Our discussion of smartphone usage and smartphone addiction made me think about how I engage with the various technological devices in my life differently. For example, I see no point in owning a TV, since I don’t actually watch anything that is on TV. Modern trends also point to more and more of the population switching from cable networks to streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. The device itself is not necessarily becoming obsolete, since people still privilege being able to access and stream content on larger screens at higher resolutions. Smart TVs also allow for users to quickly connect to the internet or their secondary devices in order to access these streaming services. 

But I believe that most people would agree to having more “meaningful” relationships with their personal laptops and their mobile phones. I find the uniqueness of these relationships with physical objects very interesting, especially because our sentimental feelings (which at their extreme might be called addiction) likely stem from our associations of the physical objects with their capacity to connect to digital spaces and communities i.e. via SNS. Personally, I access social media on both my laptop and my phone, which I think is common. But I know some people who choose to only access social media on their laptops. 

I also associate my laptop and my phone with different things. I mostly associate my phone with entertainment; I use this device to watch shows, to read for pleasure, and to chat with friends. My laptop is mostly reserved for work; I use this device to attend classes, to complete my assignments, and to write emails. The devices are not distinctively reserved for the activities that I associate them with, since I will also watch shows on my laptop and write emails on my phone. However, this exchange of activities is not equivalent across the two devices. I am more likely to do work on my phone than I am to use my laptop for entertainment purposes. In terms of my personal values and feelings–I am perfectly happy to shut my laptop off and not touch it for a week. I don’t believe I am capable of doing the same thing with my phone. However, I also know of people who value and prioritize their relationship with their laptop over their phone. I think that the individualized and unique nature of these relationships that people have with their different digitally-capable devices is worth exploring anthropologically.