As we live in an ever-more connected world, we’ve found that we’re being bombarded by notifications and messages all the time, and all day and all night. Much of this is trying to draw our attention to social media, which frankly has a much bigger stake in our participation than we do given that we’re the product and they’re making money off the back of selling our data.
Some of it though is coming from employers who feel the need to call, message, and email employees with work-related questions and tasks well outside of normal working hours. This is actually something that’s illegal where I live in France, but can still happen nonetheless.
With this constant barrage of messages and notifications vying for our attention, it’s little wonder that more and more people are seeking to switch off from their digital world when out and about. People still want to be contactable though, so what’s the best option? In this case, more and more people are switching to dumb phones.
Dumb phones aren’t a new thing, indeed they used to just be called mobile phones, but a new generation exists that can connect to 4G and 5G networks, with older handsets only connecting to 2G and 3G networks that have already been switched off in many countries around the world.
I’m a big fan of dumb phones, with some of my favourites being the Swiss made Punkt MP02 (above) and the Light Phone II from a Brooklyn startup in New York. Other companies have started to get involved though with Finnish firm Nokia reimagining some of their classic feature phones as modern-day 5G models.
While some of these dumb phones support basic Internet services like email, their smaller screens are a reminder of just how difficult it was to use any Internet service in the days before smartphones. You might find though that when you’re out with friends, going for a meal, or really wanting to switch off from work or social media when on holiday, that a dumb phone is a great choice for you.
Not only can a dumb phone still make you contactable when you need to be, but they can also eliminate the temptation and addiction that can come from being a regular smartphone user. They certainly work for me, so who knows for you too?
