Poll: How much time per week do you spend on your cellphone?

[blondebear]

For purposes of this poll, this includes texting/instant messaging/tweeting.

[tdn]

Per week? I'd put it at a couple of hours per year.

[lieu]

1 to 2 minutes, tops.

[norinew]

Hmmmm. When we moved about five weeks ago, and were without a land-line for a couple of weeks, it was quite a bit. Now, though? I guess maybe an hour a week. I don't text (much to my 18YO's chagrin), I don't tweet. If I'm out and about and someone really needs to discuss something right now, I'll do it on my cell. But usually, I'll ask if I can call them back from my land-line (unlimited long distance) once I get home, or if they can call me on my land-line in 15 minutes, etc.

I suspect that in this poll, there will be a lot of age divide. Younger people use their cell phones more, I think. I'm old (well, 47), grew up without a cell, and really only have it so I can reach someone in case of emergency, or if there's a work emergency when I'm away.

[Jettboy]

Less than one minute.

[Giles]

What cell phone?

[myskepticsight]

I voted above, as the only person so far so say 3 hours plus.

The only reason for this is a long distance relationship. We talk up to an hour or so a night, but also talk online too so it varies a bit. But we try to talk a lot. If not for talking to him I would not use my cellphone much, just for short conversations and texting mostly to coordinate plans or share a quick bit of info.

[Redwing]

A few jobs ago I lived on the phone, and I travelled a lot, 3 hours a day would've been light. These days I don't travel for work, and I don't spend much time on the phone at all.

[gotpasswords]

Typically, I use my phone three times a week to call home and say that I'm two stations away - please come pick me up. Total annual usage is about three hours.

Otherwise, I despise the device.

[Balthisar]

Originally Posted by blondebear

For purposes of this poll, this includes texting/instant messaging/tweeting.

Wait, the time it takes to hit the send button, or the massive amount of time it takes my grotesquely huge, adult fingers to type the message? A simple text takes this old man the same amount of time as 6 phone calls.

[Superhal]

About 5 minutes.

[TWDuke]

I'd spend more time on my cell phone if I could remember where I put it last.

[Khadaji]

I have a pay-as-you-go phone for emergencies. I rarely use it. I actually used it this week for the first time in months, but I was out and decided to get take out on the spur of the moment.

[unclviny]

I do NOT "do" text messages or IM, if you are too busy to call me then I guess we will not communicate that day and Twitter seems to be for folks with attention-span problems.

Telephones are for transmittal of information, they are not! social lifelines. Most of my phone conversations are less than 2 minutes.

Probably 20 - 30 minutes a week total time, I'm never without my phone (for work I must always be reachable).

Unclviny

[swampbear]

Thirty minutes to an hour and most of that is Saturday and Sunday when it's unlimited talk and I call mom and my sis.

However, I spend forty to sixty hours a week dealing with people who don't have a clue how to use the damn things.

I have come to the conclusion that most people who have a cellphone don't know why they have it or how to use it.

Then again, I work at a call center so my population sampling may be a little skewed.

[enipla]

I rarely use it as a phone. I do read books on it though and check my email and calendar.

If I'm traveling, that changes, and I will use the phone and GPS a lot more.

[Purgatory Creek]

I have a cellphone...somewhere. Last time I saw it was in 2008. I think it was in the kitchen, so it might have ended up in a stew or something.

Seriously, one thing technology has not improved is telephoning .

[Drain Bead]

Does this include other features of the phone? I have an iPhone. I probably spend about 10 minutes per week total texting or talking on it, but several hours using apps and listening to podcasts and such--I do that when I'm putting the baby down for the night.

[kapri]

I'm thrilled to see that at 1 to 2 hours, I actually use my cell phone more than most people here. Note: I don't have a landline phone. The cell phone is it.

The reason I'm thrilled is that everyone I know IRL spends tons more time on their cell phones than I do. I thought I was completely antisocial until I came here.

Sigh. I feel so at home here now.

[BiblioCat]

We got polls? I need to start reading the stickies.

I use mine about 30 minutes or so a week, but that's generous. When my out-of-state daughter calls, we'll chat for 15 or 20 minutes, but that's it. Anything else is quick 1-2 minute calls, and I make just a few of those a week.

My phone is strictly a phone; no texting, no camera, no tweeting, no GPS, no games, no web, no music. It makes and receives phone calls.

[Balthisar]

Originally Posted by unclviny

I do NOT "do" text messages or IM, if you are too busy to call me then I guess we will not communicate that day and Twitter seems to be for folks with attention-span problems.

Telephones are for transmittal of information, they are not! social lifelines. Most of my phone conversations are less than 2 minutes.

Probably 20 - 30 minutes a week total time, I'm never without my phone (for work I must always be reachable).

I am/was basically the same way, but I treat it as a substitute for a text pager. There are times I need to convey information now (i.e., email too slow, or recipient has no email access for whatever reason), but yet I don't want to interrupt the person if I know she's in a class. So, "Lunch?" or whatnot doesn't cause a disruption.

[blondebear]

I suppose I should note my cellphone usage habits. Let's put it this way: I'm on the old Verizon pay-as-you go plan, and I have over 72 hours worth of credit accumulated. I just don't spend that much time on the phone--land line, cell, or otherwise.

[BiblioCat]

Originally Posted by Balthisar

.., but yet I don't want to interrupt the person if I know she's in a class. So, "Lunch?" or whatnot doesn't cause a disruption.

I'm not singling you out, Balthisar, but I see this justification for constant texing all the time.
How is texting someone any less disruptive than calling her? She's still distracted from her class by knowing she's received a text, finding her phone, checking the text, replying to it, and putting the phone away again.
It has to be disruptive to those around her as well, at least the people sitting next to her.

My son and I were at a movie Sunday, and the person in front of me and to the right was texting all through the movie. The bright glare from the phone and the constant buzzing of an incoming text, not to mention the clicky-clack of the keys was making me nuts.

I guess I've officially reached Cranky Old Lady status.

[DMark]

This is a trick question for me.
For personal calls - easily under an hour, probably more like 20 minutes.
But sometimes I have to be on conference calls for work and that can eat up minutes really fast - some weeks I might have 2 or more hours just on those calls.

BTW, we no longer have a land line, so other than the cell phone, no other choice unless I drive to work and call there - and that is a choice of last resort.

[panache45]

Close to zero. I have a cell phone for emergencies only. I've used it exactly twice: once when I locked myself out of the car, and once when my land line stopped working.

I don't even know my number.

[Balthisar]

Originally Posted by BiblioCat

I'm not singling you out, Balthisar, but I see this justification for constant texing all the time.
How is texting someone any less disruptive than calling her? She's still distracted from her class by knowing she's received a text, finding her phone, checking the text, replying to it, and putting the phone away again.
It has to be disruptive to those around her as well, at least the people sitting next to her.

Ah, but that's constant texting. That what all the kids do. I don't text kids, but peers, and it's a rare event. The way it should work is this: she receives the text, which makes the phone vibrate. Then she should ignore it until either after the course, or read it during a lull. Texts (to me) are like emails; they don't need an immediate response. There's no way it should disrupt anyone else, especially when set to vibrate.

Of course I'm describing a mature adult situation, which I know isn't the standard for all of the kids (meaning anyone under, say, 32).

[robardin]

Originally Posted by blondebear

For purposes of this poll, this includes texting/instant messaging/tweeting.

If you meant "talk time", it's quite low. Even if you include IMs it's pretty low. Less than 30 minutes a week.

But assuming you're also including web browsing and game playing (i.e., use of the mobile device beyond "as a phone"), then I'm way past the 3+ hour limit.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Are we including playing games/farting around online? That would move me from the lowest category to the highest.

[An Arky]

I didn't respond to the poll, because 30 minutes is as much as I use in a couple of months; I'm a different animal than someone that uses 29 minutes a month, even.

[Lantern]

I also use my phone very little for calls; less than half an hour per week on average. However my phone is my main music player and I use it frequently to surf the net as well stuff like gps,camera and games: a total of 15-20 hours per week everything included.

[MovieMogul]

I barely use it--mostly to check my work voicemail when I'm offsite and traffic conditions once in a while.

Probably 30 minutes (max) each month. My plan is pay-as-you-go, and I go a long time between refills.

[GilaB]

No land-line, so I use mine a lot.

[Lunchy]

Spend about 5 min. a week, or 20min a month, whatever comes first! I really HATE cellphones however! To be more specific, i hate texting! Short Story; during the summer my friend had a bon fire, there was about 15 people to showed up including myself! Out of the 15 people, 13 of them were texting other people about 80% of the time we were there! I mean come on, there are actual people to converse with!

[vandal]

Originally Posted by BiblioCat

How is texting someone any less disruptive than calling her? She's still distracted from her class by knowing she's received a text, finding her phone, checking the text, replying to it, and putting the phone away again. It has to be disruptive to those around her as well, at least the people sitting next to her.

It's less disruptive because she doesn't actually have to talk. Plus, most people in class keep their cell phones right on their desk, at least in a college setting, so that eliminates any need to find it and to put it away.

She can set her phone to silent as well, which would eliminate any noise disruption. Also, just because she received a text doesn't mean she has to immediately reply to it. I sure as hell don't. I'll reply to it at a time that's convenient for me.

That's kind of the whole idea behind texting. You'll get to it when you get to it. An actual conversation, on the other hand, assumes you're available to talk at that very moment. And if you're not available, it's a lot more intrusive.

Lastly, haven't you ever sat through a boring-as-hell lecture and wish you could pass the time better? Have you ever passed notes in class? Texting, especially in class, is just the modern way of passing notes.

To answer the OP, I'm in the 3 hour + group. I don't have a landline, so I use my cell phone for pretty much everything.

[flickster]

Less than 10 minutes/week

[BiblioCat]

Originally Posted by vandal

It's less disruptive because she doesn't actually have to talk. Plus, most people in class keep their cell phones right on their desk, at least in a college setting, so that eliminates any need to find it and to put it away.

If I were a college instructor, I wouldn't want students keeping their phones on their desks. If you're going to read and answer texts later, why does it need to be out?

That's kind of the whole idea behind texting. You'll get to it when you get to it. An actual conversation, on the other hand, assumes you're available to talk at that very moment. And if you're not available, it's a lot more intrusive.

Why not keep your phone on silent and let calls go to voice mail? How is that any different from waiting to read a text?

Lastly, haven't you ever sat through a boring-as-hell lecture and wish you could pass the time better?

Not in years and years. Now get off my lawn!

ETA: My mistake. I have taken a couple of classes over the last few years, and the number one rule from the instructor every time was cell phones were to be kept in bags or pockets. You could use them on breaks. If he caught you texting or fiddling with it, he'd take it away. These were not traditional college classes, however.

[Fetchund]

I spend more time trying to find it and making sure it has power than ever talking on it. And mine doesn't have any other bells and whistles. Maybe a 15 second phone call every few weeks?

I call it my pocket watch.

[janeslogin]

Like someone above, perhaps two hours a year at most.

[Balthisar]

Originally Posted by BiblioCat

Why not keep your phone on silent and let calls go to voice mail? How is that any different from waiting to read a text?

Voicemail is too slow.

[AHunter3]

120 seconds per year.

[Oregon sunshine]

I don't have a cell phone.

[maladroit]

Last month I used 14 minutes talk time. Now solitaire is another matter. I'm assuming the poll question is referencing communications rather than apps use.

[maladroit]

Originally Posted by Khadaji

I have a pay-as-you-go phone for emergencies. I rarely use it. I actually used it this week for the first time in months, but I was out and decided to get take out on the spur of the moment.

Ordering take-out on the run is one of my main uses for my cell phone. I think I have more restaurants than people saved in my contacts.

[fusoya]

I spend a lot of time on it, at least 3 hours a week, but I only TALK on my cell phone maybe an hour a week at the most. My last monthly bill had 86 minutes charged, not including nights/weekends. Most of the time I spend on my phone are using the apps on it.

[Rushgeekgirl]

Mine is only for emergencies but since my daughter got an unlimited plan she calls and texts me ALL THE TIME.

[Zeldar]

Amazing! You can still vote in this poll!

[Hal Briston]

Unfortunately, you can't change your vote.

Well, if anyone wants to adjust for accuracy, take my 2009 "less than 30 minutes" and make it a 2012 "more than three hours" (since I'm assuming it covers "all phone-based activities").

[glee]

Originally Posted by Giles

What cell phone?

+1