Edit: In 1776, Adam Smith argued that poverty is the inability to afford "not only the commodities which are indispensably necessary for the support of life, but whatever the custom of the country renders it indecent for creditable people, even of the lowest order, to be without."
How easy that is will vary a lot from one person to the next and people who actually, seriously think it's easy are probably fairly privileged, even if they aren't actually wealthy.
This will exclude a lot of "working stiff"/office drone types who do get told they must be reachable, etc. Some are issued work phones or Blackberries.
I've actually arranged to be free of such impositions. Minor downside: I've been dirt poor for a lot of years.
Withdrawing from routine and normal social expectations and also having money and comforts and friends is very much "only the privileged few."
[0] e.g. If I didn't carry a cell phone, I would be fired because I am expected to be reachable while away from the office. This is not a unique situation.
I would argue that this is unique or at the very least, the minority of positions.
Only here to say that it's your choice to engage with an employer who makes that decision for you. In other words, find a new job.
We could look at another example, say the increasingly widespread use of mobile payments in China. How about people living in areas without other major services who need to keep in touch with family/friends/emergency services?
Regardless of the other situations, you're also making the assumption that I and others can just immediately find other employment. With the current massive number of layoffs, alternative employment prospects are dropping for a hell of a lot of people. So if this is the only job I can get right now, is it reasonable still to say that I can 'easily' give up my cell phone, for the low low price of not having enough money for rent/mortgage and food?
Losing your job because you're "off the grid" is always terrible. This is not an excuse just because now there is more serious ramifications. Perhaps it's just now extra terrible.
Cellphones are as necessary as a phone back in the day. You might be able to get away with not having a phone but things like finding work become extremely difficult.
Are you though? Do people not have the right to set boundaries anymore?
- That's assuming enough people know and care about it. You are tracked by the sensors carried by others too. And even if you are not, you live in the society built around the collected data anyway. It affects you.
- it's a twisted point of view. I should be able to enjoy the benefit of technology without having the threat of my own fellow human using it against me. This is bullying.
The issue is the coronavirus which adds another dimension of 'public good'.