Data Addiction???

[oldSock]

Yes as bad as it sounds it is true that many of our devices 'if' not all of them suffer from this very expensive addiction.

Your mobile phone, gaming device and many others all suffer from data addiction. Back in the day bandwidth basically sucked and video streaming was still not a thing yet. But as bandwidth improved alongside our devices that could handle more processing it became clear that soon 'everything' would eventually want data access.

 

Step in 2018 and everything from our TV to the coffee maker wants a internet connection. But that said... Can we live without internet.

Yes I understand I have tested your pitchfork sharpening skills for a while now but today I am going all out.

I will start by saying 'what if the internet gets turned off' what devices will still function? Consider that many of us are dependent on our mobile phones. It holds our email, content and other services that we might be subscribed to. To be clear many people will find their lives disrupted.

Other devices may not be smart devices yet so other than a few inconveniences most devices will function just fine. A computer can still be a word processer, it can still play stored content and it can still do much of the tasks it needs to do.

Same is true for your TV and gaming device. Most of them will allow you some usability.

But why is this important?

It is important because our devices are moving towards a stage where connectivity will be a absolute must. Meaning you the owner of said device will be 'taxed' financially by said device on a permanent bases.

Again why is this important? Consider that in most countries it is found that that there are only a handful of service providers. Now imagine if the consumer MUST be a client to said service provider before the TV works or any other internet dependant device. Then it becomes a extremely profitable business model doesn't it?  

Android phones are a norm and by default many if not all android devices are connected to the respective service provider. So by default when you turn on your device you will be 'connected' but at what cost?

Sure there is the cost of the device. Then there is mobile data added to that by the service provider.  In most countries mobile data is still considered the more expensive option so now we are getting a clear picture of what is happening.

It is no secret that software on our devices will send collected data to its respective recipient.  The bad side of that is we the owner/user of said device are paying for their data collection.

Now consider that many phones are pushing resolution that will demand more data to play at said resolution. Do the user truly benefit from a 4k video displayed on a very small screen? The answer to this question maybe both yes and no depending on your perspective.

That said in my opinion, I find it strange that the goal is to make devices very 'data heavy'  and that some services one use on said device uses data to push advertisement and the option to 'go pro/buy service' simply doesn't exist. True not a lot of service does that but a handful does.

 

Why is this important?

When you look at buying a house or car or something like that. One major thing to consider is running cost. It is sad that the concept of 'running cost' must now apply to things like a phone, or smart device.

Because it is a realty that the consumer is being targeted and pushed to consume more data. Consider how much data is spend on OS updates, Game fixes and patches or push advertisement. Not to mention how much data is being 'collected' during the lifetime of the device.

The only entities that are benefiting from all this is our ISPs... That said is it fair to the consumer? I invite you to do your own math. It starts to get scary as more devices are build for internet connectivity.             

 

 

anyhow thank you for reading

 

[Jtalk4456]

I'm going to be an outlier and say i barely use data. Now I DO use wifi at home out the wazoo, but paid for data is less than a 1/4 of a gigabyte for me typically per month if any at all. Obviously I do pay for the internet at home, but it's a straight fee based on speed/power, not a rate of how much data like on a phone plan. I think I could get by just fine with no phone data if i had to. without internet as a whole, that's a different story.

[Windows7ge]

Not gonna lie. I only read 50% of it because i have a short attention span. I think what you're asking in a nutshell is "What would you do if the internet went down forever (or temporarily), or if our devices stopped working like the mother of all EMPs took out everything."

 

Situation A: I guess I'd be watching a lot more videos (VHS, DVD, Pre-downloaded) and relying on the mail to talk to my friends.

Situation B: I guess I'll be buying a lot more books, socializing with people in my community, and getting a lot more of something people seem to refer to as "exercise"...whatever that is. Also the Amish will be laughing at us. (I live somewhat near a few of their settlements.)

[dizmo]

It costs next to nothing to get unlimited data on home internet plans. A lot of the things that are "necessary" (email, texting, basic web browsing, maps, etc) use very little data. What uses lots? Entertainment, which is by no means a necessity. Fair? There's nothing fair about the world. The sooner you learn that, the sooner you'll be more 

capable of playing the ultimate game

 

If the internet were to simply disappear, it'd make life harder, but we were without it for centuries before and didn't die without it. 

[AshleyAshes]

16 minutes ago, oldSock said:

When you look at buying a house or car or something like that. One major thing to consider is running cost. It is sad that the concept of 'running cost' must now apply to things like a phone, or smart device.

But... I have unlimited internet service for my phone and home, so the 'running cost' of a data connection is fixed regardless of the demand.

[Hiitchy]

I've lived without internet for 90 days on a countryside in Jamaica. I didn't mind it. Instead I spent time learning about my heritage, going g back to my roots, and how to climb a coconut tree, get my own coconut, and crack it open.

 

Essentially, I would be fine, everyone else? I don't know. 

[wasab]

If internet is down, I will need to look to other sources for porn. 

[Jtalk4456]

3 hours ago, wasab said:

If internet is down, I will need to look to other sources for porn. 

you'd actually have to try to get in a relationship!! 

[Kobathor]

2 minutes ago, Jtalk4456 said:

you'd actually have to try to get in a relationship!! 

did he stutter? 

[oldSock]

The reality of the situation is any amount even a 'negligible" amount is still an amount. Example if one million people each pay for a $1 US service then that company earns said amount. But what if every single person across the world with a smart phone pays $1 US for whatever. How much money is that?

 

Why should it be considered? Yes it is true in 'most countries' inexpensive uncap internet is a realty. But in other countries people are pinned with the most expensive internet in the world and pay per 1mb of data. In short there really is more to consider then just accepting it as a must have.

 

The other side of this coin is 'do we get what we paid for' For example service coverage, speed and so on and so forth. These providers are making scary amounts of money so we should expect 'THE BEST' from them and nothing less and yet do we get 'THE BEST'??

 

Just saying... 

[Acrain7]

oh my god i love thinking about all of this dystopian stuff!  i've considered building a bunker lmao... 

 

here's another relating topic: cars. almost all of them nowadays run off some sort of wifi connection and tons of data, even just the radio with siriusXM... that's why i like the old stuff, less can go wrong, less can be hacked, and a repair is simple with ought all the electronics getting in the way.

[Bhav]

Try making do with standard crappy broadband for over a decade.

 

As soon as my house is ready, fibre optic from day one for me.

[Damascus]

Depends on what stage my life is at if say, the internet dies forever.

 

• Stage zero (right now)

I get all my cash, run fast as duck to the nearest grocery store and buy several hundred dollars worth of unperishables, followed by as many chlorine tablets as I can afford.  I then bunker hope to dear God civilization can rebound and ration what I have until I'm inevitably driven out of the city and into the wilderness.

 

• Stage 2 (4 years from now)

I park my tiny house near a river, set up a watermill to generate power and start farming/hunting

• Stage 3 (10-20+ years)

I live in my fortress of a home in the woods and when the end comes I simply set my gardening "robots" to higher yield while enjoying the taste of mutton, eggs and goat milk.

[wasab]

On 2/26/2018 at 7:03 PM, Jtalk4456 said:

you'd actually have to try to get in a relationship!! 

nah, real women can never compare to me porn. 

 

i thought dirty magazines were the mainstream source for porn before the internet? 

[2FA]

What's the premise here so I can form a conclusion? You're using the term data in multiple ways so I'm struggling to get the main idea.

[mr moose]

The only thing you need to know is that the internet is not optional anymore.   For many people it is the only way to apply for a job,  do their banking and communicate with a company.    Without it some university students would fail as there are sometimes no alternatives to digital lodgements.   Education by correspondence does not happen through regular mail anymore (except in extreme cases) as far as I know.  

 

The fact devices are connected to the internet is largely irrelevant and data use is end user specific, some use lots while others use hardly any.  So even without specific devices being made dependent on an internet connection, they are not the cause of it's necessity.  

[straight_stewie]

On 2/26/2018 at 1:33 PM, oldSock said:

Yes I understand I have tested your pitchfork sharpening skills for a while now but today I am going all out.

There's your first mistake.

[oldSock]

11 hours ago, straight_stewie said:

There's your first mistake.

I know i know but at least i am not dealing with a blunt pitchfork...

 

12 hours ago, DeadEyePsycho said:

What's the premise here so I can form a conclusion? You're using the term data in multiple ways so I'm struggling to get the main idea.

Data for me personally connect to a few aspects.

1 > Internet (browsing & sharing of information)

2 > Communication (email, skype and any other communication service)

3 > Social media (this can also be connected to Communication but there are small differences) 

4 > Studies and work 

 

I am sure I missed many others but it is time for dinner...

 

Anyhow Data in the from of services, that connect to your mobile device/ PC device and Other devices like a smart TV"

 

That is the type of data i am pointing at. I think I made it more confusing sorry...

 

 

 

 

[straight_stewie]

1 minute ago, oldSock said:

1 > Internet (browsing & sharing of information)

I would like to interject the point here: Certain services are only possible by internet. You mentioned email. That's not data addiction, that's just the way it has to work. You mentioned social networks, how else are they supposed to work? By some magical network that connects all people together? That's the internet.

It really seems like you're complaining to complain. Data Addiction normally means either one of two things: Software that generates or consumes more data than it actually uses, and breaks when that data isn't supplied. And to n00bs, a phenomenon in which a person is addicted to whatever internet based technology.

[oldSock]

3 minutes ago, straight_stewie said:

I would like to interject the point here: Certain services are only possible by internet. You mentioned email. That's not data addiction, that's just the way it has to work. You mentioned social networks, how else are they supposed to work? By some magical network that connects all people together? That's the internet.

It really seems like you're complaining to complain. Data Addiction normally means either one of two things: Software that generates or consumes more data than it actually uses, and breaks when that data isn't supplied. And to n00bs, a phenomenon in which a person is addicted to whatever internet based technology.

Actually you would be wrong.

 

There are 'other ways" to connect large groups of people without the use of the internet. These systems are not common but i know them because i use to work on them. Large businesses don't want their data to leave what is called the Intranet.

 

What is a intranet?

 

So no i am not just complaining. I know a lot of people want to give me a hard time about this. Consider for a moment that in some places internet access is not only expensive but very slow. This will not be beneficial to the user at all. This is a realty that does exist and do effect millions of people.

 

Many people see the internet as a magic bullet but it is not. It is far from it. Firstly it makes your company dependent on a third party secondly it makes the company vulnerable to outside situations. Also if the third party goes down guess what your business going to do... 

 

That is why 'even today" intranet systems do exist and is used along with special and or adapted software to keep the intellectual property safe  as possible.

[oldSock]

35 minutes ago, straight_stewie said:

*snip*

i am sorry you see it that way. We are a world apart what i see here and what you see where you live is two different things. Was just mentioning the intranet because it is almost none existent and a lot of people may not realize that they are still in use. 

 

That aside. Lets consider why i call this data addiction.

 

The reality is millions of devices that is network dependent and internet dependent in many different ways. Other then that for the normal user the cost of data become so 'normal' that many don't give it a second thought. But again because we live in different situations it is worthy to mention that sometimes having data heavy devices is more of a burden then a pleasure.   

 

But if it would give you closure i can request that this be taken down and deleted?  

Edited February 28, 2018 by wkdpaul
Cleaned up

[aezakmi]

my TV has only... TV lol

[oldSock]

35 minutes ago, straight_stewie said:

*snip*

My English is bad but i don't think i would make the claim that the intranet can replace the internet. What I was pointing at however is that large businesses do use private optics and the like to connect buildings, and offices. This is done mostly for security but also 'in the older days' to bring cost down and allow for better speeds. A problem that may no longer be a problem in this day and age. 

 

To be clear on that.

 

Also i am not complaining about the internet. I am just pointing out that some devices became really data heavy and was asking if others noticed this as well. That was my purpose. As the conversation evolved i tried my best to be open minded and am truly interested in other people's opinion.

 

Hope this clarify things.  

Edited February 28, 2018 by wkdpaul
Cleaned up

[2FA]

36 minutes ago, oldSock said:

Actually you would be wrong.

 

There are 'other ways" to connect large groups of people without the use of the internet. These systems are not common but i know them because i use to work on them. Large businesses don't want their data to leave what is called the Intranet.

 

What is a intranet?

 

So no i am not just complaining. I know a lot of people want to give me a hard time about this. Consider for a moment that in some places internet access is not only expensive but very slow. This will not be beneficial to the user at all. This is a realty that does exist and do effect millions of people.

 

Many people see the internet as a magic bullet but it is not. It is far from it. Firstly it makes your company dependent on a third party secondly it makes the company vulnerable to outside situations. Also if the third party goes down guess what your business going to do... 

 

That is why 'even today" intranet systems do exist and is used along with special and or adapted software to keep the intellectual property safe  as possible.

Both of those use the same exact technologies, and depending on how you look at it, could be argued they are the same exact thing in practicality. An intranet is just a private internet for all intents and purposes.

[oldSock]

1 minute ago, DeadEyePsycho said:

Both of those use the same exact technologies, and depending on how you look at it, could be argued they are the same exact thing in practicality. An intranet is just a private internet for all intents and purposes.

100% Yes you are right.

 

It is just there was a time that the one offered faster networking then the other. Other then that sometimes special network equipment was needed to decrypt data. Again most of these technologies became a blur once ISPs started to provide really fast connections and VPN systems and services matured. Was very interesting to see all this and see how it changed over what can be seen as a very short time.