Why I don't own a smartphone.

The last of the analogs.

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Two guys came over to deal with a router problem the other day. Easy fix, the older guy said. You’ll be able to connect your smartphone even if you have issues w/your computer.

I don’t have a smartphone.

You don’t have a smartphone? He looked at me like he just discovered an ancient relic of the analog age. How do you talk to people? Work?

VoIP. FaceTime. Why pay for something I don’t need?

He touched the huge IPhone attached to his hip, as if to reassure himself. That’s incredible, he said.

I laughed.

I like being a bit of an oddball — and no smartphone instantly makes me one. Perhaps Gen Z, A, B, C will have a nostalgic love affair with the smartphones of today, like they love digital cameras from 20 years ago.

Though I admit my love for many aspects of tech, here are 10 reasons why I haven’t owned a smartphone for 7 years, nor will I own a smart/dumbphone in the future.

1. I’m really uncomfortable with the Apple connection.

(think: Uighurs/slavery/free speech suppression). Anyone who owns Apple contributes to this. I own two computers, so I’m no angel. I hope that one day Elon or someone else will build tech that doesn’t cause suffering to others. Buying a smartphone only adds to my culpability. I don’t buy new tech unless absolutely necessary, unlike when I replaced every year. If I could, I wouldn’t own tech - but I’d sure miss it.

2. Smartphones may have a detrimental effect on our physical health.

I’m of the opinion that holding a phone anywhere near our bodies hurts our lymph nodes, not to mention our spine. You’ll find PLENTY of studies that refute this (can’t imagine who funds them…) but then read “positive” past studies for cigarettes and Lysol douches. When I see phones stuck in pants, smartwatches on wrists or even worse, when women tuck them above their breasts, I cringe. I’m a person who doesn’t use microwaves because of a warning I heard long ago that I took to heart. Plenty of people may scoff — but I don’t care. My sense is that years from now, we’ll understand why it was important to keep phones away from our precious immune system and brains. I have no devices in my bedroom and turn off computers by 8pm so my nervous system can prepare for excellent sleep.

3. Smartphones cause mental health issues — mainly, addiction.

Obviously, I can be just as addicted to my computer but it’s unlikely I’ll haul my laptop or tablet out of my pocket. We talk so much about common addictions — smoke/drink/food/porn — but computer addiction is pervasive. I mean, the creators admit it! There’s a reason why they don’t allow their kids on computers when they’re young. It is SO easy to reach for a smartphone when bored and afraid of silence. When I owned one, it was natural to scroll in line or see what stranger “liked” me for that sweet dopamine hit. I recently heard that many news articles and social media follows are now created by AI — so there is even more of that unlimited drug being fed to us, cause AI don’t sleep!

4. Tracking.

We’ve lost the battle for privacy in the age of surveillance — and it’s not only governments but Ring doorbells, “protecting my neighborhood” apps, Alexa, smart devices, cameras on every corner, highways, stores and your own computer if you don’t cover the camera or turn off location. My car tracks everywhere I go through its SOS system and fob. I realize it’s impossible to go off-grid even without any tech (see above) but owning a smartphone adds to the pervasive tracking of everyone on the planet. Smartphones are an emblem of a fearful world that doesn’t trust the “other”. We’re all being tracked — but people still don’t look at each other.

5. Cost.

When I had a phone, it constantly dropped or hit dead zones. That’s probably much less with faster/smarter but I paid about $100/month for something I barely used. Facetime/VoIP and public wireless make a phone unnecessary. I have no desire for a smartphone and though I can easily afford it, the cost of an iPhone is ridiculous now.

6. What about an EMERGENCY, you ask?

I made many cross country trips in an old car without the aid of a cell phone. That’s what you did then. Filthy gas station phones and angels on the highway when my motorcycle broke down in the middle of a country road. It built resilience and courage in me. I’m not a person who reminisces about the “good old days” because I like the ease that tech brings. It was a pain in the ass without it for many reasons back then (think: Christian gay girl + Christian college). Yet there’s an unbalanced reliance on smartphones now to “save” — and god help us if the grid goes down. We are not awake and aware of our surroundings when staring down a phone. (Yes, I know that people have been saved by Alexa and smartphones.) Can you believe I go for a walk without a smartphone??

7. Distraction, disconnection and time waste.

I heard that goldfish have an attention span of 16 seconds. In the age of computers, our attention span is 14 seconds. As valuable as podcasts, interviews and articles can be, how much time is wasted looking at social media, TikTok and endless scrolls? Here’s a fun game: leave your smartphone at home and sit in a restaurant for lunch. Even better, dinner. You’ll see who will be divorced in a few years. Unless you’re an emergency nurse/doc or have a sick family member, what’s the need to plop the phone on the table? Check every text? Take calls while sitting with a friend? It’s rude and unloving. What’s the urgency?

8. No need for these little boxes.

I’ve said for years that these are redundant devices — why have a phone when you can use FT on any device and 98% owns Apple products? — but people want their toys and street cred. Whatever. We still hold onto these boxes because we are afraid or not conscious enough to go fully telepathic. We’re almost there. In a couple of decades, there won’t be devices but implanted chips and invisible grids. In a few centuries, there will be android type humans on Earth. This isn’t necessarily negative, depending on how powerful AI becomes. I see hybrids as higher level beings who may protect and value the planet — or go the opposite direction. Other intuitives may see a different picture and perhaps that will be the reality to which they return. I won’t be back - but will leave behind a vision of the planet in its most beautiful form.

9. I like that people can’t reach me.

There’s no phone number to find and once business hours are over, my virtual office doors are closed. I’ll answer emails within 24 hours but my clients know not to text me. My friends know how to reach me.

10. Precious silence.

No dings, no alarms, no light pollution, no cameras. Others may desire endless wealth, knowledge, security (whatever that means). Nothing wrong with those things. I value precious silence away from humans and surround myself in Nature and the stars. A smartphone does not offer me such a world.