I think the title is vague: what is “any device”? I think the OP should have restricted the discussion to internet connected devices–and thus excluding landlines and flip phones.
I have relatives that belong to a very conservative Christian sect. Long standing opposition to TV, movie theaters, etc. (And a lot of clothing and such restrictions that magically affect women much more than men. No Tammy Faye’s in this church.)
I know that ~20 years ago there was an attempt within the group to prevent people from using the Internet. The rule had been that no Internet was allowed in the house. I had a relative who went out to the RV in the driveway (not in the house!) and surfed the net there.
There was finally a sort of split. Some local churches banned it completely, others didn’t. That relative’s local church was in the “ban” category so no more trips to the RV.
It’s hard to find any info online about this group since they don’t have any websites or anything.
I would not be surprised if some members don’t have the usual computer-type devices. Not allowing cellphones OTOH would seem to be onerous. Even only allowing dumb phones would be too restrictive to many.
But I will be seeing a relative who is a preacher in this group in a couple weeks. They got in contact with me via email so some things have got to be allowed. I’ll ask them about this.
It varies by group. Amish in this area are like your description. The Old Order Mennonites in this area, however (Groffdale Conference, I believe), don’t go online in any fashion (ETA: and don’t usually have any sort of cell phone); but their houses are on the electric grid and they do have landline phones. For some reason Caller ID is common but voicemail isn’t used, at least by the people I know.
I have a phone that survives a day in the fields with me and fits in a smallish pocket. It doesn’t download any apps it didn’t come with, and it only came with a few. It did come with a browser and email, but between my eyes and the tiny screen it’s effectively useless for such purposes and I don’t try to use it that way. I carry it for potential emergency use; I use it for occasional phone calls, for minimal texting with people who insist on using texting though it’s very hard to write anything on, for backup hotspot internet when my main connection goes down (which happens fairly often); and I use the alarm function. That’s it.
I can waste more than enough time online on the desktop; I don’t need my phone adding to the distraction factor.
He’s probably just happy as he is.
Either that, or he’s too broke to pay for any form of internet connection or cable, or for a newer car.
Or both, of course.
He’s without a doubt happy as he is. I hope I didn’t come across as criticizing him. He’s a little over talkative at times but I enjoy him very much as a neighbor.
One acquaintance of mine has a computer and internet access at home, and uses it all the time. She’s constantly on Facebook! Yet she doesn’t have a cell phone. Never wanted one, though she had an 80 mile round trip to work every day. I can see having it only for emergency purposes, but not having one at all? I just don’t understand that.
A friend of mine in his late 60’s is a house painter. He works for himself, and doesn’t have a cell phone, a computer, or a television set. He does have voicemail on his landline at home, and has more business than he can handle.
If someone asks anyone in our small town (pop. 2,300) to recommend a painter, they are told, “Call George and leave a message. He’ll get back to you.”
And he does!
Any technological device that was ever invented: TV’s, computers, laptops, tablets, flip phones, landlines, etc
Walkie-talkies, telegraphs, moveable-type printing presses…
Then this makes this not a useful discussion as you are now talking about who: Tarzan types living in a jungle?
My younger brother, who is 62, has never used a computer or tablet.
He does have a smart phone, but he doesn’t use it for anything more than occasional communication with his kids.
He doesn’t text or use any of the apps or smart features. He was resistant to even the idea of a smart phone, he’d been using an old flip phone and struggling with the small keypad - I finally convinced him that the smart phone keypad would be easier to use.
If he, as I understand it, has his own little business, how does he do his bookkeeping and taxes?
Pencil and paper. Very old school!
What a drag! I can’t even imagine doing this. I was born late enough (1968) never having to do that the ancient way.
ETA: well, correction, I had to do taxes on paper in the old days, but it wasn’t my fault but that of the Finanzamt (equivalent to the IRS in Germany) that jumped quite late on the digital train.
Stone hand axes, woven baskets, sewn clothing . . .
Presumably the same way people did them before the common use of cell phones and computers. You can still get, and fill out and mail in, paper tax forms; and I doubt they’ll go away before the Old Order do. And I don’t think the Old Order are going anywhere, except in the sense of expanding into additional territory.
One of our older neighbors in Portland had no devices other than a landline phone. She didn’t trust them and didn’t want to have to learn how to use them.
There are people in this 55+ building that either don’t have a cellphone, or don’t know how to use one. I just talked to a woman yesterday who, despite being coached by people, has no idea how to make a call on her phone. There is another woman who doesn’t even have a TV.
Well, I hope the guy at least owns a pocket calculator…
My mother and father never used one, either. Well, wait, that’s wrong. My mom now has a tablet given to her by my brother so she can clip coupons on it, but hasn’t used it for anything else. There’s been a computer in their house since they were in their late-30s—they bought me a Commodore Vic 20 then 128, but neither ever had an interest in it. Never seen them use a typewriter, either. My dad will use a digital point and shoot camera, but that’s all the computerized stuff he gets into. Weird thing is, he was always tinkering with electronics, LEDs, and 555 ICs in the basement when I was a kid. He just never was interested in computers.
And no cell phones ever for either of them. Oh, I guess we did have a calculator around.
So he can only watch the photos he’s taken on the tiny camera screen? Or where does he transfer them?
Prints them.
Ouch…