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Top 7 Reasons I Downgraded to a Dumbphone

Writer's picture: Tripp BondTripp Bond

The "New" Phone I Downgraded To: A Rebooted Nokia 3310

Smartphones, are they really the electronic saviors they're made out to be or are they a dangerous addiction? Here are the surprising facts and the top reasons I decided to downgrade.


 

Before we begin, here's a great music video illustrating our current predicament:



 

1) Smartphones are Scientifically Addictive

For those of you who don't know how addiction works, here's the process in a layman's nutshell: Your brain rewards what it believes to be good or pleasurable behavior. It rewards this by flooding the brain with feelgood chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin. These chemicals are released to strengthen the neural pathways that are formed in the brain when performing these good actions. Once these neural pathways are formed, they're there forever. And the more times you perform the actions associated with them, the stronger they'll get. Eventually, the brain starts putting these actions on the same level as your needs, and believes you need it to survive (this is why withdrawals literally feel like you're dying). However, addiction can fry your dopamine receptors and can make anything else but the high feel dull and lackluster. It can even dull your emotions. Smartphones are conduits of surprisingly high levels of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Here are some addiction stats about smartphones.


Addiction Stats:


*A study in 2015 determined that 13% of Americans were addicted to their smartphones, and that this addiction has created higher rates of narcissism and neuroticism (https://www.igi-global.com/article/smartphone-use-addiction-narcissism-and-personality/123148)


*However, estimates claim that upwards of 80% of Americans in 2018 are addicted to their smartphones (could you be in denial?).


*The average user interacts with their smartphone 47x a day (17,155 a year).


*85% of smartphone users will actively use their phone while speaking face to face with family or friends.


*80% of users check their phone within an hour of waking or sleeping, 35% of that 80% will check it within a 5 minutes of going to sleep or upon waking.



*The average person will spend 2-4 hours (roughly 4 years of their lifespan by the time they die) of their day looking at their screen. Think of what else you could be doing!


*The majority of smartphone addicts experience textaphrenia, a condition where one feels their phone vibrating in their pocket without it actually being in their pocket.


*Your phone vibrating, whether from a text, call, or social media releases the same amount of dopamine in your system as someone calling your name. That's a lot of dopamine constantly barraging the brain.


*While not exclusive to smartphones, social media developers have actually designed social media to be addictive. For example, the color blue that Facebook utilizes is the same color blue as the sky which tells your brain it’s daylight, the sun is out, and you are outside experiencing it. This gives your brain a hit of serotonin and dopamine. SM developers also hire psychologists and casino game designers in order to make SM more addicting. This is due to a currency dubbed “attention economy.”



*A study was conducted where young people had to be completely unplugged for an entire 24 hour period. The observers noticed that the young people went through literal withdrawal symptoms and the youngsters themselves described their experiences in literal terms associated with addiction (https://withoutmedia.wordpress.com/).


"I finally realized it. People are prisoners of their phones, that's why they're called cell phones."


 

2) Smartphones Cause Serious Emotional and Mental Problems

*Smartphones cause a significant lack of attention. I cannot find the study, but I know one was conducted where there were three groups. Group A did not have their phones with them, but left them turned off and in another room. Group B had their phones with them, but had to leave them turned off. And Group C was able to do what they pleased with their phones. All three groups were tasked with taking a test. Group A did significantly better than groups B and C, while group B did only marginally better than group C. Just the presence of your "fix" can hurt you.

*Empathy in college students (and in general) has decreased 40% since the 1980s due to narcissism created by social media and smartphones. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/born-love/201005/shocker-empathy-dropped-40-in-college-students-2000; https://news.umich.edu/empathy-college-students-don-t-have-as-much-as-they-used-to/)


*FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is on the rise due to a constant barrage of SM and information overload in general.


*Insecurity is on the rise based on a constant barrage of social media. Think about it: you're constantly bombarding yourself with the best, most curated versions of someone's outer life constantly and then you're subconsciously comparing that to the worst parts of your inner life.


*Your brain can't rest. The human brain is a naturally curious, abstract thinker. When it has access to infinite knowledge at its fingertips, be it who won the ball game last night, what your friend is wearing to school/work, or what E=MC2 means, it craves to know. However, your brain can only handle and process so much at once. With smartphones, the brain goes into a state of information overload and has to ramp up its processing to keep up. This gives your brain no time to rest. Ever sit for 3 hours on your smartphone or laptop and then complain that you still feel stressed and that you haven't had a chance to just sit and rest? This is why.



 

3) There Are Physical Health Concerns


According to hand and wrist doctors, smartphone pinky is likely temporary. However, I still have a ghost of mine.



 

4) Tech Moguls Wouldn't/Won't Let Their Own Children Use These Devices

*Steve Jobs refused to let his own daughter use Apple products, and kept her very far away from them (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/steve-jobs-apple-ipad-children-technology-birthday-a6893216.html)

Asking whether his children liked the new iPad, Jobs replied: "They haven't used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home."


*Chris Anderson, founder of Wired magazine, said that his children complain he’s too strict on them about technology. His reply: "That's because we have seen the dangers of technology firsthand. I've seen it in myself, I don't want to see that happen to my kids."



If the inventors of the technology refuse to let their own children use them because of the dangers they pose, that should tell you something.


 

5) We Are Frighteningly Dependent on Something that is Only 11 Years Old (First iPhone Release, Not Necessarily First "Smartphone")

One of the first rebuttals people always throw at me is, "But how do you get around without GPS?!?" How did anyone get around before their smartphone GPS took them places? They used paper maps, MapQuest, and landmarks. Many people claim they cannot live without their smartphone. Unless your job absolutely requires you to have it, then you absolutely can live without it. I do. And I manage just fine. If you feel some cognitive dissonance, or mild annoyance with me, or disbelief, there's a good chance you're an addict and in denial.

Oh, and this is terrifying:




 

6) Fellas, It'll Help You Out

Never before has the world seen such a porn epidemic. The numbers are even rising sharply among women. And, it's no longer seen as shameful. It's just, "something people do." In fact, many feminists are proud of it. If you are a Christian and share my convictions that porn is an immoral plague and is destroying virtue and honor in men, then Follow Christ's commands to, "chop off your right hand," and cut the temptation out of your life. Used to, having to go to the magazine store in public to get your fix kept many men clean. Now, however, billions of porn images and videos are in your pocket, readily and secretly accessible. Get rid of the temptation and eventually the monster in you will starve to death.


 

7) Greater Peace

Since giving up my smartphone, I have known more peace than I've had since I was a little kid. I'm more connected to the present moment, those around me, Jesus, and His Creation. Seriously, give it a try and unplug for a weekend. It'll be relaxing after the withdrawals end ;) .

Oh, and I'm reading more. Basically, it all comes down to one quote: "Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master."-Christian Lous Lange


 

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