From the Flip Side

Just over a year ago, I rid myself of a technology that presented unfettered access to everything and anything whenever I wanted to seek it out–and often when I didn’t. I removed from my life the potentially greatest imaginable block to authentic creativity and connection.

This may seem an overdramatic indictment of the smartphone. But as I relish in my semi-luddite life, it is impossible to resist such strongly worded expression. I feel so compelled to express my newfound understanding of the personal and communal detriment we bring to ourselves with this item that feels unquestionably necessary to our daily lives.

I originally expected to use my flip phone for just a few more months, then revert to smartphone use and move forward with newfound healthy habits. This is now an unimaginable change. (An ADHD diagnosis affirmed my difficulty with moderation.) I am inexpressibly grateful to have spent the entirety of 2023 free of the smartphone and the burdens it carries.

I have become more engaged, authentic and present. I have felt at peace with myself and my communities in a manner I did not expect. I have participated in more discussions, more literature, more creation. I have done all of this with my entire, undistracted self.

I have saved money! An iPhone screen repair is at least twice the cost of my phone (which I can throw across the room without fear of damage). There is a sense of accomplishment in avoiding the planned obsolescence of smartphones or the urge to “upgrade.” And I do not scroll through online stores in moments of boredom.

I have rediscovered music I adore. On my laptop, I have the opportunity to explore new music with attention and intention. But on my phone, I have MP3s ripped from YouTube videos or CDs. Hitting shuffle on my music takes me through the couple-hundred songs I have spent time accumulating. There’s no choice paralysis or pressure to find the perfect album for my walk to class. I never lose love for my favorite songs, and on a daily basis get to experience the gorgeous nostalgia they carry.

Most meaningfully, values I previously held have come to the forefront of my lifestyle. I have explored the nuances of expression and exploration of holding close those abstract beliefs I find integral to content living.

These reflections may read as theatrical and perhaps pretentious. But I can promise you that they are genuine. And as sweeping and grand as my conclusions may seem, the beauty of the dumbphone begins and remains in the small moments of presence.

Waking up without the possibility of beginning my day with a doom scroll. Sitting among loved ones (or strangers!) without Twitter notifications promising celebrity drama, political spectacle or some other 280-character distraction. Running errands without the crushing anxiety resulting from an email refresh in the checkout line. Reading a book without itching to open Instagram. What could be better?