Post #4172519

@wigbert@mastodon.world Nope. Not a chance. I lived in that era and had a friend group that was mostly online, and lived in a small town where nobody seemed interested in the same things I was. Leaving the house meant being socially isolated I until I was home again. I rarely took photos, because I never bothered to take a dedicated camera with me. I only drove to places I already knew how to get to because using a paper map was too much hassle and there was a risk of getting lost. My ADHD time blindness was constantly causing me to miss work, opportunities, and assignments because I didn't carry a calendar with me. When I finally had access to a flip phone I installed j2me based IRC clients on it in a desperate, awkward attempt to stay connected to my friends. It couldn't multitask so every time I switched out of it the whole thing would have to reconnect. I would awkwardly tether it to my laptop, with an external GPS module, to help me navigate for trips. It was incredibly inconvenient. Back then I always dreamed of having a portable internet connection that I could use anywhere, and I'm not going back. The problems with smartphones are what corporate profit motives have turned them into, not something inherently malignant about the concept. I avoid most of the bad stuff by running a non-stock OS, and I make my phone buying decisions based on compatibility with those OSes.