It takes a lot of cultural pressure and overwhelming data for a society to change tracks on technologies we’ve long taken for granted, but in the case of the phones, the herd might be redirecting its migration route. More and more people, the young included, are sick of their smartphones and opting for a simpler, albeit more “boring” alternative: The “dumbphone.”

Dumbphones, however, aren’t dumb at all; they just do what phones were originally designed to, which is to call people. Who would think that buying a phone just to take and make calls and text messages would be such a revolutionary concept? (Let’s phone Alexander Graham Bell to thank him for his service.) But alas, here we are.

And it’s about time, too, given the mental health crisis among members of Gen Z, the out-of-control way that everything in our world, from natural disasters to people getting mugged on subways, from sexual acts to a backdoor view on people’s personal lives (as seen on Instagram), all exists at our fingertips. We have become a culture of voyeurs, titillated by the misfortunes and victories and follies of other human beings, all from the comfort of our own homes. The algorithmic structures of social media platforms turn the most mind-numbing and even disturbing content into viral hits, normalizing its place in the digital ecosystem.

Enough is Enough

Now, though, people are crying for a limit to the madness. There is a renewed interest in using cell phones as simple tools to talk to other people instead of as a high-powered personal computer, able to summon hard-core porn or AI cat videos with the few taps of the keyboard. Technologies typically have a limited and specific function. Roads are for driving on. Boats are for sailing. Storage containers are for storing and moving goods and supplies across long distances. But the smartphone? It’s for email, it’s for transportation, it’s for relationships, food, sex, money, entertainment, and love. It’s for cosmic connection and unlimited “content creation.” I could technically work from my phone if I wanted to!

But being constantly online, constantly available to reach, and constantly bombarded with the woes of the world is a recipe for emotional turmoil. Gen Z, the generation most affected by digital media, has somewhat been leading the charge. Kyle Chayka writes in the New Yorker,

Digital technology has been an inevitable feature of their lives, yet they are also better equipped, or better motivated, than generations past to confront its negative impacts. 

Many young people are buying the Light Phone, a new device that uses digital ink paper technology, like the Kindle reader, for its non-glow display. Others are simply buying the old-school flip-phones. Anything, really, to escape the barrage of dopamine. It’s a small but radical step to use the phone as they were intended: a helpful communication tool.

In Defense of the Real World

I just finished reading Neuromancer by science fiction writer William Gibson. The novel is about cyberspace and the blending of the digital and physical frontiers. What Gibson saw as a cautionary trend in his own cultural moment many a tech bro has taken as an invitation and a command: Go forth and colonize the world with virtual reality! The data and the growing cultural consensus, though, might finally be crying foul on the colonialism of the digital project. What if we lived most of our lives in the real world instead of on screens and found a way to use our screens to facilitate more in-person interactions?