From a smartphone to a flip phone

Is it time to give up on technology?

longest time wallpaper

Hi there,

Back in January, I emailed my good friend CK to write about his experience switching from a smartphone to a flip phone. In a very CK like fashion, who taught me the importance of respecting people’s response time, I got a reply back almost three months later. It was worth the wait. Without further ado…

Five things to share:

1. Cause and effect is an important principle. If we are assessing our smartphone use (effect) then what causes its use? Is the cause being uncomfortable with the current situation? I observe a lot of people using their phones when there’s a small amount of silence in a room with two people. For example, in a doctor’s office, an elevator, or waiting for someone in a restaurant. It’s almost reflexive. If so, how do we get more comfortable with that uncomfortable silence? A guest post on switching from a smartphone to a flip phone.

2. I’m currently reading Outlier: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. We pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from; their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Is Bill Gates simply a genius? Well, yes, but he also grew up when the personal computer was coming of age, offering him opportunities to tinker and create new software.

3. Is David Amadio the most ignored man in America? That’s what he wondered when his family became too busy looking at their smartphones to notice him. In The flip phone manifesto, Amadio talks about his experience finding discipline and independence through a flip phone.

4. A quote I want to share with you:

   If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.
   — Jim Valvano

   Let’s laugh, think, cry more.

5. You can find me talking about my experience deleting social media in People Who Deleted Their Social Media Share What It’s Like. Stories about what signing off for good — or even taking a temporary social media detox — can do for your mental health.

That’s all for this week!

Thank you for reading, and please share with anyone you think may benefit.

Until next time,

Mehret