I turn 18 in four months. Today, I asked my grandparents if I could have a flip phone (I've been thinking about this for awhile, not a spur of the moment thing) They said yes. We went and bought the only flip phone compatible with our service. I'm loving it so far. I feel like I've had so much more time in my day. I can listen to my favorite podcast using an app I downloaded, but I can't download social media. Although I do have my desktop, I don't find myself mindlessly scrolling on my laptop. Everyone keeps asking why, and my response is "Why not" I don't want to spend my whole life looking at memes I'll never remember.
You did this at 18?? Gives me hope lol. I'm trying to fix the addiction in my twenties now. I never even liked social media or devices, yet the addiction was acquired and maintained nonetheless. I really enjoy the days now that I use my phone less, even if I'm using other devices. Feels like I own my brain again. So kudos to you! That's awesome.
That's a good video! I'm a Japanese writer. The name is ``Mikan Oshidari（忍足みかん🍊）''. I'm writing a book called ``I Want to Quit Being a Smartphone Slave.'' I switched to a flip phone because of my smartphone addiction. It's all about mental health. I no longer get tired of smartphone screens, notification sounds, and unnecessary connections. It's comfortable. Only the really necessary communications will come to your flip phone. There is no inconvenience. I think flip phones should be reevaluated more globally. Thank you for the wonderful video.
What do you think about the quality and accessibility of US flip phones vs those of Japanese flip phones? Unfortunately, I think there is not too big of a market in the US for flip phones. The options available are very utilitarian (where there are options) and pared back. Whereas -- I see many beautiful models of flip phone from Sharp, Kyocera, even other brands like Fujitsu and Panasonic available for the Japanese market. The models are beautiful, intentional, and seem to translate to a comfortable and personalized user experience. I think in the US, it's a negative feedback loop. Nobody will make a nice range of flip phones with options, so the consumer becomes disinterested in the concept ... and the cycle repeats. So how do we break the cycle and bring real, quality models of flip phones to the US market??
@@Jeffeffery9 That sounds really frustrating there would be less basic phone options in the US market, I'm from Australia and all one has to do here is order one online on eBay if the options in local stores were limited, what about the nokia feature phones can some of those work in the US if it were to use 4G? I realize it all depends on the bands supported, anyway I'm considering going basic phone again but while the flip phone is cool I went through a couple of old school Motorola flip phones back in high school, I'm thinking of using the candy bar design this time I seem to be getting into those more. My reason for the switch is so I can stay focused on my goals and plans in life, the smartphone is just too distracting it might take me extra time to get something done because I'm checking something on the smartphone, my smartphone is a budget Samsung not planning on selling it I'll just put it away in a draw at home, and use my laptop and tablet for Internet and apps when it's most convenient for me and that's how it should be not the other way around, I miss 2006 back when we didn't have smartphones and everyone had to use a computer for the Internet to check their social media, back then I was using MySpace I loved it the experience was way different to Facebook, I had a small number of American friends and you could customize your profile with html code even with no experience in that simply find a website with custom MySpace profile layouts then simply copy and paste the code in where you edit profile information it was so cool at the time I felt like a hacker (playful cleverness). 😎 😂 Anything thanks for listening.
For music... like we did back in the 2000s - have an iPod/mp3 player. For a camera use a compact camera as we did in the 2000s as well. Maps is limited but a TomTom devices work too. Having multiple dumb devices is the way around many of the issues - we had to carry a lot more in the 90s/2000s, the smartphone just put them all together. The lack of a keyboard to respond to texts quickly/whatsapp for business is the main circle that can't be squared.
Yeah, to me one of the biggest gamechangers of the smartphone is that it removes weight from my bag as it's doing the work of a phone, camera, iPod and book, as well as a surprising amount of stuff I'd normally do on a laptop - and I don't even like working on the phone; it always feels inferior to me to the sense of freedom and ease I get on a laptop, but day to day as a disabled person with a lot of medical gear in my bag I do appreciate carrying fewer other things around with me.
I've always been pretty black and white about having either a smartphone or a dumb phone but I'm coming around to the idea that it's totally fine to have both. There are certain apps and stuff that I don't want to lose access to, but I can literally just keep my smartphone at home and use it on wifi without even needing a second sim.
Many dumb phones have hotspots too. If your phone service includes that it would be easy to just turn on the hotspot to use your smartphone for certain apps. I think it still has enough inconvenience to get out your smartphone, turn on the hotspot on your dumbphone, then connect to it on your smartphone that it wouldn't be enticing to do it frequently.
I transitioned and the cost was minimal. I dont use any of the costs you mentioned. Mobile banking and WU money transfer are what I miss, but not critical as now I do it on laptop. It is amazing. |I redisclvered reading, Photography, read signs for directions, use a compass with maps, pay more attention to my surroundings (and many more). It forced me to prepare for where I am going before hand. I am much smarter than before
As a college student, I recently switched to an mp3 player for my study music. I struggle with decision making, especially when it comes to what music I’m going to listen to for the next 3 hours, so the limited capacity of an mp3 player saves me the choice, as there’s only so many songs to choose from. Furthermore, you can’t get notifications on a mp3 player, which saves me struggling with “do not disturb” (which can never seem to quiet all my pop-ups).
Good stuff! You have gone through a lot of the things that people asked and answered them with compelling reasoning! Glad to hear about your transformation into a low tech lifestyle.
I really enjoyed this video and also your willingness to do things differently than other people. So many of us bought into the idea that the more efficient and reachable we are the better, and now we’re realizing it just adds to our stress and decreases our sense of calm and enough-ness. I think this is a great example others can follow!
What an awesome video. Thanks for making it. I don't have a dumb phone because sadly I need Whatsapp for school and work, but I uninstalled literally everything I could from my smartphone and disabled all notifications except calls. I'm loving it so far. I only check WhatsApp a few times a day like an email. Feels like I'm in control again. For music I bought an mp3 player and only play music I've downloaded there. Im glad I watched videos like this one on RU-vid to motivate me to do that. Feels so much better
ive been using a dumbphone for six months straight and get along quite well. my nokia 3310 has a built in mp3 player tho the sound is not really good. i buy mp3s online so the music i have is actually mine. i consider buying an mp3 player but havnt decided yet. my car has a navi system so no problems there. i bring my wallet along every time i leave. i do all my stuff after work on my ipad (wifi only) like whatsapp, email, selling/buying stuff and so on. switching to a dumbphone was the best decision in recent years. it gives me peace not having the worlds knowledge and news in my pockets. it slows down my daily routine which is a good thing. i can do all things what smartphone users do can - when i come home and not in between working, having a break and having conversations with colleagues
Such a great video. I have just switched over to a dumb phone. I have had the same challenges. I got the Opel Touch Flip. Things I struggles with are; - Not having a banking app (I could get it but don't feel like banking through an Aurora store) - Maps (doesn't work much on the Opel) - Its difficult to Google stuff - Battery is horrendous - General convenience of having an app for everything. - I can't get Messenger to work. But the benefits of not having access to the news/socials and other distractions is so worth it. I now give myself a set time at night to do all my personal emails, and socials. I have to plan all my trips prior to leaving the house. I think I would have liked the Nokia 2780 or the 6300 if they were available in NZ. I got he Opel while in Aus. The more I use the Opel, the more I realise how dependant I was on a smart phone.
what’s helped me so far is removing any app I don’t use regularly from the home screen so I have to search for it. removing search suggestions helps too so apps like youtube aren’t front and center when I do use the search bar to find apps in my library. obvi turning off unimportant notifications helps as well. basically make it harder to infinite scroll so you can acknowledge what you’re doing and avoid the behavior.
These are some useful tips! We should all think about our mental health more and how the mass consumer culture impacts it. We all need to take a step back and take a breath eventually. I'm generally quite good with limiting my phone usage. Recently got a new iPhone 15 PM, but social media has never been important to me. Just use it mainly to talk to my friends, music and internet browsing. It's not healthy to constantly have social media on your mind. Eitherways, this was a nice video Bella.
The cool thing is you can find what works for you. It just takes time which is hard to endure when you're used to having everything available at your fingertips. I honestly think that is a huge problem for me since i have severe ADHD. Smart tech allows us to get the instructions or answers we need for almost every day to day task or problem. Plus, it fits in the palm of our hands! Definitely not a bad thing in terms of general accessibility. But I think for me personally, it has removed so much mindful stimulation and filled the void left behind with mindless stimulation. So I'm very much coming to understand the desire to disconnect. Even if that means i accumulate more devices or physical media.
What a lovely video to bump into 😊 It really is crazy how we humans have gotten into this technology loophole... I do wish people that aren't into this lifestyle would be more open or understanding when it comes to this topic; it seems to be getting exponentially harder for others to understand you may not want to even have WhatsApp for example. A few years ago there were quite a few people very understanding and supportive about someone not having WhatsApp... now it seems way too rare...
Really wish I could go to a dumb phone at times. However, my work requires I have a smart phone for being able to do certain tasks during the day(answering emails, taking emergency calls and, two factor authentications). Thank you for the video and sharing your experience! It was very informative and the video was well made. Also something you could try doing instead of an iPad is getting an MP3 player with Android. A friend of mine uses it in tandem with his dumb phone when traveling since he can download maps and directions with a lot of the same conveniences(small size, interactive maps, android auto, etc) of a smart phone, but since requires him to actively turn on the hot spot or connect to WiFi it distinctiveness him from using it like a smart phone. Idk if your brain is wired that way, but maybe it's something that will work for you and make your life a bit more convenient.
Hi! Just the fact that I don't have any music or any distraction at all is something I love using a dumbphone. Everything in Sweden is connected to my smartphone though, from the cars heater to the bank. Cash is almost obsolete, most use their phones. With that said, to clear my mind and lower stress, this is the best way.
Digital cameras are great. I was a late smartphone adopter (2017) and bought my last digital camera in 2014. As the maximum size and quality of smartphone images improved, I gradually shifted to using my phone as my basic everyday camera, as well as for more and more work stuff (I work in the arts) as time went on. It also means I'm no longer preserving every photo as a massive high-res image, which used to be my default behaviour as I was terrified of not having that quality of image for things where it really mattered. You can adjust those settings on a digital camera, as well as much else: I've never enjoyed tinkering with that stuff on a smartphone as much, or found the settings intuitive or adequate to my needs, and I'm not a professional photographer or anything. Once every year or two now I'll dig out my digital camera, charge it up again and use it for something specific, and I can transfer the images to my laptop with a usb cable, but I'd imagine newer models can do that wirelessly....
You're right about the Ipad part. Like scrolling on the computer isn't addictive, but instead repulsive because it has too many things that makes the experience uncomfortable.
Great video Bella. Detox from smartphone it ain't easy, but it's good. I'm still looking for a dumbphone for myself since options in my region is very limited. One of my smartphones I'm using an app that transforms it into wome sort of dumbphone. It's not the same, but it's a start. I use most of the time when go out with the family or friends with no need to check on the phone, just enjoy life. Thanks for the tips 😊
Check out the CAT flip phone s22, it has Google Maps and can used easily in the car to navigate. It also tells you where you are as you drive along/walk.
Most dumb phones have an mp3-player and a camera, I think. Not having a wallet on the phone seems rather unpractical though. But a dumb phone has lots of advantages and I am considering to make the switch too. Great blog video 👍
Great video Bella thank you. I have always used a N95 ( it only calls and sms ) from what I see most smartphone users around me appear addicted to social media and it definitely rules their lives. . . Sad
I feel like a dumb phone will be very good if you were going on vacation because you're more in the moment and not looking at your phone and making more memory through your family and the people you go on vacation with
I've never owned, nor do I plan to ever buy an actual Smart Phone. I been using a Kyocera flip phone for years and it does everything I need it to do. If I want music, it can actually play music and has an SD card slot, but I usually just use a small MP3 player so I don't drain the phone's battery. If I want GPS, well I have an actual GPS but I can also use my Samsung tablet even without a wifi hotspot. I don't know *how* maps works on it without Wifi, but it does. I just have to make sure I input the address I'm going before I leave. My flip phone also has a camera that can even do video, but the quality isn't that great. But if I want nicer pictures, other people can just send me the ones they take. Very rarely do I feel the need to take pics with my phone though, if I'm going someplace I want pictures of...I just bring an actual camera, which takes better pictures then any phone. I've also dropped and thrown this phone so many times and it still works. No broken screens or cracked cases or anything like that. And I don't have to worry about an update killing the battery life...which lasts days between charges...trying to force me to get a new phone. I'm perfectly fine not paying for a phone that can "do everything" when all I need is a phone that can do two things well.
I'm planning on getting a flipphone that'll only give me whatsapp, also a compact camera and ipod for music... I have my laptop for learning, youtube and pinterest if needed, but only at home. I am SO done with this phone and social media, there's a whole world out there and I'm missing it
When my 13promax broke I had to switch to a 13 Mini which is a very small phone, I found myself using it less mindlessly scrolling through tiktok and facebook. I do however have a tablet and I only have youtube netflix and email on it to prevent distractions plus it is too big to use for me so I usually don't use it as much. I'm planning to get an old LG/Samsung android flip phone for use when I go out to have spotify on it, having a fairly small phone helped me reduce screentime
buying buss and train tickets is a bit of a challenge. Also messenger and whatsapp. these are probably the main issues. but messenger and whatsapp I would rather check less, but people need to get a hold of me for my different groups.
I wonder is it not possible to install for Android a modified Android version where you have you fixed apps and it’s really cumbersome to access the others. Like I mean cumbersome in the way that you need to side load install it again. Or just a way to lock Google play with a passcode (that you ask a friend to set and keep) so you can’t really add anything more that you had. Then it would be a “dumb phone” still having great versions of the apps you really need
General question to the comment section; What would be the biggest reason for you personally to buy or be interested in a dumb phone, if there would be nothing holding you back? And if there are things holding you back from buying one, what are these things? I ask this for my own research on some stuff in regards to dumb phones.. Thanks in advance for your answer ;)
Switching to a "dumb phone" is okay, but beware of this potentially _nasty_ issue: _cellphone companies are increasingly turning off 2G and 3G digital cellular support in favor of 4G LTE and 5G digital cell phone service_ . In short, in some cases many older "dumb phones" will no longer work with your cellphone carrier. You may have to get a "dumb phone" that supports Voice over LTE (VoLTE), but be aware they can be fairly pricey.
For me the highest price I have to pay is not being aware of social events, because I am not in that particular WhatsApp group. It has to be whats app, it can't be another messenger, and no it doesn't work without smartphone.
There are proper digital cameras which are not disposable. They can be pretty cheap too, though you can get a pretty good one for 100 euros or so. It's not disposable or smartphones (or DSLR) only. :) I don't know the phone you use, but doesn't it have support for mp3? You could just copy all the songs you want on it and then just listen to the songs/audiobooks there. Of course there are also dedicated daps (digital audio players) which again can be very cheep (like from 10 euros or less) and help you with your listening habits. You don't need to be online to listen to music. Wallet and id on the phone is something I can't help as I don't do that. I feel it's too risky. I rather have physical versions of any cards. I realize this is an older video, but I was bored. Good luck. I use a mobile phone since the 90s and I do miss the "dumb phones", but the things that the smartphones can do in one device is too helpful to abandon it. Though I do think about it almost every day.
I’ve seen a lot of basic phone users saying these things about maps. I’m just wondering what is wrong with getting a $50 GPS system for the car? I’m planning in ditching the smartphone but I am not ditching that extremely useful tech
i also bought a Garmin nuvi 200W for $5.99 at the thrift store and it works like a charm! the only problem is that i'm not the original owner, so i'm stuck with maps from 2012... i still get around with it though!!
I really think I might be able to just get a samsung galaxy s3 and be able to not wanna use it for scrolling Spotify only And make a vow to only use my iPhone for photo and video
Why not just get an iphone SE and delete all the apps and only add maps, music and wallet? You can also have someone setup a screen time code to limit the things you can do.
@@he-ch1559 the cool thing about screen time if you look at the settings is some one you trust can create a passcode to block the App Store so that the user cannot download any apps.
Smartphones are not the issue. Our issue is our lack of self discipline. Let's work on that. There will always be distractions; it's how we choose to react which is important.
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