Dumb Phone

I decided to take a break from using my smartphone. I watched Cold Fusion's video on The Anti-Smartphone Revolution a month back and thought ditching the smartphone is a good way of avoiding the stress and anxiety caused by social media, entertainment, messaging, and dating apps. I need a technology detox badly. Obviously, I cannot avoid work-related platforms and quit internet altogether. But if using a more primitive gadget like a dumb phone can provide calmness and force me to be mindful of how I spend snippets of my personal time, I think it is worth a try. 

I remember I still have a couple of burner phones from when my parents visited in 2019. The phone is only good for texting and calling. It does not have a web browser. The camera hardly captures an image. The messages do not even show any emojis or allow any reactions. Using this phone 2/3 of the day will surely calm my restless brain and curb my voracious appetite for information. I texted everyone in my contact list to inform them of my new number and the fact that I am using a dumb phone. Within minutes, a handful of friends (my closest ones, no surprise) asked how I am doing and if everything is alright. Without elaborating too much, I told them that things are not great, but I am trying my best. 

I do not know how long I will or can do this. I have become so dependent on my smartphone, especially when seeking directions, booking transportation, buying food, searching for images and trivial information, and capturing mundane life moments. It made me appear busy and important. But it bothers me how it had taken over my life and monopolized my attention. I guess I am at the crossroads where I have to choose which should be the dumb one, the phone or me.