How many hours a week do you use your cell phone and/or text for personal use

Maybe 15 minutes per year. If it weren’t for the risk of my car breaking down on the road I wouldn’t have one.

I’m not convinced people who don’t have smartphones really understand what’s going on with those who do.

Actual phone calls are rare. The only phone calls I have that are more than a few minutes are with my mom. Just for that, average an hour a week. Otherwise, maybe 10 minutes a week on average for making appointments and stuff, but even most of that is via text/email or online.

The people you see with noses in their phones are likely not all texting. Lots of social media updating happening. I’m a low user for that stuff, and still have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Everyblock, and the Dope that I check throughout the day.

Heck, if you see me typing on my phone for more than a minute, it’s probably because I’m posting here!

When I’m out with friends, I keep it in my pocket unless we’re meeting/waiting on someone who we’re likely then in text contact with, so we’ll both be looking at our phones when those messages come in. Sitting at dinner, we’re all good about keeping them in pockets and purses, but when someone goes to the bathroom we’ll use that as time to check for messages, or do a Facebook check-in where we’re at. Like when I was at the Art Institute last Thursday and checked in there plus posted pictures from the exhibit I went to see. I’ll do something similar at the restaurant opening we’re going to this Thursday.

I use Twitter and the CTA train tracker to prepare me for my commute both going from and coming back home - will I need a jacket later? An umbrella? Any train delays? Actually - this was crucial just this Saturday when a train derailed just before I left the house for work.

Here you go. Perfect example why my smartphone is so useful. So I leave home for the 5 minute walk to the train. The derailment had just happened so there wasn’t any notice quite yet, but by the time I got to the station there was a Twitter update from CTA about the derailment and that all stations I could possibly get to and still be on time for work were all closed, train service suspended in both directions.

Well, I don’t want to pay for a cab to get to work on time. I call work and tell them what happened and I’ll get there as soon as I can but I’m not willing nor obligated to pay for a $20 cab ride. One alternative is to walk to a bus two blocks away, but it’s raining pretty heavy and I’ll get soaked even with an umbrella. Don’t wanna. A shuttle arrives 10 minutes later, which would be perfect, I’ll be late but it will take me to the transfer stop the train would have. Except it’s already so full it’s not accepting passengers. I realize I could be waiting an hour or more if the shuttles are this bad now.

Check Twitter again for CTA updates, sometimes they can get trains bypassing derailments and start picking people up again. Not yet. But - there’s a reply on one of the Twitter posts from a Lyft driver, with a free ride coupon code CTADELAY.

So I download the Lyft app, sign up with the free coupon code, and am in a clean, dry car five minutes later, getting a ride to work. For free.

You can pry my smartphone from my cold, dead hands.

Hours per week? On the average? Rounded to the nearest integer, that’d be…

Zero.

Excellent explanation. I send/receive a few texts every day, but I’m constantly checking mail, writing Yelp reviews, facebooking, news reading, what’s apping, updating apps, Waze, untapped, etc.

The GF and I used to text like a couple of teenagers when we first met (6mo ago). Now it’s like 4 or 5 times a day. Oddly, we hardly ever talk on the phone.

Welcome, fellow Luddite! :cool::smiley:

I don’t own a cell phone, much less all the stuff that they seem to do these days besides telephone people. Guess I just missed (62 years old) this particualr revolution, or just don’t want to be that connected with the rest of the planet to allow it to take over my life to that extent (Just joined Facebook 3 months ago and am already finding it eating into my time).

Yeah, I know…Kids…Lawn…

I take my cell phone off its charger and stick it in my pocket whenever I leave home for more than a couple hours. It’s my computer-substitute for telephony (duh!) and text-communication (texting instead of emailing).

When I get back home I stick it back in its charger and forget it exists until the next time I’m out and about. In other words, it’s strictly an ancillary device.

I’d say I spend an average of 10 minutes per week texting and phonecalling on the thing.

I only use my cell phone for emergencies, maybe a few minutes a year, if at all.

I don’t call much. I text a few times a day, mostly with my husband. He travels frequently, and it’s easier that calling to just relay a small bit of information.

Mostly, I use my phone to listen to audiobooks. Beyond that, my new favorite apps are those associated with my credit cards. I now get a notification any time my credit cards are used, or my father’s credit card is used. We’ve both had to cancel cards that were compromised this year, and getting instant notification that there has been a charge on the card is very helpful in resolving issues quickly.

Same here. I have a tracphone that stays in the car turned off until I or someone else slides off the road. OK, I have used it once or twice to call in a pizza pickup but that’s very rare. :slight_smile:

I don’t text and I don’t answer numbers from out of the area that I don’t recognize. I’ve gone entire weeks without using the phone at all. Two days ago, I called my daughter and 2 of my sisters - all told, I might have logged 15 minutes.

My longest calls are when I call my mom and listen to her monologues for up to 40 minutes or so… I don’t call her that often.

Calls from Mom aside, I average under 10 minutes per week.

Zero total. I effectively don’t have a cell phone.

The primary use of my cellphone is to listen to music on the bus ride hone. There are a few games I play and the occasional text/call from Mrs. DrumBum. Don’t see the need for social media so no Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Those of you who never use your cell phone – are you married? Because even if I didn’t use my phone much, my wife calls me on it all the time. And boy would she be pissed if I never answered it.

I don’t speak on the phone very much but text often. Even so, on my current bill, I have about 8 calls and only 16 text messages. I use Google Hangouts for texting which use IP (and WiFi when available) instead of your carrier’s SMS messaging.

Sure cuts down on the number of texts you use.

Bob

Probably under 15 minutes per week, most weeks. Once in a while AHunter3 will call me on my cell phone from his other girlfriend’s apartment and we’ll talk for as long as an hour, but that’s only about once a month. I also have a landline and I probably spend an additional 15 to 30 minutes per week using that.

It’s a device that can access thousands of books, songs, tv shows, games and everything the internet has to offer; and it fits in your pocket. I use it all the time, of course.

Yes, thank goodness you asked. My world will fall apart if I don’t stop texting. I just never knew where the ludite bar was.

I thought all this keeping up with my family and friends was important. It’s not?

There are many science podcasts I listen to. There is pandora. I have a family that I keep up with. My job requires me being on the go so I use the map apps a lot. Really the uses of my smart phone are endless. I don’t understand why anyone would not take advantage of the latest technologies.

If the OP had been a straight forward ‘how much do you use your phone’ question that would be one thing. But to poison the well by adding the whole ‘would your world fall apart’ bit…

I know this is the Dope, but posts that espouse a distain for progress just seems silly.

I have a smartphone, but ignore most of its features. I do use it for the occasional phone call, and the occasional text. I also use it for photos.

Perhaps I use it an hour in all, per month.