by A.R., Survival Blog:
In the fall of 2021, I took a college course titled “Ethics & Social Responsibility in Technology.” The course began by investigating Amish communities as an example of technological stewardship. Contrary to popular belief (including my own before the class), Amish communities do in fact utilize a variety of technological innovations. What differentiates Amish technology use from mainstream culture is that the Amish view technology as a means to an end and do not blindly adopt new tech for the sake of progress. Rather, each new technology is carefully evaluated to determine if it aligns with their beliefs and lifestyle. Although adoption of technology is determined individually by Amish communities, in general most new technology is not adopted. The traditional Amish lifestyle is valued over the comforts and convenience of modern technology. Though it could be argued that the Amish have an overly suspicious view of innovation, it is hard to disagree with their belief that technology has the potential to greatly change a culture.
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The class spurred me on to examine how I was using technology in my own life. While in general technology has had a positive effect on my life, I could not decide if smartphones helped me or not. As a millennial (on the young end of the age range) I first began using a smartphone around the time I graduated high school and had never looked back. Over the next decade and a half, I saw smartphones increase in processing power and Internet functionality. Without really thinking about it, I had grown accustomed to carrying around what was essentially a supercomputer in my pocket, along with the unbridled Internet and communication access that entailed.
To be fair, my smartphones had helped me grow more knowledgeable and had aided me in completing a college degree (along with first connecting with the woman who is now my wife on social media). At the same time, however, negative changes in myself stood out just as prominently. First, I had noticed a while ago that my attention span was gradually shrinking; if there was a slow moment in life, I would whip out my phone and begin perusing the Internet for the latest news or information. Second, I found myself buying things I didn’t need because I would use shopping online as a diversion. Third, I did not like the constant temptation of knowing explicit content was only a tap or two away every waking hour. Fourth, after the 2020 election cycle, I found myself sinking into the activity of “doom-scrolling” (i.e., staying continually immersed in the negativity of the media beyond what is helpful to be informed). Fifth, I had growing concerns about privacy while using a smartphone, particularly on Apple devices (as I was a dedicated iPhone user). Several suspicious instances had occurred where I would mention a topic (such as a television show) during a phone conversation or in a text, and immediately begin receiving targeted ads regarding the topic. Sixth, and most importantly, I hated the feeling that I was getting pulled into increasing dependence on my smartphone against my will. I never made a conscious choice to be constantly glued to my phone, but somehow it was happening anyway.
Quite a bit of coverage has been given to privacy issues regarding mobile phones, especially pertaining to apps gathering user data. Apps commonly gather contact information, Internet browsing/search history, location information, financial or purchase information, as well as health and fitness information. While this might be expected of some sorts of apps (such as social media, banking, or fitness apps), information is commonly being siphoned off users from apps which seemingly would have no reason to do so. For example, popular Bible app YouVersion infamously gathered user GPS location information as well as contact information (though it seemingly decreased its invasiveness after this came to public light).
Even outside of specific applications, Apple and Google have come under scrutiny gathering user information without permission. Much of this data is seemingly used to provide targeted advertising based on individual interests, but Apple and Google have the ability to harvest untold amounts of user data from their mobile platforms. None of this is likely news to you if you’re reading this article, but it is worth keeping in mind that using a smartphone creates a massive hole in your personal privacy.
It seemed evident to me that smartphones were hurting me more than helping me, so I began researching what sort of current smartphone alternatives existed. I remembered back in the day before I first got a smartphone, I had used a Razr flip phone and loved it (in fact I still have it, though it no longer functions as a usable phone). It was incredibly durable (it had survived several high falls and trips through the washing machine), had a simple but effective interface, and had a minimum of distractions. Using that as a guideline, I began to create a list of what my ideal “dumb” phone would look like. I settled on these items:
- No Internet browsing capabilities
- No App Store or similar feature
- Preferably no e-mail
- Ability to make calls reliably
- Ability to send texts (including group texts)
- Privacy-focused (i.e., did not use an OS from Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc.)
Some research indicated that there was a surprisingly wide variety of “dumb” phones (properly called “feature phones”) available with varying levels of “smartness.” Since my goal was to have a reliable way to call/text and not much else, I selected a Nokia 225. Nokia has been known in the past for their quality phones and I felt some nostalgia toward the brand (as I grew up in the 1990s). I purchased my Nokia 225 for $50 new from Best Buy. It did have a few distracting apps I would rather have done without (notably a selection of simple games) but it functioned well overall and had robust battery life (it could easily last several days on a charge). It also had some nice extras that I ended up enjoying, such as a built-in FM radio function.
