Editor's Note

Call Me Crazy

“Oh my God,” a coworker once said to me. “You still have a flip phone?”

Published

3 years ago

July 13, 2022

Mark Kissling Signs of the Times July 2022 Issue

I KNOW I’M UNUSUAL, but I hate my phone. Hate it. Not because it’s (only) an iPhone 7 — sure, go ahead and laugh. It could be the latest model; I’d still hate it. I guess it’s more accurate to say I hate “having to have a smartphone.” Of course, I appreciate its computer functions and safety aspects, but I rarely check it unless “dinged,” and often forget I’ve left it on mute.

Cell phones first and particularly smartphones now have not only inexorably changed our lives; they’ve also changed our brains — the ways we think, what we think and think about. What’s so-and-so up to? Has anyone liked my post? According to a January 2022 study by Global WebIndex, 58.4% of the world’s population uses social media. The average daily usage is 2 hours and 27 minutes. Unimaginable! But then again, I’ll admit to sitting in front of a TV for hours at a time…

For this issue, we asked a number of questions of all sorts relating to phones to our Brain Squad (see page 48). One we were not able to fit within these pages was, “What are your main feelings about modern mobile phone life?” The responses ranged from love on the scale of that for a family member to regretting the necessary evil. What are your thoughts?

Watch our 5x weekly Bulletins (email newsletters) this month for a special online extra with all the details of our sign pros’ thoughts on life in the age of smartphones. What’s that? You don’t get our Bulletins? Sign up at signsofthetimes.com/bulletins.

Just don’t call or text me : )

5 Smart Tips from This Issue

Expand your product line by investing in a laser engraver. (Tech Products, p. 18)
Check out the wide range of printers released within the past 12 months. (Ready to Upgrade?, p. 32)
Don’t settle when hiring, even with today’s tight labor market. (Heidi Tillmanns, p. 43)
Try 10 ideas taking only 10 minutes each to become a better boss — of yourself. (Maggie Harlow, p. 44)
Exercise discretion when taking on a huge project to make sure it won’t overwhelm you. (Dale Salamacha, p. 45).

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