Well Connected
Chrissie Swan confesses to a phone addiction
Do you recall your first big tech purchase? I got my first mobile phone in 1994. It was a Nokia and the one game you could play on it was Snake. The bills were ridiculously expensive, given the only things it could do were make calls and send text messages. How often have you upgraded since then? Every time a new iPhone comes out. I have lots of nephews so there’s always someone to pass my old phone on to. Well, that’s good recycling. It is; there’s always an appreciative person to take it off my hands. What is it about Apple products that appeals to you? I feel like they’re wired the same way as my brain. I think that’s proven when you give an iPhone to a two-year-old who’s never seen one before and they can work out straightaway how to use it. Which social media platforms do you use? I recently discovered Instagram. It’s a great time-waster but also seems like a lovely community. I just redid my kitchen and all my [design] ideas came from Instagram. I’m constantly taking screenshots of things I love, which causes a bit of a problem when my PayPal account is also connected to my phone. I literally just bought two dresses I saw in an Instagram post. I use Facebook as well and I operate all of that from my phone. It’s almost too easy. Completely. That’s just what I do now; I live my entire life on the phone – I do all of my supermarket shopping and order the kids’ school uniforms as well as organise my appointments. Are you a meme fiend? My partner is really good at finding funny memes. I’m not but he’ll send me something that makes me laugh at least a couple of times a week. Do you ever have phone-free time? It’s phone-free once the kids [Leo, eight, Kit, five, and Peggy, three] get home but you’ve got to be disciplined. It’s tempting to keep on sneaking back to see what’s going on. We’ve been quite successful with no devices after school. What apps have changed your life? Uber; it’s just so easy. Dubsmash is hilarious fun with the kids and I do all of my clothes shopping via the Asos app. I’m a demon on the phone! What’s your stance on commenting? I like to give feedback and for people to know that it is me and not an administrator. I don’t like the idea of someone else posing as me or tricking people into thinking it’s me when it isn’t. What do you like about technology? Obviously, it can be a portal to hell but if you’re careful where you look it can show you a lot of beautiful things. It’s a great way to feel connected to the world – sometimes it can be difficult to feel like you’re a part of things – and it’s an unbelievably good way to keep in touch with people Do you use any other hardware? I got a Kindle for Christmas and I’m enjoying that. I did buy one when they first came out years ago, after seeing it on The Oprah
Winfrey Show. I will always love a real book but a Kindle device is great for travel and impulse purchases. Do you consider yourself an early adopter? Yes. As soon as it comes out I’m onto it. Would you wait in line for hours? I won’t but my mum will. She’s also an early adopter of all things and she’s a queuer; it’s all the international students and Mum!