In this current day and age where technology is ingrained in almost every day to day activity, it is hard to imagine functioning without it. Living in the 21st century without a smartphone (or just a cellular device in general), is nearly impossible. Fortunately and unfortunately I have lived this harsh reality for over a week now. There are many pros and cons to going that long without a phone. Instead of having to go through this social experiment yourself, I can just give you all the main points.
Pros
There have been a plethora of pros that have come with going without my phone. The main one has been that I have been forced to actually interact with the world around me. I must admit that I am guilty of going on my phone for at least 50% of my classes, but now I am forced to pay attention. I also have actually socialized with my friends face to face since our main method of communication, texting, as been eliminated. The other day, there was a really clear rainbow that stretched all the way across campus and my first instinct was to take out my phone and take a picture. But once I remembered that I didn't have my phone, I just stopped and enjoyed the rainbow in real life. The real thing is almost always better than pictures. Trust me. Another advantage of not having a phone is that I don't have to fret about charging it. I was always so paranoid about how long my battery would last and now I have released that stress. The final pro that has come out of not having my phone is that I have soooo much more time to get things done. I probably spent a good two to three hours everyday just texting and scrolling through social media. Now however, I have been much more productive in my days. I have been getting sufficient amounts of sleep, actually doing schoolwork and even cleaning my room. Amazing.
Cons
Of course not everything is all positive and self actualizing without a phone. There are a ton of struggles. The most obvious is the inability to get in contact with anyone. At least a dozen people have approached me this week and told me they texted me and I never answered. I have missed numerous events because no one could get in contact with me to attend them. Another one that most people probably don't think about, is that I can no longer set an alarm. I have to keep writing my roommate notes to wake me up in the morning for class. This is a major inconvenience to my life and also I am putting a lot of trust in another person to make sure I wake up in time for all my daily activities. The last con of not having a phone is that I sometimes get extremely bored.And when I use to just listen to music or scroll through my phone while I walked, I now need to just stare at the ground and walk. I also can not pull out my phone to avoid awkward or uncomfortable scenarios.
All and all it has not been the most painful experience in the world. Would I have chosen to do it voluntarily? Definitely not. But it has been pretty eye opening. I don't know how much longer I will have to go as this ancient member of society, but after this long stretch without one, I know I can survive. And probably so can you.
