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Post by Wavey75 on Jul 9, 2015 9:41:41 GMT
This article discussing how smatphones and online devices with access to wireless internet have led to addicition and digital amnesia gave me a thought to share with you all. Since this is a broadly aimed article, it's fair to assume that this is directed at NT's and has not allowed for people who already suffer with memory problems or a deficit in their attentions. I myself rely on my smartphone to remind to do things, I'll often ask SIRI to remind me to do something at a certain time, etc. I rely on my google calendar to keep a list of my appointments, schedules and other things in my life. I think I have become dependant on my gadgets to live; but I'm wondering if is this a good thing or a bad thing? Without my technology, my life would be alot harder. I would take longer to get things done, or without digital devices that remind me, I would need to remmber to pick up a clipbaord, update it regularly or not to loose it, otherwise I'd need to try and remember everything that was on it, etc. If I misplace my smartphone, I just get a replacement, login and boom, my schedule's right there for me to continue on with my life. I wondered how everyone else here feels about this increase in a kind of dependency on technology? I personally am a huge fan of technology. I hve aworking history in IT and computing and I am always looking at new technology and I try to be one of those early adopters (except for the apple watch, totally pointless for £500!, would rather have a swiss watch thank you, IMHO) of technology. I remember a story from one paticular ADHD & OCD who told us of her home and the post it notes that 'covered the walls of their kitchen and would often lead to newer post its covering older ones because of the dis-organisation that had come from not removing completed post its, possibly from the attention deficit. I too find my 'to-do' lists are repeated with similar tasks on them, so I try to centralise them, but it often leads to duplicate entries - although if I have completed a single task it is very rewarding to be removing 4 tasks from each to do list lol. I'd be very interested in what others have to say on this technology dependency and their thoughts on if this is something that has improved or made worse your lives? Would anyone consider jumping on stage to try and charge their phone, like this guy did? lol
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Post by chaoticwitch on Jul 9, 2015 10:58:46 GMT
I certainly agree that having the smartphone has reduced people's memory capabilities, as with anything, if it isn't used it will lose it's abilities. But I also find it incredibly useful. Just like you Wavey75, having a phone that can remind me of appointments, that I can add information to immediately that I am given it and the fact that I never (or very rarely) forget my phone wherever I go has made my life a lot better. I often refer to it as 'my brain'. Although I do have things written down and I still carry a diary for work (if I remember to take the right bag with me in the morning). I also have scraps of paper and blu tac in the doors, so if there is something I need to remember before going out I can write it down and blu tac it to the back of the door. I do like to exercise my memory though as I think it is important to keep it working and active. My memory may not be as good as others but I want it to be the best it can be. I just do it with things that aren't important.
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Post by wiserabbit on Jul 9, 2015 20:59:43 GMT
This did make me smile - my husband is ADHD inattentive and I'm ADHD hyper and ASD as well. We have had some epic smartphone related arguments. Generally, my husband finds his invaluable for the reasons you say. I dislike the distraction but acknowledged the usefulness in a grudging fashion. My main dislike comes from another source though. I find that they have ruined social occasions for me, and are the main reason I can't go to the cinema anymore. Because of the ASD I have hypersensitivies to sound and sight. My "night" vision is very good (to the point where I can still see clearly when other people cant see anything at all, the flip side being that I get flash blinded badly too). If I'm in a dark cinema and someone pulls out a smartphone, the light of the screen is enough to intefere with my sight processing and I totally lose the thread of what is happening on the screen. I simply can't focus past the phone. It disrupts all of my thought patterns, I get distracted and twitchy as all heck and stop enjoying the film because of this annoying flashy thing. If I'm out socialising with someone, all of my social anxiety flies in as soon as they pick up a phone. I never do it, because I can't concentrate on the person in front of me and a phone at the same time. Processing social situations is blummin' hard work and takes all of my efforts. I get so irate - here's me expending serious energy just to make their flappy mouth movements make sense and they have energy to spare on secondary and tertiary interactions! Then I wonder if they find me dull and off goes the spiral - I'm annoyed, I'm anxious and kaboom, outing runined.
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Post by JJ on Jul 10, 2015 0:59:14 GMT
What we lose in becoming reliant, I think we gain 100 times over in having technology do some things for us that we find hard ourselves. I'd compare your concerns to someone who was worried about whether a car was making us less reliant on walking - yes, for sure it is, but look what a car can take you that you'd never get to yourself I'm totally for any kind of tech stuff that makes my life even a fraction easier. I can't afford to buy everything I want, but anything I do spend on technology to help me get through the day and my life, I don't count as a luxury, just as a useful aid. I've just bought an apple watch and it's improved my life quite a lot Wavey75. If an iPhone (/ smartphone) makes 10/10 difference (in terms of helping with ADHD stuff), then the watch makes 7.5/10 IMO. Total waste of time for an NT in my opinion, but for an ADHDer I think it's not a gimmick waste if you can get one. After a month or so, I think I would say that I'd go without food to save up to buy another one if this one got broken or something. Biggest pluses are: 1) I never miss a reminder cos it taps my wrist 2) if I don't read the reminder then it taps again til I do 3) same with alarms, it taps and won't let up til I acknowledge 4) when I want to remember something, I speak to the watch and it sets it for me with no hassle - eg 'remind me to take my tablet in 4 hours' or ' create an event on 1 July at 3pm doctors appt - no fiddling about on your phone, no "I'll put that in my calendar later" - speak and it's done. 5) Siri reminders - for when I get somewhere. Eg when I run out of something, I speak to the watch to tell Siri to remind me to buy x when I'm at sainsburys. So when I get there it reminds me. I know the phone can do that, but this taps you on the wrist, you're getting the reminder for sure. How techno are you Wavey75 - I've got an essential ADHD aid app in mind that I've not seen before - I just need someone to build it!!
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Post by Wavey75 on Jul 10, 2015 10:17:52 GMT
My main dislike comes from another source though. I find that they have ruined social occasions for me, and are the main reason I can't go to the cinema anymore. Because of the ASD I have hypersensitivies to sound and sight. My "night" vision is very good (to the point where I can still see clearly when other people cant see anything at all, the flip side being that I get flash blinded badly too). If I'm in a dark cinema and someone pulls out a smartphone, the light of the screen is enough to intefere with my sight processing and I totally lose the thread of what is happening on the screen. I simply can't focus past the phone. It disrupts all of my thought patterns, I get distracted and twitchy as all heck and stop enjoying the film because of this annoying flashy thing. OMG! This is the best description I've come across! I'm the same way too! wow, it's so, so, so good to find out I'm not alone and i'm not the awkward fecker my family and kids have been referring to, I'm teared up with relief. Thank you wiserabbit.
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Post by Wavey75 on Jul 10, 2015 10:38:00 GMT
I've just bought an apple watch and it's improved my life quite a lot Wavey75. If an iPhone (/ smartphone) makes 10/10 difference (in terms of helping with ADHD stuff), then the watch makes 7.5/10 IMO. Total waste of time for an NT in my opinion, but for an ADHDer I think it's not a gimmick waste if you can get one. After a month or so, I think I would say that I'd go without food to save up to buy another one if this one got broken or something. Biggest pluses are: 1) I never miss a reminder cos it taps my wrist 2) if I don't read the reminder then it taps again til I do 3) same with alarms, it taps and won't let up til I acknowledge 4) when I want to remember something, I speak to the watch and it sets it for me with no hassle - eg 'remind me to take my tablet in 4 hours' or ' create an event on 1 July at 3pm doctors appt - no fiddling about on your phone, no "I'll put that in my calendar later" - speak and it's done. 5) Siri reminders - for when I get somewhere. Eg when I run out of something, I speak to the watch to tell Siri to remind me to buy x when I'm at sainsburys. So when I get there it reminds me. I know the phone can do that, but this taps you on the wrist, you're getting the reminder for sure. How techno are you Wavey75 - I've got an essential ADHD aid app in mind that I've not seen before - I just need someone to build it!! jj, That sounds great - I hadn't thought that a gadget that's pretty much the same as your smartphone on your wrist would be more beneficial! in other words, take the reminders out of the phone and out it in a watch! your explanation is very interesting, thanks jj I'm coming to the conclusion that my ADHD 'gift' is my technology background and my abiity to quickly get to grips with technology that I have not come across. For example, I wanted my own website and I had no idea how to do it, so I went online, read up ,asked some forum questions ,etc and went out and did it for myself. Then I delibrately 'broke' it so I could learn how to fit it. I got that done too. My biggest problem for a website was 'content'. I needed something to put into it to build it. jj, it's on my 'to-do' list to write an app. The APKs (kits to develop apps) for Android and Apple are almost pretty much mostly GUI front end now, no coding needed (although I can read trough code lines for errors, etc). I'm due to finish my dissertation 15th September 2015, and then I'm free as a bird until May 2016 when I will (hopefully) start my taught masters. So, I am happy to work with you on an app development jj during that time. Just message me wha your thoughts are on it, etc.
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Post by JustDiagnosed on Jul 10, 2015 11:33:51 GMT
For me the smartphone is both a blessing and a curse.
As some of you have described, it's invaluable for setting reminders etc and without it I would forget even more than I do already!
I've also started make my use of Evernote which is brilliant. Every bit of paper, important email, web page, receipt or business card goes in there and is immediately available across all my devices.
However it's also a curse. When I'm bored and under stimulated it's far too easy to pick up my iPhone and find something to interesting to stimulate me, often at the expense of some important job, or even worse, interacting with friends and family around me.
I like the comments about the apple watch. I've been debating the usefulness of one but my thoughts are that I can possibly make use of the reminders and ability to add things to it without having to get my phone out and being tempted by all the distractions of the interweb!
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Post by clubby on Jul 10, 2015 17:54:43 GMT
I have technology which I use for fun and research but I find it no use at all as a memory aid because I forget it exists or I forget what it does.
I need physical memory triggers like bits of coloured paper.
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Post by Foxtrot on Jul 11, 2015 14:19:06 GMT
I've had my apple watch for just over a month now. I agree with JJ, I can't see it being too much more than a novelty for an NT, but it's great for me, well worth the money. I doubt cheaper smart watches are as useful though. It's probably more useful to us ladies too because our mobiles are more likely to be less accessible in our handbags. Like JJ, the reminders keeps me on track. I wouldn't take my second med at lunch time if it wasn't for my watch. It's the only reliable prompt I've ever had, it's always with you and it gives you a little tap to draw your attention at the right time. This also helps with time keeping, I set the reminder alarm for 10 mins early so I can go to the loo and get a drink before a meeting, instead of starting these things when the meeting is due to start. I can take more control of my diary. When asked if everyone is free at such and such a time, I wouldn't have a clue. I would inevitably end up double booked. Now I can check my availability before agreeing to things. I have a poor sense of direction and anxieties about getting lost so the satnav on the wrist is reassuring. It's also less conspicuous when wandering through town so feels safer. I've had heart palpitations, due to meds or anxiety I'm not sure which, but the frequent monitoring of my heart beat has given me reassurance I have a healthy heart. My GP confined this when I showed him the results. You've got to be mindful of the watch getting loose on your wrist though where you tend to have multiple severe cardiac episodes during the day!!!!!! I regularly check the activity app and this is really motivating me to get more exercise. I am climbing the stairs over using the lift, taking walks and being more active. This app never worked on the phone because its rarely carried around with me due to no pockets and fear of losing it. I keep my to do list on it and can easily add or change activities so that I don't get overwhelmed or forget. Best of all, you can't get lost in it because none of the apps are designed to be interesting enough for more than a few minutes use. Only down side is, ironically it's a bit naff for telling the time. Sometimes you've got to raise your wrist repeatedly to get the time up and there's a delay. That's irritating because I check the time every few minutes due to having no inner clock. PS I don't work for Apple or any of its associates.
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Post by Bee on Jul 12, 2015 2:13:28 GMT
Because of all this talk of smartwatches I've decided to buy one! I've ordered a second hand Pebble from ebay cz it's all I could afford! It says it does the vibrating alert thing, and it can go in the shower too! And the battery lasts 'up to 7 days'. Sounds good I never knew I needed a smartwatch lol! And in answer to the original question, I've only had broadband a few weeks. I've USED the internet on a PC, but not extensively. I'm definitely finiding that since getting the interweb I'm more scatterbrained, but only when I'm on the computer. I'll open a tab and instantly forget why. Or I'll check out a website and forget what I wanted to look for! For me, I think it's because of the endless possibilities, all the things I want to look at. I want to check everything out at the same time! But I don't think the computer is making worse. And I don't set alarms/reminders on my phone very often because I never have the thing on me when I ought to and it's either too quiet so I miss it or too loud for the environment and I'm embarrassed! Or I forget to set a reminder entirely. All in all, I think I would personally be like this technology or not.
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Post by Bee on Jul 12, 2015 2:53:49 GMT
Hey! I could probably even set it to remind me to have a glass of water every coupla hours!
I wonder how much better my brain would actually function if I wasn't dehydrated all the time...
Probably find out I don't have ADHD at all.. Just dehydrated lol!
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Post by clubby on Jul 12, 2015 9:54:49 GMT
I agree with Bee.
The only solution for me will be when they design a new chip that slots into the brain.
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Post by Wavey75 on Jul 12, 2015 17:17:49 GMT
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Post by clubby on Jul 12, 2015 22:16:48 GMT
Wow. I cant decide if that is exciting or scary!
I wonder if people thought the same about spectacles or electric light or calculators?
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Post by wiserabbit on Jul 13, 2015 12:26:35 GMT
Wavey75 - Glad to help!
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