You’re probably thinking I’m crazy for saying it, but hear me out, I do have my reasons. My iPhone is due for an upgrade with my carrier. Yes, I am eager to get another one and to be honest I’ve seriously contemplated a flip phone. Yes, my phone is wonderful, it can do so many things for me with the touch of a screen. That is exactly my point: my cell phone does everything for me that I should be doing myself.
I’d love to take it back to the “old days” when I had to dial my phone number into a keypad because it was faster than searching through my list of contacts, memorizing cell phone numbers of those who were important, but now we hardly remember what our house phone number is.
Yes, Siri is great and yes sometimes I get mad at her when she gives me a sassy answer back. But why am I getting mad at a piece of technology when I could go and look up the information myself? It’s faster! And I get that point, but sitting there enunciating every single word so she hears me correctly can get pretty time consuming when she keeps replying, “Sorry I didn’t get that.” Hopping onto my laptop and looking it up could give me the same answer if I wait two more minutes.
Smartphones are a both a blessing and a curse. I could sit on my phone all day if I was that bored. As pathetic as that sounds, there are thousands of other people who would most likely agree with me, from Twitter, to Facebook, to Instagram, to Vine, to Pinterest and all over again. It’s just a never-ending cycle because once you are done checking your last app, you can go back to the first one you checked and there will be new postings. Flip phones, well, they really don’t have that capability. If I want to tweet something, I’ll have to wait. If I want to check my Facebook, I’ll have to wait. This gives me more time to be invested in my life. The advantage of having a flip phone would be that I could disconnect. From all the Twitter drama, newest pins and Facebook puppy videos (even though I’m a sucker for them). I could disconnect from it all and invest time in my friends, school work and personal health.
I’d be lying if I wasn’t slightly dependent on my iPhone. When I’m in the car it can be used hands free, but I shouldn’t need it in the car at all. When I’m in class it helps pass the time before the professor starts, but I should be interacting with my peers instead. When I’m at a social gathering I can hide on it to make it look like I’m busy, but I should be social and looking to connect with those around me. I can use it to text my significant other that I love them, but I really should look them in the eye and say it or call them. If I’m fighting with a significant other, I can use my read receipts to let them know that I’m ignoring them but really I should be working the problem out face to face.
We depend so greatly on our smartphones to get us through the day that we forget to put them down and appreciate everything around us. The more I grow, the more it seems like I’m investing my time in my iPhone and not my surroundings. With a flip phone, my actions are limited: I can text, call, take a picture, and maybe check my email. To be simplistic that is truly all we need, but saying things and doing things, well they’re two different things.
