Yes, it does seem that few people will realize the harmful effects. I see Faber's wife in Farenheit 451 all over the place (she was constantly listening to her in ear radio or immersed in her wall to wall tv set than communicating with her husband). I kind of cringe when I see people at the dinner table, both on their phones, not talking to eachother :/. Also, if you dont mind me asking, does your occupation / lifestlye warrent having a smartphone? If so, do you feel left out / behind at times?
I don't mind at all! I'm a student, so I have no pressing need to have a smartphone. Maybe that will change once I start a professional career, but I'll cross that bridge once I arrive at it. I should add that another big concern is the contract that comes with smartphones. I just can't justify spending money on a device (plus contract and data) that does the same thing my laptop does. I still wouldn't get one even if it were cheaper, but that is another consideration for a poor college student as myself. As for the social aspect, I've found I can get by through texting and word of mouth. There certainly isn't any stigma about not having one, though it is becoming rarer and rarer to find people who don't have a "dumb phone". Then again, I'm not the type of person to care anyways if someone were to actually comment negatively about not having a smartphone. I honestly don't see how it would add anything to my life that I already don't have. So to directly answer your question, no I do not feel left out or behind the times. If anything I feel more ahead of the curve for rejecting smartphones.