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(Unless you’re using your phone to look at this article, of course.)
Smartphones. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Or can we? You’ve probably heard of The Social Dilemma, the Netflix documentary that has got folks deleting their social media accounts. (Yes, I deactivated Twitter and Instagram.)
Phonevolution
I’m part of the generation that invented selfies. I remember the evolution of phones. There was the Motorola flip phone. Sony Erickson. The BlackBerry (phone, not fruit). I never got one of those (my schoolmates were addicted to BBM). Then the rise of the Android, and iPhones. #TeamiPhone versus #TeamAndroid is the new Edward versus Jacob.
(For arguments’ sake, Android all the way.)
Yeah, I do love my Samsung. First it was an S3, then S5, then A5, and now I have a trusty A50 phone with THREE CAMERAS I DON’T NEED!
I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve considered chucking my Samsung smartphone and downgrading to a brick or flip. Less pressure. No more buzzing notifications from WhatsApp. At least I uninstalled Emails and Facebook. Well, my phone doesn’t let me uninstall them (crafty Samsung), but I disabled them. Only re-enable them once a day week.
See post: Are we slaves to technology?
My boyfriend barely even used his phone before it broke, thanks to the shite battery. Have to say, it’s hard to see who is better off, him or me. I have an annoying machine that demands my attention. He is free (then again, he has me).
Become less reliant on your phone
Here’s a few things I’ve started doing/recommend:
Buy a notebook. Remember the days when people wrote stuff down in actual notebooks with actual pens? Stop making lists on that dreadful plastic box and use the hands nature gave you.
Take up crossword puzzles. You’re bored and waiting for a friend or a cat. Rather than hurting your thumbs, do a crossword, or wordsearch, or sudoku. I have a pocket crossword puzzle book from WHSmith. Much healthier for the brain than a stupid phone.
Read more. Yes, books — remember those? I recommend Anne by Zarina Macha, Around Midnight by Zarina Macha, or Art is a Waste of Time by Zarina Macha. You can download the latter for free here — there you go, I’ve started you off! Okay, it’s an eBook, but if you really can’t be parted from your phone, then at least read books instead of tweets.
Use your phone for calls and texts only. You know, what they were invented for. Need something to tell time? Buy a watch. Want to take pictures? Get a camera. Need to use the Internet? Well, you must own a laptop. You can’t take your laptop everywhere, meaning less checking Facebook and Tinder. Relegate that time to once per day (or twice if you have to) by making your phone a tool to communicate with other humans. (I know, you can’t live without WhatsApp, and neither can I. But do you really need Instagram?)
Delete those apps you don’t need. Do you REALLY need Twitter? It’s boring and tiresome. Not to mention, filled with negativity. Do I REALLY care that JK Rowling tweeted something controversial? Okay, I wrote an entire blog post on it for digital clickbait. But I’m not seventeen anymore, so Twitter arguments are no longer appealing. I actually make good use of Facebook, being in several author-related groups. I even have my own Facebook group (which you can join) where we discuss topics I’ve covered on my blog. And you can win free books of mine (yay!). But I don’t have Facebook on my phone. Okay, I have Messenger. (But turned off my Active status.)
But seriously, unless you use those apps purposefully, they’re a waste of time. Instagram is just depressing (as I blogged about above). No one looks like a Victoria Secret Model 24/7 (or even 12/3).
A phone is supposed to be a tool to communicate with people when necessary. And sometimes leisurely. But do you really need to check it every morning and every night? I’ve drafted out two blog posts and haven’t even switched my phone on yet.
Maybe people in the past were onto something. People lived for millennia without smartphones and social media. Now, I’m not suggesting we do away with it completely. As I said, I still have Facebook, although I deleted nearly all of my pictures and regularly unfriend people I haven’t spoken to in years. My friends’ listed is now in the two-hundreds. The ultimate goal is to have FIFTY FACEBOOK FRIENDS! (If only my thirteen-year-old self could see the irony.)
See post: Facebook’s False Friendship
But life is not a black mirror. The world won’t end tomorrow if your phone dies. Just remember; the world exists outside of a black plastic box.
Thank you for the advice!