I’m so happy to see increasing calls for people to put down their smartphones. It’s about time. I think driving became much more dangerous once people started texting while driving. I hate seeing parents out pushing their little ones in strollers or grocery carts and completely ignoring them because they’ve found someone more interesting on their phones. Then there are the people who can no longer hold a face-to-face conversation with another person without repeatedly checking their phones. Ugh!
I do think cell phones are great for security. I bought my first cell phone about 20 years ago, and I still have a dumbphone. The beauty of it is that I can put it in my pocket on mute and hardly know that it’s there, but if my car doesn’t start, I can give my husband a call without leaving the vehicle. Occasionally, I’ll send one of my kids a text to let them know my ETA, but otherwise I rarely text and don’t really understand what on earth is so important that people need to be calling or texting each other all the time, especially while they’re shopping, at the doctor’s office, etc.
I have to wonder if my dislike of smartphones is just a sign of my impending old age. Are there any young people out there who think like I do? I doubt it.
Yes – my daughters (ages 17 and 19) do not have smart phones and do not want them and would agree with every word you wrote!
Oh my, Pam, it does my heart good to know there are young women like your daughters out there. 🙂
My dumbphone is almost always turned off. I use it 5 minutes a month or less, and that’s the only time I turn it on.
I registered for a conference today. The online form asked for a phone number, so I typed in the landline number. The form requested a cell number, so I skipped that blank. The computer wouldn’t let me continue. The “phone number” was optional, but the “cell number” was a required field. (It reminded me of your blogpost.) If the conference organizers try to call or text me, I’m in trouble.
I hope your conference goes well, Susan, and that they don’t have to try to contact you. I leave my phone on all the time because my kids occasionally text me, but like you it takes me months to go through minutes. I love the freedom of not being tied to a phone 🙂