Soatok Dreamseeker

I hate needing a phone number to function in life.

Having a phone number means unsolicited phone calls.

Having a phone number means unsolicited text messages, often from political organizations asking for money...so they can continue to spam people. And it's not illegal to spam people if it's for political reasons.

But too many systems demand you have one. Employee management software, government agencies, etc. all demand you have one. So you gotta have one.

I'd rather everyone just email me instead. At least, on my desktop, I can setup inbox filters to get rid of crap I don't want without ever needing to see it.

Nov 8, 2024 at 12:45amWeb
Show threadSoatok DreamseekerNov 8, 2024

Here's the unfiltered truth of the matter:

Unless you belong to a very short list of people, I never want to talk to you in real time (if at all).

Async, text-based communication or bust.

I don't care what you're selling. I'm not interested.

My life is infinitely more enriched by not dealing with this bullshit, and the finite value of whatever's being proposed cannot compare.

Show threadSoatok DreamseekerNov 8, 2024

But how are we supposed to market to someone like you? You use an adblocker too!

You don't.

If you have a product or service that's worth a damn, I'll find out about it on my own. I read a fuckton every day.

Show threadRobots can be gay deal with itNov 8, 2024

@soatok The dealer I bought my car from keeps calling me to try and get me to trade it in.

Now, the 13-16 Kia Soul has some serious engine problems on top of theft issues. I have a dealer lifetime drivetrain warranty so they probably want to get me out of the thing before they have to eat an engine replacement... I get it.

They call me at the worst times, and the last time I called I told them it caught fire and exploded before recanting. Makes me crazy!

2015 Kia Soul engine problems | CarComplaints.com

2015 Kia Soul engine problems with 658 complaints from Soul owners. The worst complaints are engine failure, oil loss, and engine shut down while driving.

Show threadSkylerBoldNov 8, 2024

@soatok Exactly. And chances are I don't care about your product anyway, I'm not going to click on some link or watch your stupid ad. I am going to roll my eyes, grab a drink, fast-forward it if I can, and do whatever it takes to skip your ad because it's nothing more than a MASSIVE annoyance.

If I care, I'll find out. Because I do shop around often. For the things I actually WANT.

Show threadJohn ColagioiaDec 3, 2024

@soatok It's time to haul out my favorite article to remind people that the United States (yes, that United States!) once almost banned advertising on anti-trust grounds. https://theconversation.com/advertising-is-obsolete-heres-why-its-time-to-end-it-101639

And the article's thesis (the "obsolete" part) is basically your argument.

Advertising is obsolete – here’s why it’s time to end it

In the information age, advertising is no longer needed to inform consumers.That means its primary role is to manipulate.

The Conversation
Show threadMika on rails Nov 8, 2024

@soatok wouldn't a landline number linked to a modern answering machine thats accessible online (or only on the local network from PC if preferred) solve many of these issues?

- no texts to landline
- async, listen whenever you please
- selective, weed out calls from numbers you don't want to listen to

Show threadparenTessaLationNov 8, 2024

@MikaKpk @soatok well, do you have a recommendation for a system like that?

Because "treat voicemails like emails" really only works if you know the sender...eg, filtering out all unknown numbers means that the cognitive load of listening to voicemails from unknown numbers is still there.

Show threadMika on rails Nov 8, 2024

@jakimfett @soatok can't give software/hardware recommendations but most modern routers should also offer some configurable voicemail feature.

What it does indeed require is maintaining your contact list so that phone numbers resolve. This is easy for important personal contacts and in my experience not hard for work related stuff either where landline use under a common prefix landline is still common. I have a well maintained contact list on my mobile phone and for me this works well. All important contacts resolve, and from things that do not resolve I can tell that wrong country code is spam, wrong city code is spam or misdial, unknown mobile number isn't worth my time until they try a second time but my city code and the first three numbers are 857 it's something work related and legit.

Show threadserial disappointment lainNov 8, 2024
@soatok I'm really tired of getting text messages from people I never signed up to receive them.
Show threadcathosNov 8, 2024
@soatok exactly! Answering the phone is stressful, dealing with bureacracy by phone is exhausting and frustrating. and spam calls make it a truly terrible experience.
I want to talk on the phone with friends sometimes, but... that's it. And I don't want mail or email from anyone but friends either.
No one should be required to share any form of contact or identification to receive service. And no one should be allowed to share or transmit anyone's contact information without explicit, revokeable consent.
Show threadDarwin WoodkaNov 8, 2024
@cathos @soatok we must somehow begin to own our own data and be paid for it if someone uses it.
Show threadSoftwarewolfNov 8, 2024
@soatok Remember when email was going to make phone numbers obsolete?
Show threadGallen 🔜 Gdakon, EFNov 8, 2024
@soatok
I had the unfortunate experience to return to singapore after they removed 2g/3g networks, and my line was only 2g. Couldn't access sites that required verification via phone. Bit of a snafu the last few days XD
Show threadDemocracy Dies in DumbassNov 8, 2024

@soatok So my lifehack for this, I turn the ringer off, then tell it to bypass the ringer being off for anyone in my contacts list. And I'm *VERY* picky about who I save a contact for...

I haven't answered an unknown call in about 5 years. If it's important they leave a message, but I can count the number of times that's happened on one hand and still pick my nose.

Show threadMute | 🐕🐻⛓️Nov 8, 2024

@soatok This is why I've stayed with the Pixel line of phones. Call transcription and "virtual assistant" make it so I don't even hear my phone ring if it's spam. They need to speak to the robot, who transcribes a message and I can see it on my phone, intervene, or call back.

If spam/unsolicited calls are an issue, and you're in the position to trade/buy a phone, can't recommend Pixels enough.

Show threadmachete_BadgerNov 8, 2024

@mute @soatok I just wish one camp or the other perfected BOTH call and SMS filtering 😓

The situation at the moment has Pixels and some OEMs have excellent call spam filtering and the assistant, but no way to filter SMS' by keyword unless you use a third party app that spies on you and / or bombards you with ads / services -- while iPhones have excellent FOSS SMS filtering but lacklustre call features, unless again, you use a third party that sells your number to advertisers.

Maybe one day!

Show threadC.Suthorn Nov 8, 2024

@soatok

You know that you can filter phone numbers too? (Land line numbers in the internet router i.e. FritzBox, mobile numbers with an alternative phone app instead of the preinstalled phone app).

Show threadAngua Nov 8, 2024
@soatok

The wonders of being Hearing Impaired - Textphone numbers which go via RelayUK - stops them dead.

The bastard being for 2FA and Deliveries.
Not all drivers read the text don't phone instructions.

Anyone actually needing to TR me should have my email, so no excuse.

You can always use a dead SIM number.
Show threadAbhiramNov 8, 2024
@soatok Oh, lemme tell you about the nightmare that was my Japan trip last week.

4 days into a 14 day international trip, the SIM card in my phone just decided to break and my phone read that as me trying to change the SIM so it logged me out of ALL my banking apps and refused to log me into them because I couldn't get SMS OTPs anymore.

I had to do weird netbanking stuff in my phone's browser and it really sunk in how many things are just locked behind SMS OTPs here.

If I wasn't logged into gpay and if I didn't pack my prepaid VISA card, the trip would've turned into a giant fucking nightmare. ​​
Show threadKevin Karhan Nov 8, 2024

@soatok Do they demand a valid phone number or just something they can SMS to?

  • Cuz I just have some VoIP landline and I explicitly go after every Spammer by filing complaints at @BNetzA, who take down said number within minutes...

You may also consider to get some Voicemail-only number as a premium line just to discourage calls.

  • And if you are really sadistic you just get yourself an Iridium phone number and have Spamcallers pay $10+/min calling your +8816 ^
Show threadSoatok DreamseekerNov 8, 2024
@kkarhan @BNetzA They demand a valid phone number because most communications are a phone call originating from an office worker to you as a person. And they don't want that to change.
Show threadThestaroftheworldsNov 8, 2024
@soatok get an EU SIM card . Won't get political spam. If someone wants to call you it will cost them a lot of money
Show threadMorton FoxNov 9, 2024
@soatok yeah, I configured my phone over a year ago to ring only if the caller is in my contact list. I did that because I couldn´t tolerate rude telemarketers any more.
Show threadSoatok DreamseekerNov 9, 2024
@mortonfox nice
Show threadCyNov 10, 2024
Means the government can use cell tower triangulation to continuously record your movement patterns. Means data miners can fingerprint you by a device that costs $200 to change. Means if you can't afford a $10/month plan, you literally can't have a phone and you're exiled from jobs, communities, games, churches, etc. Means nobody uses community bulletin boards anymore. Means nobody meets in person to plan things anymore. Nobody talks to their neighbors, nobody talks on the bus. Means you can't show up 10 minutes late to anything, without everyone assuming you ghosted them. Phones make society brittle, expensive, and hideously lonely. I don't want to talk to a magic square in my hand. I want real friends I can see, and hug, and rely on without a phone company's permission to do so.