Coming from another luddite (maybe not quite a zealot) - great decision! 😄 I've never had a smartphone, and I'm the one who says "please just get me to the numbers" when a friend lets me use their smartphone to call someone (despite only being in my early 20s). So as I think I already said on another post, yay for dumbphones!
As far as features...you get used to it, I think. And like you said, prep is key. My husband had a smartphone for many years, and when we were dating and he switched to a dumbphone, he was most worried about losing Google Maps/GPS because he was maybe a little bit terrified of getting lost. 😅 Now, after only once or twice being lost, he is obsessed with maps and seems to be mildly offended when we are really stuck and I suggest we use the very clunky navigational systems on one of our dumbphones. He looks at Google Maps in advance whenever we're going somewhere, and also checks out the surrounding area of our destination so that we might be able to find our way if we lose it. My parents bought us a giant road map of our home state and it's been more than enough to get us most places.
For tickets, as you mentioned, we just buy them in advance and print them out with the QR code on them. For the menu thing, that does get really annoying, but if I remember correctly the places to which we've gone with such a feature have kindly acquired us paper copies from somewhere. But then, that hasn't happened much - probably because we generally tend to stay away from "hip" places and whatnot anyway!
I've never used Uber or anything like it, and frankly find the idea of getting into a random stranger's car to be terrifying. xP So no loss for me there. As you said, though, there are more than enough other options that may be utilized without a smartphone!
Lastly, payment - what you're saying makes sense to me, as I almost never use anything but credit or cash, and then occasionally use PayPal if it's something online. But then again, that's fine to use on a computer.
That was more like my ten cents than my two cents, but there are my thoughts!
That was a great ten cents, and I appreciate it. Sounds like your husband has made a successful transition.
The map issue was the one that worried me the most. Everyone I've told about my switch to a dumbphone brought up the GPS issue almost immediately, so it's obviously a common concern. What if there's an emergency? What if I'm late to my job interview? It leaves people feeling vulnerable.
What I really want to do is study and memorize my city's map. Going out of town will always require prep, but I'd like to be able to see any local address and have a basic idea of how to get there. I don't know if that's reasonable, but I want to try.
May I ask what kind of dumbphone you use? I wasn't aware of any, other than the Light Phone, that had GPS, clunky or otherwise.
Right, that makes sense. I guess it would depend on what kind of emergency? You can still dial 911 with a dumb phone. I'm not sure. I've never encountered an emergency situation where my current phone didn't serve just fine. And I mean, what did people do before smartphones, or, for that matter, any phones? They still seemed to get by okay, I think. But maybe I'm just naïve.
As far as being late to job interview...again, people had job interviews before smartphones, right? I suppose it would just mean (if you're really worried about traffic variables etc.) getting there a little extra early. Vulnerable seems right - because, I mean, with a smartphone, you literally have everything at your fingertips and then to suddenly have to burst that false bubble of complete self-sufficiency must leave a person feeling pretty exposed. And God forbid that one would have to ask for help or - gasp - directions!
I think that's pretty reasonable! I've lived in the same general area my whole life, and while most of my childhood in the car was spent reading and therefore mostly oblivious on how to get places, having to drive myself has really filled in the gaps. The amount of times where I've had a list of errands and then had to really sit there and think, "Okay, what's the best and most efficient route?" has massively improved my knowledge of the area, and my directional sense in general.
It might be discontinued, but I use a Alcatel MyFlip (I think that's what it's called). I got the phone itself for less than $20 (a few years ago) and have an unlimited talk/text and I think 2GB of data (you need it if you want to be able to send pictures etc.) for about $24/month. I've also heard of something called a Wisephone, which seems similar to the Light Phone that you've mentioned. You can technically access internet with my flip phone (with data, of course) but it's SO slow and annoying, my gosh. The GPS is moderately okay, but since I turned off all the tracking within it, it doesn't really let you "find my location" if you need to get somewhere. A couple of times that I have used it, I have to look around where we are and find a supermarket or something that I can search, and then get directions. But again, slow and annoying and it's way faster to just pull the map out of the backseat.
Lastly, I will add a disclaimer. I still am a lot more attached to my phone than I want to be. The internet on it is clunky, but it's still there. I still can call or write pretty much anyone I know, and I can still worry that they're not responding fast enough, and I still carry it around because maybe I might get a message from someone!! ...so yeah, having a "dumbphone" is still better, I think, like if you're trying to cut on your sugar intake and you start keeping your desserts on a high shelf instead of in the middle of the counter. But you still can go up and get them off the shelf, OR carry your phone around and check it semi-obsessively.
It really boils down to one's own discipline, I think. Yup, dumbphone makes it a little easier, but it doesn't make it so you have an uncluttered mind and easy virtue all served up on a platter.
It does! And I absolutely agree about smartphones helping to create a false idea of control. The ability to connect to the internet anywhere and everywhere can be helpful at times, but it isn't the same thing as self-sufficiency. There are a million things that can happen to your phone. Drop it in/on anything, battery goes bad, no bars. If you don't know how to manage without it, you're in trouble.
As you say, it's not a cure-all for anxious or obsessive behavior, but at least with a dumbphone, there's far less vying for your attention. I'm hoping I'll be able to reroute mine towards more worthy pursuits.
I thought about doing this but ended up succumbing to the will of the tech gods. Curious, how has this been going? I’m trying to limit my exposure to my phone lately. It’s a real struggle.
I'm sad to say that the delivery of my Lightphone III has been delayed until March, so I haven't completely gotten rid of my smartphone yet.
However, I've gotten better at navigating without an app. I was able to give my husband directions twice this week without looking them up. It's a small thing, but I was proud of myself. I haven't gotten any new apps since making my decision, and I've gotten rid of a couple.
My biggest problem now is at bed time. I spend far too much time using my phone's browser. I look forward to having a phone without that sort of internet connection.
When I've had my Lightphone for a month, I plan to write an update, so stay tuned.
Fascinating decisions, and I applaud you, no matter what the decision might be, when made for the betterment of the person.
Maps are definitely super helpful, but planning ahead generally solves that, though the live traffic information is a really nice feature. My kids have the Greenlight chore/bank account/credit cards, which pop up notifications to approve etc on my phone, so that would take some thinking to give up.
I will be very curious to see how this particular decision goes for you.
I'm curious myself, and I enjoy experimenting with my own life, so I don't feel I can lose.
I don't have young kids, but I can see how that would complicate this issue. If you find a particularly useful tool, you wouldn't want to give it up or make your life needlessly complicated.
I do plan to write again when I've had the Lightphone for a month and make a full report.
Actually, I predate answering machines. You either kept trying, or went and knocked on the door, or sent a letter. Imagine that! And it wasn't that long ago. A mere 50 years or so.
A letter! What a lovely idea. I remember my mother having a pen pal she stayed in touch with for around twenty years.
The changes that have taken place in the last fifty years are astounding. Many have been good, but I worry about how some have affected us socially. I could go on at length about that, but I'm afraid I'll sound very curmudgeonly. Maybe I'll write an essay instead. :-)
Having given myself a good dose of phone-free time with an old-fashioned flip-phone last year, I reverted to a smartphone after six months. However, even a short break completely changed the way I used it: now it's primarily for calls, photos, a calendar/reminder app, and internet banking. (The latter is the one I missed the most, but I did get accustomed to checking my banking on my computer before I left the house.) No browser or social media permitted!
I keep my GPS for long trips through crowded cities, but I've been challenging myself to find my way around locally using signs and maps instead. It's surprising how quickly one adapts to 'pathfinding', and you develop that wonderful sense of direction that I always admired in older generations.
I continue to reassure myself that my parents and THEIR parents survived without this new convenient technology, and so can I! Perhaps making life a touch less convenient, but would I rather be capable of finding my way when lost without a phone, or being forever dependent on it? I think the former. :)
It was so interesting to read this article and hear your resolutions! Good luck, we'll be waiting to hear more on the result!
Thank you, Jess. I'm glad you found the article interesting, and I'm looking forward to reporting back on how this experiment goes.
It's very comforting to know our parents and grandparents did just fine without these things.
And it's great that you were able to change your relationship with your smartphone. Taking that time away sounds like it showed you how little you really needed it.
:) I would love to see a modern day rush hour comprised entirely of Model Ts. And I'm a bit nostalgic for land lines and answering machines. It was nice when people didn't expect you to always be reachable.
Full disclosure, I had to Google what a slide rule was, and I realized I'd seen them before when I was a kid. I never knew what it was for.
Remembering and living in a time before home computers is most definitely an advantage. As far as I'm concerned, you elders all have super powers.
Time is a funny thing. I remember back to the days of Sputnik and missile crises. My mother remembered back to the Depression, and her mother was a flapper and rode in a Model T. Only 100 years. Look around you. Time never stops. And memories disappear unless someone records them.
My husband and I were talking about the Vietnam War this evening. My father and two cousins fought in that war, and paid an obscene personal price. They would never talk about it with anyone who hadn't been there. Two are gone now. The third is still around. Maybe he will some day write about it, but I don't think he can. It's probably classified. Do GenX or Gen Z kids (sorry) know about these things? You know what they say about being doomed to repeat them. Now I am done.
That's a very good point. It feels like we're cut off from our history in a way no one else has been. It's as if we have no sense of a before. The speed of modern tech advancement is so accelerated compared with previous generations that everything is 'now,' and nothing is 'then.' Every minute, an old world dies and a new one is born. Like we've come to the end of history.
Of course, everyone in every new generation probably feels that way. But socially, life seems quite different from what I've read or heard my grandparents talk about.
I appreciate all your comments, Ann, and I enjoy reading them.
Oh my gosh, wait, I'm in the same boat!!! That's the whole reason I've dropped off Substack (plus, I don't care for the platform as regards how *I* personally use it but that is a subject for myself to pursue) because I'm trying to really rein myself in on how I use my phone. I'm working through the prompts in Catherine Price's How to Break up with Your Phone at the moment.
Maps is the biggest thing I want to keep my phone around for because I spent a whole year driving without a smartphone and let me tell you, that was a pain and I don't want to go back, even though I know I physically can. I am a Gen Zer, so I know my experience is something out of the norm all around, even for Gen Zers, but that's okay.
But having access to the internet at any time and any place is actually a huge killer for me. I don't spend a lot of time on mobile games, no more than I do on my computer. But with the internet I can trick myself into thinking I am learning or growing a more beautiful life at any point. Ugh ugh ad nauseam.
I do want to keep my smartphone, though, because I have many friendships with people around the world, both with people I've met in real life and otherwise and I want to keep those friendships going. So I'm more focused on changing my behaviors rather than letting my phone control me. :3
That's a very healthy attitude. I tend to do well putting unhelpful items out of sight, as they fade from my mind quickly. But I know there are many obsessive behaviors which will need to be addressed if I don't want them to come out somewhere else.
And what you said about tricking yourself into thinking you're learning or improving your life rings so true. A person can look up one day and realize how little they've really accomplished compared to what they thought. I spent a lot of time staring at idealized images, and it caused me to forget that I wasn't living the life I wanted.
I'm a smartphone convert, but you certainly aren't alone in deciding to ditch the smartphone - I read recently that there's a growing movement back to "dumb" flip phones, fueled largely by Gen Z, who seem to be a crop of little Luddites in a lot of ways.
I've seen several articles recently on Gen Z's determination to back away from the tech their parents and grandparents fell in love with. That includes buying vinyl records and CDs over streaming music and video, choosing print books over ebooks, and much more. Interestingly, it also extends to their preferences in fiction (both books and TV/film). One piece noted that this generation dislikes explicit sex scenes and prefers to read stories about non-romantic relationships and found families rather than the traditional fiction tropes. (I've taken note of that for revising a few of my own stories!).
Good idea. I've wanted to write a story about a ragtag band for a while, and those sorts of stories almost always involve the found family. It sounds like now is the time.
There's something about interacting with physical media that you don't get when streaming or looking at a screen. I think part of it is that we're embodied beings existing in three-dimensional space, and art changes for us when it leaves the realm of thought and screen and joins us where we are. Sorry if that sounds terribly woo.
Whatever Gen Z's reasons for these preferences, I hope it's a sign of something good.
Coming from another luddite (maybe not quite a zealot) - great decision! 😄 I've never had a smartphone, and I'm the one who says "please just get me to the numbers" when a friend lets me use their smartphone to call someone (despite only being in my early 20s). So as I think I already said on another post, yay for dumbphones!
As far as features...you get used to it, I think. And like you said, prep is key. My husband had a smartphone for many years, and when we were dating and he switched to a dumbphone, he was most worried about losing Google Maps/GPS because he was maybe a little bit terrified of getting lost. 😅 Now, after only once or twice being lost, he is obsessed with maps and seems to be mildly offended when we are really stuck and I suggest we use the very clunky navigational systems on one of our dumbphones. He looks at Google Maps in advance whenever we're going somewhere, and also checks out the surrounding area of our destination so that we might be able to find our way if we lose it. My parents bought us a giant road map of our home state and it's been more than enough to get us most places.
For tickets, as you mentioned, we just buy them in advance and print them out with the QR code on them. For the menu thing, that does get really annoying, but if I remember correctly the places to which we've gone with such a feature have kindly acquired us paper copies from somewhere. But then, that hasn't happened much - probably because we generally tend to stay away from "hip" places and whatnot anyway!
I've never used Uber or anything like it, and frankly find the idea of getting into a random stranger's car to be terrifying. xP So no loss for me there. As you said, though, there are more than enough other options that may be utilized without a smartphone!
Lastly, payment - what you're saying makes sense to me, as I almost never use anything but credit or cash, and then occasionally use PayPal if it's something online. But then again, that's fine to use on a computer.
That was more like my ten cents than my two cents, but there are my thoughts!
That was a great ten cents, and I appreciate it. Sounds like your husband has made a successful transition.
The map issue was the one that worried me the most. Everyone I've told about my switch to a dumbphone brought up the GPS issue almost immediately, so it's obviously a common concern. What if there's an emergency? What if I'm late to my job interview? It leaves people feeling vulnerable.
What I really want to do is study and memorize my city's map. Going out of town will always require prep, but I'd like to be able to see any local address and have a basic idea of how to get there. I don't know if that's reasonable, but I want to try.
May I ask what kind of dumbphone you use? I wasn't aware of any, other than the Light Phone, that had GPS, clunky or otherwise.
Oh good! Thanks!
Right, that makes sense. I guess it would depend on what kind of emergency? You can still dial 911 with a dumb phone. I'm not sure. I've never encountered an emergency situation where my current phone didn't serve just fine. And I mean, what did people do before smartphones, or, for that matter, any phones? They still seemed to get by okay, I think. But maybe I'm just naïve.
As far as being late to job interview...again, people had job interviews before smartphones, right? I suppose it would just mean (if you're really worried about traffic variables etc.) getting there a little extra early. Vulnerable seems right - because, I mean, with a smartphone, you literally have everything at your fingertips and then to suddenly have to burst that false bubble of complete self-sufficiency must leave a person feeling pretty exposed. And God forbid that one would have to ask for help or - gasp - directions!
I think that's pretty reasonable! I've lived in the same general area my whole life, and while most of my childhood in the car was spent reading and therefore mostly oblivious on how to get places, having to drive myself has really filled in the gaps. The amount of times where I've had a list of errands and then had to really sit there and think, "Okay, what's the best and most efficient route?" has massively improved my knowledge of the area, and my directional sense in general.
It might be discontinued, but I use a Alcatel MyFlip (I think that's what it's called). I got the phone itself for less than $20 (a few years ago) and have an unlimited talk/text and I think 2GB of data (you need it if you want to be able to send pictures etc.) for about $24/month. I've also heard of something called a Wisephone, which seems similar to the Light Phone that you've mentioned. You can technically access internet with my flip phone (with data, of course) but it's SO slow and annoying, my gosh. The GPS is moderately okay, but since I turned off all the tracking within it, it doesn't really let you "find my location" if you need to get somewhere. A couple of times that I have used it, I have to look around where we are and find a supermarket or something that I can search, and then get directions. But again, slow and annoying and it's way faster to just pull the map out of the backseat.
Lastly, I will add a disclaimer. I still am a lot more attached to my phone than I want to be. The internet on it is clunky, but it's still there. I still can call or write pretty much anyone I know, and I can still worry that they're not responding fast enough, and I still carry it around because maybe I might get a message from someone!! ...so yeah, having a "dumbphone" is still better, I think, like if you're trying to cut on your sugar intake and you start keeping your desserts on a high shelf instead of in the middle of the counter. But you still can go up and get them off the shelf, OR carry your phone around and check it semi-obsessively.
It really boils down to one's own discipline, I think. Yup, dumbphone makes it a little easier, but it doesn't make it so you have an uncluttered mind and easy virtue all served up on a platter.
Hopefully that all makes sense. 😅
It does! And I absolutely agree about smartphones helping to create a false idea of control. The ability to connect to the internet anywhere and everywhere can be helpful at times, but it isn't the same thing as self-sufficiency. There are a million things that can happen to your phone. Drop it in/on anything, battery goes bad, no bars. If you don't know how to manage without it, you're in trouble.
As you say, it's not a cure-all for anxious or obsessive behavior, but at least with a dumbphone, there's far less vying for your attention. I'm hoping I'll be able to reroute mine towards more worthy pursuits.
Yup, exactly.
That sounds excellent. Best of luck to you! 😁
We eldders have an advantage. We remember a time before mobile phones and GPS, word processors and computers. Heck I learned on a slide rule
I thought about doing this but ended up succumbing to the will of the tech gods. Curious, how has this been going? I’m trying to limit my exposure to my phone lately. It’s a real struggle.
I'm sad to say that the delivery of my Lightphone III has been delayed until March, so I haven't completely gotten rid of my smartphone yet.
However, I've gotten better at navigating without an app. I was able to give my husband directions twice this week without looking them up. It's a small thing, but I was proud of myself. I haven't gotten any new apps since making my decision, and I've gotten rid of a couple.
My biggest problem now is at bed time. I spend far too much time using my phone's browser. I look forward to having a phone without that sort of internet connection.
When I've had my Lightphone for a month, I plan to write an update, so stay tuned.
Thanks for commenting.
Fascinating decisions, and I applaud you, no matter what the decision might be, when made for the betterment of the person.
Maps are definitely super helpful, but planning ahead generally solves that, though the live traffic information is a really nice feature. My kids have the Greenlight chore/bank account/credit cards, which pop up notifications to approve etc on my phone, so that would take some thinking to give up.
I will be very curious to see how this particular decision goes for you.
I'm curious myself, and I enjoy experimenting with my own life, so I don't feel I can lose.
I don't have young kids, but I can see how that would complicate this issue. If you find a particularly useful tool, you wouldn't want to give it up or make your life needlessly complicated.
I do plan to write again when I've had the Lightphone for a month and make a full report.
Stay tuned!
Actually, I predate answering machines. You either kept trying, or went and knocked on the door, or sent a letter. Imagine that! And it wasn't that long ago. A mere 50 years or so.
A letter! What a lovely idea. I remember my mother having a pen pal she stayed in touch with for around twenty years.
The changes that have taken place in the last fifty years are astounding. Many have been good, but I worry about how some have affected us socially. I could go on at length about that, but I'm afraid I'll sound very curmudgeonly. Maybe I'll write an essay instead. :-)
Maybe I will too. :-)
Having given myself a good dose of phone-free time with an old-fashioned flip-phone last year, I reverted to a smartphone after six months. However, even a short break completely changed the way I used it: now it's primarily for calls, photos, a calendar/reminder app, and internet banking. (The latter is the one I missed the most, but I did get accustomed to checking my banking on my computer before I left the house.) No browser or social media permitted!
I keep my GPS for long trips through crowded cities, but I've been challenging myself to find my way around locally using signs and maps instead. It's surprising how quickly one adapts to 'pathfinding', and you develop that wonderful sense of direction that I always admired in older generations.
I continue to reassure myself that my parents and THEIR parents survived without this new convenient technology, and so can I! Perhaps making life a touch less convenient, but would I rather be capable of finding my way when lost without a phone, or being forever dependent on it? I think the former. :)
It was so interesting to read this article and hear your resolutions! Good luck, we'll be waiting to hear more on the result!
Thank you, Jess. I'm glad you found the article interesting, and I'm looking forward to reporting back on how this experiment goes.
It's very comforting to know our parents and grandparents did just fine without these things.
And it's great that you were able to change your relationship with your smartphone. Taking that time away sounds like it showed you how little you really needed it.
Sorry, my message went prematurely.We can cope. You can too. We might want to install "land lines" though. And drive Model Ts. ;-)
:) I would love to see a modern day rush hour comprised entirely of Model Ts. And I'm a bit nostalgic for land lines and answering machines. It was nice when people didn't expect you to always be reachable.
Full disclosure, I had to Google what a slide rule was, and I realized I'd seen them before when I was a kid. I never knew what it was for.
Remembering and living in a time before home computers is most definitely an advantage. As far as I'm concerned, you elders all have super powers.
Time is a funny thing. I remember back to the days of Sputnik and missile crises. My mother remembered back to the Depression, and her mother was a flapper and rode in a Model T. Only 100 years. Look around you. Time never stops. And memories disappear unless someone records them.
My husband and I were talking about the Vietnam War this evening. My father and two cousins fought in that war, and paid an obscene personal price. They would never talk about it with anyone who hadn't been there. Two are gone now. The third is still around. Maybe he will some day write about it, but I don't think he can. It's probably classified. Do GenX or Gen Z kids (sorry) know about these things? You know what they say about being doomed to repeat them. Now I am done.
That's a very good point. It feels like we're cut off from our history in a way no one else has been. It's as if we have no sense of a before. The speed of modern tech advancement is so accelerated compared with previous generations that everything is 'now,' and nothing is 'then.' Every minute, an old world dies and a new one is born. Like we've come to the end of history.
Of course, everyone in every new generation probably feels that way. But socially, life seems quite different from what I've read or heard my grandparents talk about.
I appreciate all your comments, Ann, and I enjoy reading them.
Oh my gosh, wait, I'm in the same boat!!! That's the whole reason I've dropped off Substack (plus, I don't care for the platform as regards how *I* personally use it but that is a subject for myself to pursue) because I'm trying to really rein myself in on how I use my phone. I'm working through the prompts in Catherine Price's How to Break up with Your Phone at the moment.
Maps is the biggest thing I want to keep my phone around for because I spent a whole year driving without a smartphone and let me tell you, that was a pain and I don't want to go back, even though I know I physically can. I am a Gen Zer, so I know my experience is something out of the norm all around, even for Gen Zers, but that's okay.
But having access to the internet at any time and any place is actually a huge killer for me. I don't spend a lot of time on mobile games, no more than I do on my computer. But with the internet I can trick myself into thinking I am learning or growing a more beautiful life at any point. Ugh ugh ad nauseam.
I do want to keep my smartphone, though, because I have many friendships with people around the world, both with people I've met in real life and otherwise and I want to keep those friendships going. So I'm more focused on changing my behaviors rather than letting my phone control me. :3
That's a very healthy attitude. I tend to do well putting unhelpful items out of sight, as they fade from my mind quickly. But I know there are many obsessive behaviors which will need to be addressed if I don't want them to come out somewhere else.
And what you said about tricking yourself into thinking you're learning or improving your life rings so true. A person can look up one day and realize how little they've really accomplished compared to what they thought. I spent a lot of time staring at idealized images, and it caused me to forget that I wasn't living the life I wanted.
I'm a smartphone convert, but you certainly aren't alone in deciding to ditch the smartphone - I read recently that there's a growing movement back to "dumb" flip phones, fueled largely by Gen Z, who seem to be a crop of little Luddites in a lot of ways.
I've heard the same. I'm an old millennial, and it's funny to see Gen Z wanting to use phones that look exactly like the one I had twenty years ago.
At my last job, I thought I'd be the only one who wasn't on social media, but my youngest coworker, 18 years old, wasn't on anything but TikTok.
It's good to see them questioning the presence of these things in their lives.
I'd love to hear your impression of why that might be. I haven't read much on the subject.
I've seen several articles recently on Gen Z's determination to back away from the tech their parents and grandparents fell in love with. That includes buying vinyl records and CDs over streaming music and video, choosing print books over ebooks, and much more. Interestingly, it also extends to their preferences in fiction (both books and TV/film). One piece noted that this generation dislikes explicit sex scenes and prefers to read stories about non-romantic relationships and found families rather than the traditional fiction tropes. (I've taken note of that for revising a few of my own stories!).
Good idea. I've wanted to write a story about a ragtag band for a while, and those sorts of stories almost always involve the found family. It sounds like now is the time.
There's something about interacting with physical media that you don't get when streaming or looking at a screen. I think part of it is that we're embodied beings existing in three-dimensional space, and art changes for us when it leaves the realm of thought and screen and joins us where we are. Sorry if that sounds terribly woo.
Whatever Gen Z's reasons for these preferences, I hope it's a sign of something good.