As smartphones have become ubiquitous and served for such things as on -board cards and concert tickets, life was becoming more and more difficult. Even food in the city was difficult because my phone could not scan the QR code to display the menu.
In the summer of 2023, when the main operators began to turn off older 3G and 4G networks for new 5G networks, my phone with a flap completely stopped working.
Defeated, I entered the store and went out with a brand new iPhone and the feeling that my life would change forever.
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The screen addiction took place quickly
During the first week of having an iPhone, I spent on average four to five hours a day on it. During the walk I almost hit me a car because I was glued to the screen.
My report on the time spent in front of the screen and using the phone also showed that I reached for it on average 57 times a day. In the case of my old phone, I would be surprised if I used it for 30 minutes or checked it more than several times a day.
I calmed down all notifications with disgust. I tried to leave the phone in another room to avoid dispersion, but I couldn't resist. After an hour of peace I gave up and was rewarded with 24 missed messages. None of them was important.
After a few weeks of using the smartphone, I began to feel neck pain caused by hours spent on this valuable device. I swear that I felt my spine was starting to contort.
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Although I accept more messages than ever I feel isolated
Writing news on a smartphone with a full keyboard has become much easier. I was in constant contact with friends through the threads of messages and group chats.
I love to exchange news and send stupid photos, but now, when we meet personally, it turns out that there is not much to discuss. We have already discussed everything, being in contact around the clock, 7 days a week. When he came to real conversations, my cognitive abilities were decreasing. I stopped listening.
One day my sister came, sat on the couch and started a tirade about her work day. Without thinking, I reached into my pocket and started scrolling the screen. I showed the same anti -social behavior that I previously despised with others.
At the same time, having hundreds of applications at my fingertips, I started looking for contacts in applications instead of personally.
The smartphone is addictive
Instead of going to the bar, I moved my finger on Tinder. It was fun, but I quickly was terrified that I could use dating application filters to find a man adapted to my exact preferences. Within an hour of downloading the application I already had an appointed date for this evening.
Although I would like to think that this is a nod to my own efficiency, it is really just a testimony of how easily smartphones allowed to order interpersonal interactions with a few clicks.
The date was fine, although she lacked some content. Getting to know by the application meant that we had no common topics in the real world. We did not meet in our community or at work, we were not connected by any social tissue.
Our promising romance broke up as soon as he began.
I miss my phone with a flap, but there is no return
Now I look at my life from the perspective of two eras: before and after the iPhone.
Life was simpler with my phone with a flap, but having a smartphone is not so bad.
I can run Google maps to move around the area instead of stopping at a gas station and ask the seller for the road. Spotify helped me meet some of my favorite artists. And yes, I really have to a backup of all 200 photos of my cat in the cloud.
Direct communication more valuable than the one by a smartphone
Still, I still miss the simpler times when I communicated with words, not emojiwhen I didn't reach into my pocket every 15 minutes in search of another cheap dopamine hit and when I could fully immerse myself in the world around me.
There are alternatives to smartphones (“stupid” phones) that refer to old times and promise “to” limit your screen addiction “by limiting applications and web browsers, but we only cheat.
There is no turning back. Now that I have a smartphone, I am addicted to him too much to give it up.
The article is a translation from the American edition of Business Insider. Translation: Mateusz Albin
