Before you laugh at this title let me make a few things clear. First off, no, I am not getting commission from Jitterbug for every flip-phone they sell so please don't assume my views are being skewed by an elderly cellular service. Second, I urge you to read this piece with an open mind. I get that you like literally "loooovvvee" your iPhone and all your twitter followers would be like so laughing at me and my suggestion that you buy a flip-phone, but hear me out and also, stop saying "like" so often.
So, the "smartphone", what a device. You can video call your cousin on the other side of the world with it, you can scroll the world wide web (that's 90's white dad speak for internet) with it, and think of all the great videos of concerts you can take with it! Alright so look, I AGREE with the majority of the world, Smartphones f***ing rock! Where I differ however, is that I believe, like all good things in life, smartphones should be used, in moderation. Why do I hold that belief? It's certainly not because I'm a father-john-misty-loving, society-judging, contrarian, hipster. No, that's definitely not it. The real reason I possess this belief is I truly believe that the excessive use of the smartphone can actually harm the truly connected life that it attempts to cultivate.
The first reason I feel this way is that smartphones are, well, addictive. Just like cigarettes, caffeine, and watching the office, being on your smartphones all the time is an addiction. We are all the smartphone obsessed equivalents of drug addicts. We constantly indulge in our drug, to the point of excess, and as the indulgent continues, the connection (and reliance) between ourselves and our drug, deepens. Ok, that was a creepy analogy but the point remains. This constant feeling of unease you have when you wonder if you have a notification, or the odd fact that you're almost never 5 feet away from your phone are addictive tendencies. Now, you may not care that you're addicted to your phone and that's fine, but if you believe that it doesn't negatively affect your life than I believe you to be wrong.
The second reason as to why I recommend a moderation of smartphone use is this objective truth, smartphones are turning people into bigger assholes than normal. Alright so I admit that reason is subjective, but check this out. Studies have recently found that just the presence of smart-phones is negatively affecting the quality of person to person conversations. You read that right, just the fact that your smartphone is on the table leads to you checking it or constantly being alert to it and therefore harming the conversation you are having with a real life human being. Add to that, a psychologist's conclusion that smartphones are actually making us less empathetic and you have a perfect cocktail for being a bigger asshole. Also think about all the stupid petty arguments you may have had for having read receipt on or deleting someone off twitter and how these could be avoided by less smartphone use.
The third and final reason I have for advocating less smartphone use is a pretentious and philosophical one, there is a beautiful world out there and it shouldn't be solely seen through a screen! I love great pictures and blurry loud concert snap-chats as much as the next guy, but let's be real folks. What's more important, capturing a photo of a moment or truly capturing the moment? I understand that some moments should be photographed and I am glad that I possess many beautiful photographs of events that have occurred in my life, but that's what cameras are for. I can't tell you how many times I've gone for a run in a beautiful location on a beautiful day and noticed how not one person is admiring the day but rather admiring their 4 inch screen. I'm aware I sound like Robin Williams in Dead Poet's society, but as Drake so elegantly put it, "YOLO". You only live once and perhaps you would get more out of life if you left the phone at home for the bigger moments in life.
Smartphones do wondrous and revolutionary things. I couldn't live without my smartphone and I would venture to say that most people my age can't either. Having said that though, I recently purchased a flip-phone with 100 minutes on it for just $30. And yes, I can genuinely say I have made more memories and better connections with people and my surroundings when that phone was with me as opposed to my smartphone. Don't get rid of your smartphone, but for the moments that matter maybe buy a flip-phone to take with you instead. You may find it freeing.
