Is the correct response to someone who hates their job, who happens to take a hike and enjoy nature once in a while, "why don't you go live in the woods then?"?

Is it the wrong response? If they hate a job there's actual value in assessing whether they need it, especially if they could live life in a different environment they would enjoy with things made by their own hands.

Well yea, why open your mouth at all that point? This implies people who don't leave society approve of it, which is blatantly false.

Or maybe you just literally do not empathize with most humans, which feels a little concerning.

There is value, yes. However, things are rarely so black and white as the commenter above you sees it wherein one could simply disconnect entirely. The reality of it is within our current zeitgeist the digital world is unavoidable - be it in the workplace, the condensation of our activities (incl. unavoidable ones- banking, etc) into apps on our phones.

Of course this is barring the idea of withdrawing all ones savings and moving onto a farm and living off the land :D.

> Sorry to be dismissive

Then don't be dismissive?

Seriously, isn't this answer the exact application of your own philosophy?

i don't see much point in discussing phones at all if this is the attitude people respond with. Why not just recommend that one move to Antarctica if they don't like something about society? You're acting like participation is meaningfully negotiable. Why not just advise someone to kill themselves if they're unhappy?

I think this is true to an extent and it’s good to take a step back and remind yourself that thing you think is making you miserable is ultimately a small square of metal and glass. But the actual situation is more complicated. Clearly phones have utility beyond being skinner boxes, the ability to contact your loved ones, navigate roads and transit systems, translate languages, retrieve information from the web, etc are all extremely useful and their absence would decrease your quality of life. But since that’s all bundled together with the stuff people find harmful you’re left in a constant struggle to only your device in a beneficial way. You can lock down your phone but that’s just a band-aid. If someone can figure out a “smart-ish” phone that does the things I listed above but not the harmful things I think there would be a real market for it.

I don’t want to miss any slack notifications while I’m walking my dog

Why?