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I've loved smartphones since my Sony Ericsson P800 PDA+mobile hybrid, but the internet is becoming an opaque chaos due to AI, which is better left out. I'm very familiar with the useful features of a phablet, and I certainly carry one for ease of orientation when travelling. (I have about twenty phones scattered around my room, from several manufacturers. They are all older devices of sentimental value to me. Like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in the picture. I was very happy when I bought it many years after its release. The Note series is legendary.) But since 2019 I've been increasingly disturbed by the nature of the electronic leash as it influences my behaviour and "rewards" me with dopamine shots as a one-armed robber. It wasn't just their cheapness that made me buy two cheap smartphones, I deliberately wanted a more restrained, nerve-wracking user experience for myself to curb my gadget addiction. I know myself well, I know that I have a tendency to mania, and I have zero tolerance for most "drugs", which means I don't use any of them! The last time I drank alcohol was last February, half a glass of cider, but I now buy the non-alcoholic version of that when I want a fizzy experience. There is a very tasty 0% beer, but I rarely see it in shops. But even these are occasional, whereas the smartphone is always at my fingertips. Unfortunately. Thinking about the evolutionary history of the human race, we are still tool-using cavemen and are actually incapable of grasping the impact of technology on our minds and bodies. Sometimes, I freak out breaks out at the glimpse of the bigger picture. It is better to slow down and use as little technology as possible. We've gone from user to used and it's scary.
I bought my first radio telephone in 2000, an ancient Ericsson that even then seemed like an antique, but for me, like many others, it was a generational experience to make my first phone call while travelling by train. I have a completely clear memory, it was so fantastic. Communication is one of my favourite human values, because in our dysfunctional wreck of a society, clear, transparent information exchange is rarer than a white raven. I'm a fan of apt, witty thoughts as we both blossom when we find a clever companion. Ah, a wonderful experience. And what has communication between people become? Wow. Don't go near the ruins. But you have to talk, because the exchange of information is essential to the running of the community. The radiotelephone is still a useful tool and has a raison d'être. So, after a long selection process, I jumped at a bargain and bought one of the devices I had long been knowing for.
My new feature phone is a simple gadget, but that's the beauty of it. I don't mind that it's made of cheaper plastic, because it adds to the feeling of a target device. It's really a model for the elderly, but the colourful casing and shell shape give it a more modern feel. I only needed it for phone calls, but its FM radio, which works without the earpiece, has surprisingly good reception, a particularly nice feature for me. Of course, my smartphones have the online radio app, but old technology never goes out of date for me. My purchase was to achieve quiet reflection during the day, so that nothing distracts me from my work. I interact with people countless times in my work, but as an introvert, I get exhausted quickly. If I waste my finite mental energy using a smartphone, I can make mistakes that I cannot afford to make. I like to make rational decisions and go where my common sense leads me. Enough of the deliberately stirred up information-noise, garbage; calm is the value. And I don't want to be like the hero of the movie Her at all, the poetic message of the artwork doesn't move me one bit, because technophilia is not a normal state of being.
The truth is that as living beings we need a living natural environment and our technology is exacerbating climate change. It is actually inadequate to deal with the growing crises of the 21st century. We are human beings, we need each other, because it is precisely our community, our cooperation, that has made it possible for us to be the temporary masters of the world.