No?

Shocking

As cell phones have migrated away from being phones and toward being omnipresent miniature computers that can also make phone calls, we have also adopted an increased urgency to information exchange of all types. In some situations, like when our kids need to be picked up at a friend's house, it is very helpful to have these devices with us. In other situations, like when your brother in law wants to know your mom's potato salad recipe at 11:36 PM and needs to know it RIGHT NOW, these devices are a hindrance to healthy communication. But for better or worse, there is now an expectation that you will receive and digest information constantly. So you generally have to keep your phone on your person at all times. This is especially true for people in sales, customer service, and IT (which I believe is your field) where a failure to respond immediately makes one look unprofessional in comparison to competitors.

The omnipresence of the devices have led to the rise of social media platforms, which again have further escalated the information exchange game. If you don't like Aunt Suzie's picture quickly enough, you're going to hear about it at Thanksgiving. In short, smart phones have created an expectation and almost a responsibility that you will always be "on."

Computers are different. Before smart phones, people understood that it might take you a day to respond to their e-mail. People understood that you might not have your phone on you. Thats gone. I recently took a couple days off for a "staycation." One day, I hiked up a small mountain. I left my phone in my car. When I came back to my car, I had a series of messages asking why I hadn't responded for three hours. That was annoying AF.

So yes, smart phones are great inventions. But in addition to the benefits, they have added significant stress as well. I can understand why he would want to get away from them.

No?

Shocking