My experience with a "dumbphone"

So, I've had a dumbphone for a little over a month now and I just wanted to shed light on my experiences for others who may be wanting to try out the dumbphone lifestyle.

I got a BLU Flex for like 20 bucks at Best Buy on a whim one night because I just figured "why not?" I had been watching videos on YouTube about other people getting dumbphones and decentralizing their technology and had been frequenting r/dumbphones on Reddit a while before this. 

I had a horrible addiction to my phone and apps like Instagram that kept me from experiencing some of the most important years of my mental development (high school) to the fullest. Hell, I even set myself up for failure during my exchange student program by spending all of my free time on my phone doomscrolling instead of experiencing life in a different country and making fond memories. Looking back, I feel so angry with myself that I let it get to that. I feel like I lost so much of my individuality, whimsy, and creativity and reduced that to what strangers might think of me on social media. It's sad really.

Having a flip phone has gotten rid of that "instant gratification" that had sucked about 5 years of my life because it really does take 10 fucking minutes to type a sentence. It doesn't even bother me, though. I used to have horrible calling anxiety, but I find myself calling people more because it takes such a long time to type a message.

Since it seems like everyone my age only messages people on Instagram and avoids texting like the goddamn plague, I have felt a sense of loneliness among people I thought were friends because they completely just...didn't reach out when I gave them my new number and told them I wasn't going to be on Instagram anymore. I've learned that some people genuinely have nothing to say to you if aren't just sending posts and reels back and forth and waiting for a reaction from the other person. That's not a genuine connection.

The internet has been once again been reduced to a corner of my house in which I'm only able to go on when I'm in that specific location. I no longer have an immediate distraction in the back of my pocket anymore and it feels freeing and I find myself thinking more, pulling out a book, writing things down in a notebook, taking a picture on my camera, or drawing like I used to. 

Unfortunately, I can't power down and lock my old smartphone in a box to collect dust forever (even if I really want to). There are some things I still need a smartphone for like maps, e-tickets, banking, and music. If I'm alone, I still have to bring my other phone along too, just in case. It kind of sucks that that's the direction the future is going to, but there's not really anything I can do about it. The biggest thing that annoys me is that the new car I have doesn't play any physical media. All my CDs? Useless. My 4GB iPod from 2007 with dog teeth marks engraved in it? Can't connect. Piece of shit doesn't even have satellite radio. So I'm forced to listen to FM/AM radio or bring my smartphone along to hook up to bluetooth. Pisses me off.

If you are looking to get a dumbphone, maybe don't get the one I have. Yeah, it's 4G compatible and it does the basic things, but I feel like there are better models out there depending on what you need it for. I just wish they didn't phase out 2G and 3G networks because I probably could've just used my mom's old Verizon slide phone from 2010. I do plan to keep using the flip phone I have until I come across a better one that doesn't tweak out when I'm texting, but I'm not worried about that now.

For now, this is just a cool experiment and a detox from social media and the internet bleeding into every aspect of my life. I do really like the concept of a "dumbphone" and it has been beneficial to me. If you're someone thinking about a smartphone detox, I highly recommend trying a shitty feature phone for a month or two to see if you like it. If you're like me, you'll end up never wanting to go back.

In the wise words of my mom, it really is that damn phone.

Thank you for reading if you've made it this far and I hope you have a great day/night :)