Pffft. Back in my day, you had to insert your finger into one of 10 holes, each designating 1 through 9 with zero in the last position, on a large dial and TURN IT clockwise. And you had to do that for EACH digit in the phone number. Oh the inhumanity! It took entire seconds to dial a number. On the upside, the process included the immense joy of the spring-loaded dial spinning backward upon release with a sound that I cannot even begin to ponder how to spell here, but trust me it was lovely.
I will say as a Gen X'er, I hate talking on the phone, but (perhaps naively?) I do not place blame for this on cellphones. Instead, I blame 30-odd (!?!) years in journalism. I have spent SO MUCH time on the phone in those years that, to be honest, I don't want to be bothered. Ping me with a text... it's so much less intrusive. That's not to say I don't talk on the phone - the job requires it, as do filial duties - but in most cases, I prefer text.
And that said, I don't think the broader problem is cellphones, but the apps we put on them. They are designed for addiction. My relationship to my phone, and those around me, changed for the better when I abandoned Twitter and Instagram two years ago (I'd long since given up on Facebook.) I recently, and briefly, returned to Twitter, mostly to watch the dumpster fire, and soon found it becoming just as insidious a presence in my life as before, so I've abandoned it again. Granted, I have an addictive personality to begin with and so the drip-drip-drip of dopamine is particularly enticing to me, so maybe I'm an edge case? Regardless, ditch all social media. That, to me, is the real problem.
Also, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT AMAZING OSCARS OUTFIT?
we still have a landline, mostly because the alarm system needs it. And most of the calls we get are spam. But you've inspired me to press those very real buttons and cherish the moment. And I won't text first "can I call you on the phone"
When I was in Brownies and Girl Guides (Canada) in the early 80s, there were no emails or text messages to coordinate things like meeting cancellations or last-minute reminders. Instead we had phone trees. Older girls had a list of younger girls in their six/patrol to call - and this was pre-answering machines, so if you got a busy signal or no answer you had to keep trying until you could relay your message. I had to use a rotary dial in my dad’s downstairs farm office. I would sit at his desk and put a pencil in the hole to crank it around like I saw secretaries do in the movies. It was tactile and I loved it.
And we never got rid of our landline when it became unfashionable because until recently when we switched to fibre, it was the one thing that would work during storms/power failures, which are a thing here. Now we are keeping it for our kids - they can call and be called, for social or emergency purposes, especially now that they are old enough to be home alone. Our oldest didn’t get a cellphone until she started commuting to high school on unreliable public transit. No regrets! And good for you.
I still have a landlines phone in addition to my cell because I live in a rural area and my cell isn't always reliable. I feel better with a landlines in case of an emergency.
I’m very late here but reading this because considering a landline for similar reasons (and to hopefully delay the inevitable cellphone in my child’s hands for as long as possible).
Memories of talking on the phone though!!!!! We had a yellow rotary phone attached to the wall in our kitchen and it had a very long curlicue cord. My mom overheard me telling a friend it was an antique 😆. In 8th grade I talked to boys on the phone a LOT and I stretched that long cord down the hallway to the bathroom where I sat ON the SINK (which now seems like an odd choice) and talked for probably hours commandeering the phone and bathroom at the same time! Friends often called during dinner and my dad was not a fan of this so he would tell our friends we were eating dinner rather than passing the phone, which elicited eye rolls and groans. When my grandparents called my mom would say “it’s grandma and grandpa in Florida!” and as a result, I called them Grandma in Florida and Grandpa in Florida, even when I was in Florida with them! Even when they were in Kansas City with me! Sigh… memories…
Fabulous article. Wonderful memories. And good for you getting your children a landline. They will have great memories as well.
We had to have a landline living up on the north fork of the Salmon River up until last year as that was the only way to get phone service at all.
"You dial by PUSHING real BUTTONS."
Pffft. Back in my day, you had to insert your finger into one of 10 holes, each designating 1 through 9 with zero in the last position, on a large dial and TURN IT clockwise. And you had to do that for EACH digit in the phone number. Oh the inhumanity! It took entire seconds to dial a number. On the upside, the process included the immense joy of the spring-loaded dial spinning backward upon release with a sound that I cannot even begin to ponder how to spell here, but trust me it was lovely.
I will say as a Gen X'er, I hate talking on the phone, but (perhaps naively?) I do not place blame for this on cellphones. Instead, I blame 30-odd (!?!) years in journalism. I have spent SO MUCH time on the phone in those years that, to be honest, I don't want to be bothered. Ping me with a text... it's so much less intrusive. That's not to say I don't talk on the phone - the job requires it, as do filial duties - but in most cases, I prefer text.
And that said, I don't think the broader problem is cellphones, but the apps we put on them. They are designed for addiction. My relationship to my phone, and those around me, changed for the better when I abandoned Twitter and Instagram two years ago (I'd long since given up on Facebook.) I recently, and briefly, returned to Twitter, mostly to watch the dumpster fire, and soon found it becoming just as insidious a presence in my life as before, so I've abandoned it again. Granted, I have an addictive personality to begin with and so the drip-drip-drip of dopamine is particularly enticing to me, so maybe I'm an edge case? Regardless, ditch all social media. That, to me, is the real problem.
Also, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT AMAZING OSCARS OUTFIT?
we still have a landline, mostly because the alarm system needs it. And most of the calls we get are spam. But you've inspired me to press those very real buttons and cherish the moment. And I won't text first "can I call you on the phone"
When I was in Brownies and Girl Guides (Canada) in the early 80s, there were no emails or text messages to coordinate things like meeting cancellations or last-minute reminders. Instead we had phone trees. Older girls had a list of younger girls in their six/patrol to call - and this was pre-answering machines, so if you got a busy signal or no answer you had to keep trying until you could relay your message. I had to use a rotary dial in my dad’s downstairs farm office. I would sit at his desk and put a pencil in the hole to crank it around like I saw secretaries do in the movies. It was tactile and I loved it.
And we never got rid of our landline when it became unfashionable because until recently when we switched to fibre, it was the one thing that would work during storms/power failures, which are a thing here. Now we are keeping it for our kids - they can call and be called, for social or emergency purposes, especially now that they are old enough to be home alone. Our oldest didn’t get a cellphone until she started commuting to high school on unreliable public transit. No regrets! And good for you.
I still have a landlines phone in addition to my cell because I live in a rural area and my cell isn't always reliable. I feel better with a landlines in case of an emergency.
I’m very late here but reading this because considering a landline for similar reasons (and to hopefully delay the inevitable cellphone in my child’s hands for as long as possible).
Memories of talking on the phone though!!!!! We had a yellow rotary phone attached to the wall in our kitchen and it had a very long curlicue cord. My mom overheard me telling a friend it was an antique 😆. In 8th grade I talked to boys on the phone a LOT and I stretched that long cord down the hallway to the bathroom where I sat ON the SINK (which now seems like an odd choice) and talked for probably hours commandeering the phone and bathroom at the same time! Friends often called during dinner and my dad was not a fan of this so he would tell our friends we were eating dinner rather than passing the phone, which elicited eye rolls and groans. When my grandparents called my mom would say “it’s grandma and grandpa in Florida!” and as a result, I called them Grandma in Florida and Grandpa in Florida, even when I was in Florida with them! Even when they were in Kansas City with me! Sigh… memories…