The Dumbphone Tax
A Small Price to Pay
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Nearly four months into my dumbphone experiment and I’m beginning to notice my brain re-wiring, slowly but surely. Years of smartphone addiction do a number on your brain, and that doesn’t automatically go away when you switch to a dumbphone. The first few weeks after making the switch, I continued to feel that same energetic pull to my dumbphone—even though it wasn’t giving me the dopamine hits that I was seeking.
Now, I can happily report that I often forget that my dumbphone exists. I frequently forget to take it with me when I leave the house, which isn’t necessarily the best practice, but at least it tells me that there are important changes happening in my brain.
I no longer have an external auxiliary part of my body in the form of a digital device. I am shedding that technological part of myself and, perhaps, returning to a self that is more human. More myself.
Living without a smartphone in our modern world comes with its ramifications. I had been in touch with a stranger via email about picking up some plants from her garden, but when I drove to her neighborhood, there was a ton of construction and I couldn’t find her house. Since my only contact with her had been via email, I had no way of reaching out. In the end, I wasn’t able to pick up the plants as planned. I returned home, sent her an email asking for her phone number, and picked up the plants a few days later.
Experiences like this continually remind me that I no longer have a tiny computer in my pocket, and I need to plan accordingly. Phone numbers have become increasingly important for me to have on-hand, not only when it comes to picking up plants from strangers, but also in terms of finding out whether my favorite coffee shop is still open or placing an order at the boba tea place.
The cherry blossoms are in full bloom and our local botanical garden was a zoo last weekend. (It’s spring! All of my stories from here on out will be about plants!) Parking in the far corner of the overflow parking lot, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to use the app to pay for parking, as I normally would have done. Approaching a parking attendant, I told him about my situation.
“I don’t have a smartphone,” I said. “Is there another way to pay for parking?”
The parking attendant nodded his head vigorously. “You don’t need the app,” he said. “Just go to the website and pay there.”
He had misunderstood me completely, automatically replacing the word “smartphone” with “app.”
I tried again. “Sorry, but I don’t have a smartphone. I don’t have access to the internet.”
The parking attendant stared at me blankly.
Walking away, I made peace with the fact that I might get slapped with a parking ticket for not paying. This was the price I had to pay for having a dumbphone: a dumbphone tax.
The dumbphone tax isn’t all bad. As I continue to learn my way around my city, I have even started to navigate the rural back roads on my own, something that I initially deemed too difficult. But the GPS was continually sending me down major highways that would eventually get me stuck in pesky traffic. Frustrated, I complained to locals who shared me with quiet alternatives, meandering country roads that stretch alongside cow pastures and past funky local shops.
On one such drive, I stopped at a sprawling garden center in the middle of nowhere and found a selection of blueberry bushes that rivaled anything I had found in town. But without a smartphone, it was impossible for me to know which varietals bloomed around the same time. (Blueberries like to be planted alongside other blueberries so they can cross-pollinate.)
Inside the garden center, a few teens hung around the cash register. I explained to them my situation—I don’t have a smartphone—and asked if they could help me find some information. More than happy to help, they embarked on a few simple internet searches and together we found a solution. I ended up talking to one of the teens about their selection of chicks for sale and made a promise to come back when I was ready to host a flock of backyard chickens. I left the shop with three new blueberry bushes and a smile on my face having exchanged pleasantries with a few strangers on a rainy afternoon.
With a smartphone at my disposal, this interaction would have looked very different. Without the need to interact with other humans, I would have made my blueberry selections on my own and been on my way, the people at the garden center remaining anonymous in my mind. There is nothing wrong with this. It’s just that I prefer the version of the story where I make a human connection, however small that connection might be. And who knows, maybe I inspired them to rethink their need for a smartphone!
I am speaking from a position of privilege when I say that paying the dumbphone tax is worth it for me, whether it comes in the form of a parking ticket or a botched attempt to pick up plants from a stranger. It’s the price I have to pay for gaining something in return, something that I value more than money: peace of mind and human connection.
On the web:
The United States vs. the iPhone, NYT The Daily podcast
The Justice Department is suing Apple for violating competition laws by using practices that keep customers reliant on their iPhones. One function that they mention in the podcast is iMessage. The fact that messages from non-iPhones are green instead of blue creates a stigma, which leads to social pressure to switch from Android to Apple products.
Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist who studies morality, has a new book coming out about negative effects of smartphones on developing minds. According to Haidt’s research, the phone-based childhood leads to what he calls a “tidal wave” of suffering.
He is EVERYWHERE right now as he promotes his upcoming book. Here are some places to hear or read more about his fascinating (and terrifying) research.
Coddling Plus Devices? Unequivocal Disaster for Our Kids. New York Times book review.
Escaping the Matrix Hidden Brain podcast
End the Phone-Based Childhood Now, The Atlantic
The Anxious Generation, Dr. Becky’s Good Inside podcast
I enjoyed this post a lot. I too have been using the Light Phone as my daily phone - for nearly a year in my case. I actually think having a dumb phone saves a lot of money in the long term compared to using a smart phone with web based apps.
Savings come in two main ways:
1) By not being exposed to constant advertising on social media, apps, and the web, your "wants" become less.
2) Savings come in the forms of all the things you "can't do" with a dumb phone, and you must adapt your lifestyle accordingly - by not being able to pay for parking with an app, you may have to park elsewhere nearby for free. By not being able to use Uber, you choose to take the bus or walk. By not being able to order delivery on your phone, you instead save money by dining in, picking up take out, or simply making your own food at home.
I choose not to try to "replicate" all the features of a smart phone on my light phone, but instead choose to live a more slow paced and relaxed life, like it's 2005 again!
Thank you for sharing Carmella! I've been thinking about the idea of the 'dumbphone tax' but couldn't exactly pinpoint it. When sharing my experience with friends and family, I start so many sentences with "This phone is great, but it does have a few trade-offs but they are totally worth it!" It is a dumbphone tax!
The other night I put in a Target pickup from the website but forgot that you need a mobile device when you arrive for them to bring the items to your car. I reluctantly got out of my car to walk in to let them know I've arrived and then decided to shake that feeling and embrace the extra 5 minutes I had to myself. I even stopped in a shop next door to browse for a few minutes and had a nice conversation with the sales attendant who had her new puppy with her. An interaction I would have missed entirely, much like your experience at the garden store if I had a smartphone. A little inconvenience leads to more fruitful interactions and I find that when these taxes arise, they often come along with a silver lining!