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---
title: Smartphone Downgrade
date: 2022-07-31
---
Smartphones changed the way we interact with the world around us. Instead of
going to the bank to deposit a check, we can upload it online. Instead of going
outside to check the weather, we check our phones. Instead of writing notes down
in a notebook, we type them out on a phone. While there is a convenience factor
to smartphones, they are pulling us away from real face-to-face interactions,
which we desperately need more of. We are living in a world more connected than
ever before, yet people have fewer friends and are more polarized. Where is the
appeal of a nice sunset or hiking adventure when social media apps like TikTok
and Instagram are calling your name? How can anyone have a productive day at
work when the rings and buzzes from notifications are fighting for your
attention?
On top of this, smartphones are now switching from convenience to necessity.
University campuses around the United States now require proof of a negative
COVID-19 test through a smartphone app. Employers use software like Amazon Web
Services or Microsoft Office, and they highly encourage their employees to use
two-factor authentication through a smartphone app. Signing up on websites
requires a cell phone number. Attending events and conferences requires a
smartphone app. All this is to say that it is becoming more difficult every day
to function in society without a smartphone. Society is becoming dependent on
them.
Smartphones are the most personal type of computer. They have a ton of sensitive
information about you: pictures, messages, access to accounts like social media
and bank information, and even your location and camera. With companies like
Meta (formerly Facebook) and Google selling personal information, this should be
a concern for everyone. Despite this level of intimacy, a smartphone is a
computer you have the least amount of control over. The only apps users can
download are from the App Store or Google Play Store, and you do not have root
access to the device despite it being yours. In other words, you only have as
much access as Apple or Google are willing to give their users. Also, there is a
limit on which apps can be deleted. Sometimes the app will seem to be deleted,
but it is only hidden from the home screen. Settings to disable certain
permissions on the phone only go so far, and there is no guarantee they even
work.
I got my first smartphone in middle school as a tool. Now, I face the reality
that it is so much more of a crutch than a tool. I want to control my phone and
not have it control me. This is why I am downgrading to a traditional phone. I
encourage others to do the same.
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