Year End 2022- DearSmartphone

The final column for December 2022 was prophetic. A high school teacher inquired about an artificial intelligence program called ChatGPT. He wondered if his students would benefit by learning about the software. The unanswered question in 2023 and beyond is whether Chat GPT (or its offspring) can be summoned to write a post on social media, a news story or a weekly column?  Some years from now we might take a look back and remember 2023 as the  turning point when we still used to craft ETSY like word stories.

Until then this column will continue to strive to stay one step ahead of all trends, including ChatGPT.  Our goal is to provide original and novel insights that are helpful for tech users.  Looking back over the 50+ columns of the past year we covered a lot of ground, or should we say, a lot of phone time.  We provided seven buckets of content: Kids and Devices, Digital Privacy & Apps, Shopping for Phones, New Issues becoming Mainstream, Emergency Communications, Digital Etiquette & Social Issues and last but not least, Travel and Phones. The 50+ columns are listed below by content and by the date of posting.

In the coming year look for DearSmartphone to change the name of the column- suggestions for that appreciated. Like everything in tech, our name needs to reflect changes afoot. We no longer jump on the Information SuperHighway, dial into AOL, or talk about the World Wide Web. We know that phones are the computers we carry in our pockets and they are smart, so no need to call that intelligence out. That was something we did when they launched, back in 2007.  Also, in 2023 keep your eyes peeled for  “UpBaby, DownBaby” (a working title) from this working writer and media researcher.  

Dear Smartphone in Review (2022)

Kids and Devices:

• Looking out the window, or at the Ipad?
• The Teletubbies are back! (Nov. 13)
• Bright kids cheat online     (Oct. 8)
• BeReal app good for teaching literacy? (Oct. 2)
• Did tech founders really ban phones? (June 5)
• Reading apps for kids, thoughtfully      (April 24)
• Unpacking no screen time until two     (April 30)
• Why watch TV in Mom’s car?              (Feb. 22)

Digital Privacy and Apps: 

• Inkind seeking data and food  (Aug. 7)
• Snapchat and teens wantsyou to subscribe (Aug. 3)
• Phones and two-step authentication (May 22)
• Why Bluetooth is hard to turn off  (April 17)

Shopping for Phones: 

• Collecting old phones  (Oct. 23)
• Why we still yearn for new phones  (Sept. 18)
• Does phone size matter (June 12)
• Collecting vintage iPods (May 15)

New Issues becoming Mainstream:

• Chat-GPT (Dec. 26)
• Online Gambling (Nov. 20)
• Earthquake detection (Nov. 6) 
• Mobile ticketing on phones (Oct. 21)
• Crash detection (Oct. 16)
• Satellite phones (Sept. 4)
• Digital driver’s licenses (July 10)
• The metaverse, not there yet (Jan. 23)
• Digital passports (Jan.16)

Emergency Communications:

• VOIP is not a landline (Dec. 11)
• Solar charging as a backup (Sept. 30)
• Reaching 911 (Sept. 11)
• Nixle, the app (May 8)
• Keeping the landline? (Feb. 27)

Digital Etiquette, Social Issues, & Misc:     

• Closed captions for the deaf  (Sept. 25)
• Losing our human memory?   (Aug. 28)
• Facebook for distant families  (July 25)
• A dog monitor and camera      (July 31)
• Listserv- why still use it.          (June26)
• Do we need the concierge?     (April 10)
• Apps in wartime (Ukraine)       (March 20)
• The etiquette of phones & dining (March 13)
• The news makes me anxious   (March 6)
• Party etiquette & Wondr bags  (Feb. 12)
• When instruction book are only online (Jan. 29)
• It’s January!  #dryjanuary    (Jan. 12)

Travel and Phones: 

• Travel to meet remote co-workers?  (Aug. 14)
• Web cams in cars necessary?  (July 16)
• Do I need a parking app?         (June 19)
• Roadtripping & phone apps    (May 29)
• Drivers are still not handsfree- why? (April 3)
• Navigating without a phone   (March 22)
• Are paper maps obsolete?     (Feb. 6)