With all the buzz about the Apple iPhone 6 today, am I the only one who could care less?
I don’t have an iPhone. I don’t even own an Android…or any smartphone, for that matter. Maybe I should be embarrassed when I pull out my nearly 6-year-old flip phone. I am, after all, in the San Francisco Bay Area, home to all things tech.
It’s not that I’m a Luddite. I’ve worked in digital marketing for years. I love technology and innovation, and I’m thrilled to learn what tech entrepreneurs come up with to advance our society and improve our lives. But although I have the option to connect online 24/7, it doesn’t mean I should.
How It Started
When I joined my last company in 2010, I was issued a work phone. It was an iPhone 3G. It was fun at first. I played Words with Friends, amassed a stunning array of Instagram photos, and caught up on the latest news while waiting in line at Starbucks.
But then I noticed some disturbing behavior. I started getting twitchy if I didn’t constantly check my likes, shares, comments, or favorites. I would get headaches from looking at a computer all day at work, then continuing my screen-time on my phone afterwards…even at the gym! Day to day, I faced constant demands for my attention. And my phone was a major one.
When I left that company in 2013 and turned in my iPhone, I was a bit skeptical that I could survive without a smartphone. My friends were, too. “How are you going to take pictures?” a friend asked incredulously (thankfully, I figured out a way.)
It’s been over a year, and I still haven’t caved. Why? As a digital marketer, I’m immersed in the digital world. I run online advertising campaigns, research trends, catch up on industry blogs, and the like. When the day is done, stepping away from the computer allows me to recharge and reboot. I spend my screen-free time cooking, walking, rock climbing, attending lectures, and spending time with friends and family. I get to devote my attention to these activities without the interruption of a smartphone pinging me with Facebook Status updates, for example. And sure, my mind will wander. But a lot of my best ideas come to me I least expect…usually doing mindless things like jogging and running errands.
I know this won’t last forever, that my flip phone will eventually bite the dust, and I’ll have to migrate to a smartphone. My hope is I’ll make time to think, disconnect to reconnect, and remember what it means to simply be in the moment.
* Update October 21, 2014: My flip phone was on its last legs, so I got an iPhone 5S.
