I Bought A Flip Phone
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September 1st, 2024
It’s right there in the title. I am, finally, putting all of my anxieties about being a hassle to rest and I’m making the annoying leap to a “dumb-phone.” It’s probably accurate to say we have all seen the anti-smart phone propaganda around us, I have fallen victim to its claims of a better life. A slower, simpler life is absolutely something that I’m looking for, often I feel like I’m drowning in pulls at my attention. Even with the notifications for a majority of my apps off, I cannot exercise nearly enough self control to avoid throwing my time away on Instagram Reels.
So, I ordered a Nokia 2780 Flip. off Ebay for around $40. It’s dark teal and it was released in 2022, therefore designed with the modern woman in mind. It’s got exactly everything you imagine you get with a flip phone, basics like talk, text, snake, camera. The cool part is, it’s also got a QR code reader, internet access, Google Maps, and apps like Youtube. Some will come in handy, it is nice to know I can address most emergencies immediately. However, I am still genuinely reliant on a few current apps that I am not ready to part with 100%. That is why my iPhone will become an iPodTouch that may or may not still travel with me out of the house for a little while. Since it has downloaded Spotify playlists, podcasts, and a camera that works.
As excited as I am, I have to wonder what hindrances this will pose on my social life. Will people be too annoyed to text me? Will they ever get used to calling instead? Will I? iMessage is a beautiful thing, I’ll still be able to access it on wifi but is having two separate ways to reach me too many? I have no idea! Truthfully, I am trying to keep the experiences of those around me out of my head to some extent. If I become embarrassed or ashamed of doing something I feel benefits me more than I’ve already lost. Of course, if you’re someone I talk to regularly, still please be open about the way it complicates things. I do want to have friends, of course.
If you’ve made it this far (thank you), you may be wondering why I’d do something to make my life harder or more complicated. You may not, I don’t know, I’ll tell you anyway. I smoke a lot of weed, I promise this ties in, I smoke it every day, multiple times a day. There was a time when I thought this was probably bad for me and I was embarrassed that I needed to smoke everyday. Without it I am sick feeling, lethargic, irate, and generally without bubble to my personality, and much of that is literal drug withdrawals, but some is actual loss of a helpful tool. When I smoke regularly I feel better stabilized, I feel overall happier, calmer, sharper, more creative, more social. It can take the edge off of doing the dishes or ending an argument, it can prime me for a social hour or make the movies I’m watching funnier. There are a multitude of benefits to having it in my life that make it worth it despite the natural cons.
Making that distinction of why I smoke and why I like to smoke changed my life in the way I see stimulus and substance. That distinction has a name, it’s a dependence. My body may need that substance to feel normal now but the overall positive effects make it worth it, similar to any medicine anyone takes often or everyday. A dependence becomes an addiction once that stimulus is no longer serving you positively, it’s only really harming you. To be clear, I don’t think my iPhone is actively harming me…. I don’t think so, but I am often uncomfortable with its role in my life. It isn’t necessarily the internet I want to blame, or the phone, more so the apps with the internet on the phone. Having a literally endless stream of content has molded my brain, my habits, and my life in ways that I no longer think are good for me.
I do not want access to everyone else’s thoughts all day, nor their lives, or their updates. I do not want work messages notifying me while I’m off the clock. I really really do not want to get lost in an instagram scroll and miss my stop on the train or the bus (has happened too many times to admit). More than most of that I do not want anyone to think that I’m passing judgment either, some things just are not for everyone, I don’t know that having a Smartphone is for me. There are ways I can keep in contact with the modern world that do not involve me carrying it all in my pocket everywhere I go.
Hopefully no one cares and it’s easy and the best idea ever. Thank you for reading, I’ll keep you posted.
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It’s right there in the title. I am, finally, putting all of my anxieties about being a hassle to rest and I’m making the annoying leap to a “dumb-phone.” It’s probably accurate to say we have all seen the anti-smart phone propaganda around us, I have fallen victim to its claims of a better life. A slower, simpler life is absolutely something that I’m looking for, often I feel like I’m drowning in pulls at my attention. Even with the notifications for a majority of my apps off, I cannot exercise nearly enough self control to avoid throwing my time away on Instagram Reels.
So, I ordered a Nokia 2780 Flip. off Ebay for around $40. It’s dark teal and it was released in 2022, therefore designed with the modern woman in mind. It’s got exactly everything you imagine you get with a flip phone, basics like talk, text, snake, camera. The cool part is, it’s also got a QR code reader, internet access, Google Maps, and apps like Youtube. Some will come in handy, it is nice to know I can address most emergencies immediately. However, I am still genuinely reliant on a few current apps that I am not ready to part with 100%. That is why my iPhone will become an iPodTouch that may or may not still travel with me out of the house for a little while. Since it has downloaded Spotify playlists, podcasts, and a camera that works.
As excited as I am, I have to wonder what hindrances this will pose on my social life. Will people be too annoyed to text me? Will they ever get used to calling instead? Will I? iMessage is a beautiful thing, I’ll still be able to access it on wifi but is having two separate ways to reach me too many? I have no idea! Truthfully, I am trying to keep the experiences of those around me out of my head to some extent. If I become embarrassed or ashamed of doing something I feel benefits me more than I’ve already lost. Of course, if you’re someone I talk to regularly, still please be open about the way it complicates things. I do want to have friends, of course.
If you’ve made it this far (thank you), you may be wondering why I’d do something to make my life harder or more complicated. You may not, I don’t know, I’ll tell you anyway. I smoke a lot of weed, I promise this ties in, I smoke it every day, multiple times a day. There was a time when I thought this was probably bad for me and I was embarrassed that I needed to smoke everyday. Without it I am sick feeling, lethargic, irate, and generally without bubble to my personality, and much of that is literal drug withdrawals, but some is actual loss of a helpful tool. When I smoke regularly I feel better stabilized, I feel overall happier, calmer, sharper, more creative, more social. It can take the edge off of doing the dishes or ending an argument, it can prime me for a social hour or make the movies I’m watching funnier. There are a multitude of benefits to having it in my life that make it worth it despite the natural cons.
Making that distinction of why I smoke and why I like to smoke changed my life in the way I see stimulus and substance. That distinction has a name, it’s a dependence. My body may need that substance to feel normal now but the overall positive effects make it worth it, similar to any medicine anyone takes often or everyday. A dependence becomes an addiction once that stimulus is no longer serving you positively, it’s only really harming you. To be clear, I don’t think my iPhone is actively harming me…. I don’t think so, but I am often uncomfortable with its role in my life. It isn’t necessarily the internet I want to blame, or the phone, more so the apps with the internet on the phone. Having a literally endless stream of content has molded my brain, my habits, and my life in ways that I no longer think are good for me.
I do not want access to everyone else’s thoughts all day, nor their lives, or their updates. I do not want work messages notifying me while I’m off the clock. I really really do not want to get lost in an instagram scroll and miss my stop on the train or the bus (has happened too many times to admit). More than most of that I do not want anyone to think that I’m passing judgment either, some things just are not for everyone, I don’t know that having a Smartphone is for me. There are ways I can keep in contact with the modern world that do not involve me carrying it all in my pocket everywhere I go.
Hopefully no one cares and it’s easy and the best idea ever. Thank you for reading, I’ll keep you posted.
