I binge-watched the new season of Stranger Things the moment it came out.
No, really.
My daughter Evie and I set alarms and woke up at 3 a.m., so we could see it as soon as it was available. (Go ahead, tell me I’m insane, but I have a cool mom reputation to maintain so this was a small sacrifice.)
We both watched the entire season twice over the Independence Day weekend.
Throughout our gluttonous binging, I kept saying things like, “I would love for you to experience the ’80s,” or “I wish we could go back to when everyone’s face wasn’t stuck in their phone all day.”
And part of me does wish that.
But you want to know something else?
The rational part of me knows I would not enjoy going back to a time with so little technology.
Not when I know what’s possible.
While that particular TV show’s cup runneth over with nostalgia and zero technology, it made me wonder about the one piece of tech I couldn’t live without.
The answer? My iPhone.
I use it for everything from reading novels to checking email to relaxing by playing some mindless game.
Which brings us to this week’s #SpinSucksQuestion.
Out of all the technology you own, which is your favorite and why?
As always, the Spin Sucks Community came through in gigabytes.
Smartphones are Must-Have Tech #1
I’m not alone in being dependent on my smartphone.
Mary Barber’s love for her iPhone is two-fold:
My iPhone allows me to stay connected wherever I am, but also gives me the freedom to disconnect when I choose. Oh, and I can also actually talk with people in it!
Sara Hawthorn has a love/hate relationship with her phone:
My phone—OnePlus 5T—work, read, play, shoot, does it all. It is also, at times, my most hated bit of technology for almost the same reasons. It allows me to do so much, but I’m also tied to it because of that.
Another vote for smartphones came from Tori Hebert:
Definitely my phone. Calls, texts, emails, games, music, podcasts, apps. It’s all there. What else do I really need?
Kindle—the Dark Horse in the Running
I have a Kindle, but I never use it. I prefer the app on my phone instead.
But with so many people mentioning it as their favorite technology, I’m thinking I should pick it up again.
Kendra Corman’s Kindle is her go-to piece of tech:
My Kindle! I love to read for education and stress relief. Having my Kindle lets me read three to four books per week, since I can pick it up and read anytime.
Chelsea Vaal uses her phone more, but it’s not her favorite. That honor goes to her Kindle:
I definitely use my phone the most, but I think I would also have to say that I enjoy my Kindle more, just because I love to read and it makes books much more accessible for me. I wanted to start a new book last night, and all I had to do was download one from my local library and I immediately had a new book to read for free. Without my Kindle, I think I would read a lot less, because although I love my library, I don’t make it there very often and my income doesn’t really support buying books at the rate that I read them.
Honorable Mention Goes to All the Macs
Shane Carpenter loves his Mac:
I’m probably old school, but my Mac still resides at the center of my world. It’s my all purpose device that I can do anything on, so it’s where I live most the time.
Tara Geissinger is a fan of her iPhone and her Macbook Pro:
My business would not survive without my MacBook Pro + iPhone combo. They allow me to work from virtually anywhere—which is a good and bad thing, I suppose. I love iCloud and how I have access to anything on either device. I basically consider it magic.
Heather Feimster got an Apple Watch for Mother’s Day and it quickly shot to the top of her list:
My Apple Watch—just got it for Mother’s day and it’s reduced my phone screen time by 50%! Probably because I can view and respond to texts without picking up my phone and getting distracted by all the other notifications and apps. It’s definitely made me more efficient—especially when I need to be in “work” mode.
What’s Your Favorite Technology?
This was definitely one of our more popular #SpinSucksQuestions, so we couldn’t include everyone’s answer without turning this blog post into a book.
If we didn’t include you this week, don’t worry!
We ask a different question every Monday in the Spin Sucks Community Slack channel.
For now, leave your answers in the comments here or @ me on Slack or on Twitter.
Until next time, folks!
