them during work. Excellent service and a food vibe, down the street Do Home is a disaster.

[Photoguy21]

If any one decides to take over the country then should turn off the mobile networks. Such an action would cause chaos.

[rct99q]

Till the next technological invention, they are here to stay.

In Canada it is, in my opinion, worse there than here in Thailand. Especially people under the age of thirty. 

Is it harmful, unproductive? I believe in some situations absolutely. Can we stop it. Nope. 

As a kid we played road hockey day/night, winter/summer we didn't care. Believe it or not many kids today still play road hockey. Just in between playing , or before/after a game out come the phones. Updates, photos, jokes, etc. 

Do kids play less, probably. Mine doesn't, yet she still gets phone time. In my day parents would go to work and plunk you down in front of a T.V. while they were out. The medium has changed, but parents still use it as a babysitting tool. 

[blazes]

15 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Hello, what do you think about Thai people and their smartphones?

 

1. How did did smartphones change the country since circa 2007?
2. Do people in other Southeast Asian countries have a similar relationship to their smartphones, like in the Philippines, Vietnam etc.?
3. Do people in Western countries have a similar relationship tp smartphones like Thai people?
4. What changes brought the advent of mobile data, selfie-ism?

 

Irrelevant small personal experiences:

 

1. Upcountry, but not in the big cities, at least once a week I enter a shop or restaurant where staff is so absorbed with their smartphones that they don't notice me at all. I am hardwired to not interrupt people having important business, so I just walk back out and they never know I was there. Also some streetside taxi drivers lose my business that way. When cycling small town roads, i often see motorcyclists parked in the middle of nowhere, staring at their phones.
2. The reception at The Hot Springs is in a closed box with a closed, sliding window. I look through the window and see a lady immersed in her phone, naturally not seeing me. Now I have to overcome my discretion and knock hardly on the window pane. She looks up irritatedly, slides the window open, all the while looking at her phone, not at me. I have to tell her my wishes while she is looking and tapping at her phone, never looking at me. Another lady guides me to the booked place, walking “blindly” while constantly looking down at her phone. I don't dare to ask any question.
3. I was intimate with a high flying, very well earning + living Thai lady manager whose TWO phones rang and plang constantly, also on her hours and days off (she was never off really). Asked if she might want to turn off or at least mute her TWO phones during sex, she gave me a very annoyed look as if I seriously let her down.

 

But are Thais and their phones something extraordinary? Or just like anybody else around the globe, including you and me?

 

You have sex???

[blazes]

7 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Didn't people have the same crises about books in the 18th/19th century, TV in the 1950s/1960s, then video games in the 1970s/1980s etc.

 

Things change.

 

No.  Smart-phone obsession is a real addiction.

[Surasak]

[recom273]

8 hours ago, Henryford said:

Well they certainly destroyed Thailand's nightlife, along with social media. But it's the same in every country.

 

Not too sure what you mean about Thai nightlife, but when I see videos of clubs from all over the world, instead of people doing stupid dances its just a sea of cellphone screens. So much so that a fair number of clubs have a zero tolerance to cellphones, you are ejected - or if permitted they put a sticker over the camera lens.

[RT555]

Cellphones have changed how we interact with the world instantly, strengthen relationships, facilitate communication. It has been a convenience in booking flights, ordering food or a taxi. buying stocks, applying for a job, meet ups...etc.....

But you can't give a cellphone to a donkey end expect it to improve.

 

It has improved my life and made it simpler.......whether we agree or not.

I still prefer the Pre-2007 version.

[Paris333]

France bans smartphones from schools  (Published 7:43 AM EDT, Tue July 31, 2018)

French children will have to leave their smartphones and smart devices at home or switched off when they are at school starting in September.  The ban on smartphones as well as other kinds of internet-connected devices, such as tablets, applies to schoolchildren between 3 and 15 years of age, and was passed by lawmakers on Monday. French high schools, or lycées, with students 15 and older, will get to choose whether to adopt the phone ban for their pupils.

Source:

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/31/europe/france-smartphones-school-ban-intl/index.html

UNESCO calls for schools around the world to ban smartphones in the classroom

Source:Published on 26/07/2023 - 15:37•Updated 10/10/2023 - 10:01

https://www.euronews.com/health/2023/07/26/unesco-calls-for-schools-around-the-world-to-ban-smartphones-in-the-classroom#:~:text=Those that have banned them,introduce the ban in 2024.

 

 

[henrik2000]

Hi all, thanks for some interesting input!

[Skipalongcassidy]

23 hours ago, PJ71 said:

How will they do this?

Probably by restricting their use in schools... the phones do more damage than guns and guns are restricted... 555

[Lacessit]

I find my smartphone quite useful for things like reading books ( IMO Kindles are obsolete ), playing music, or having video calls with friends and relatives. They are multi-functional. I have not worn a watch ever since they came on the scene, and they are all I need for the occasional photo or video.

 

I won't use them for paying bills, due to security concerns.

 

Thais being among the most social people on the planet, smartphones must have been like manna from heaven.

 

My only gripe with them is at checkouts, I swear people using them to pay take far longer than cash or a card.

 

[zhounan]

I don't understand people who live most of their day with the nose on the screen.

[itsari]

5 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I find my smartphone quite useful for things like reading books ( IMO Kindles are obsolete ), playing music, or having video calls with friends and relatives. They are multi-functional. I have not worn a watch ever since they came on the scene, and they are all I need for the occasional photo or video.

 

I won't use them for paying bills, due to security concerns.

 

Thais being among the most social people on the planet, smartphones must have been like manna from heaven.

 

My only gripe with them is at checkouts, I swear people using them to pay take far longer than cash or a card.

 

Paying with a phone at a checkout is taking longer than a card for sure , Annoying

Security has not been a problem regarding paying any bills in my three years of internet banking. Useful tool to have.

 

[Lacessit]

48 minutes ago, itsari said:

Paying with a phone at a checkout is taking longer than a card for sure , Annoying

Security has not been a problem regarding paying any bills in my three years of internet banking. Useful tool to have.

 

There have been some very substantial data hacks in Australia. Carmakers, government agencies, universities. It's a long list.

As they say, past returns are not an indicator of future performance. IMO it's only a matter of time before some smartie figures out how to breach phone banking security.

[Kinok Farang]

It's a virus that has swept the whole world and like it or not it affects old farts too.

Just try one day a week without your phone,tablet or computer and for 99% of us the withdrawal is challenging.

[actonion]

My Thai Mrs takes a .shower while watching  something from a distance on her phone ..... Sits on the Throne reading from her Phone, , takes  numerous photos in Restaurants which is the start to many arguments,    Sms's  while Driving until i threatened to  take the Car away,++++

[NoshowJones]

21 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

If any one decides to take over the country then should turn off the mobile networks. Such an action would cause chaos.

Don't give the unelected soldiers or any Thai "politicians" of the future any ideas.

[Fruit Trader]

 

[Lee65]

Homo sapiens' addiction to phones is part of the perhaps inevitable convergence of humans and technology - transhumanism.

 

Becoming ever more difficult to care about this emerging species ...

[ravip]

Phone addiction usually starts at a very young age. How?

Parents give the toddler the phone, just to keep himself/herself occupied and silent while they do their household chores,  or even thump around on their phones. There are parents who feed very young children with the help of the TV or phone, too. The child is been kept glued to the TV/phone and consumes the food without any interest!. This, we can see amongst todays adults too! This is a universal decease IMHO.

 

A new study has found a link between symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and excessive use of social media, smartphone dependence and internet addiction. The ADHD traits were observed even amongst adults who have not been diagnosed with the condition.

 

I don't know how far in-depth the above studies had been done, but definitely the warning signals are out and flashing!

[Lacessit]

50 minutes ago, Kinok Farang said:

It's a virus that has swept the whole world and like it or not it affects old farts too.

Just try one day a week without your phone,tablet or computer and for 99% of us the withdrawal is challenging.

I used to go hunting in outback NSW, took plenty of books with me. No mobile towers out there, no internet. A station landline phone was the only way the outside world could be contacted. Radio reception for about 20 minutes at 6 am and 6 pm.

I was out there when the planes went into the twin towers. When I got back to civilization, I thought the world had gone mad.

[ravip]

1 hour ago, Kinok Farang said:

It's a virus that has swept the whole world and like it or not it affects old farts too.

Just try one day a week without your phone,tablet or computer and for 99% of us the withdrawal is challenging.

affects old farts too.

This could be due to boredom, I feel. If there was something else to do, the old fart (most) might not get hooked on to the screen.

[Mavideol]

my advise would be for you to make a trip to China and see how obsessed they are with their mobiles