Retro revival

Experts think that the smartphones of the future will change colour and size on request. You will be able to control them with your mind, sending a text or playing a video just by thinking about it.¹

Or you could have the Boring Phone. It would not have all the flashy features of the iPhone 15, released just last year. In fact, it would have hardly any features at all.

It might be hard to understand the appeal of a device literally called the Boring Phone, but the device has emerged as part of a worldwide boom in "dumbphones", mobile devices which pare down the smartphone to its most basic functions. With a dumbphone, you can manage your calendar, message your friends and call your mum - but not much more.

This week, Virgin Media O2 reported that sales of "non-smartphones" have doubled in a year, with a spike in September as children go back to school.

The dumbphone is not the only manifestationAn event or object that clearly shows an idea. of this new trend. Recent years have seen a retro revival, with vinyl records, cassettes and vintage gaming consoles all back in fashion.²

The people choosing these things call themselves neo-LudditesPeople opposed to new technology; named after bands of English workers in the 19th Century who believed machinery, especially in cotton and wool mills, was threatening their jobs.. With the iPhone turning 17 this year, they have never experienced a life without smartphones. Many are starting to envy the simpler lives their parents lived, before we were able to carry an entire virtual world around in our pockets.

Three in five Gen-Z consumers questioned say that they would like to be less connected to the digital world. But the dumbphone is about more than just "digital minimalismLiving with only the things you need.", the movement urging young people to put down their devices.

It also speaks to concerns about data privacyBeing able to keep details about your life to yourself without everyone else knowing. and the attention economy. A 2021 survey showed that 50% of people aged 18-24 are concerned about their online privacy.³

Some say it is about time dumbphones had a renaissanceThe "rebirth" of Western learning began in the late 15th century, as European scholars rediscovered ancient manuscripts and began to make developments in science and art.. Our social media exposure has gone too far. One 2021 survey showed that a quarter of children aged three to four years had their own social media profiles.⁴

But buying a dumbphone is not the only way to reduce your internet footprint. A range of new apps have been designed to make your smartphone more "minimalist".

From screen time restriction tools to "night mode" and app blockers, modern phones have plenty of tools designed to enable you to reclaim your time. But cynics believe that these are designed to be ineffective: for Big Tech companies, your time is their money.

The best thing you can do for your time, mental health and privacy, these cynics say, is to opt out entirely. Resign your iPhone. Abandon your Android. Mend your mind.

Should we give up our smartphones?

Yes: Research shows that our smartphones are damaging our attention, our mental health, our sleep quality and our self-esteem. On top of that, companies are stealing our data. It is time to opt out.

No: You need a smartphone for almost every aspect of life nowadays. From completing schoolwork to staying on top of the news and getting around, it is almost impossible to live without a smartphone.

Or... There is no point in throwing the baby out with the bathwater. You can install apps and functions to help you save time and reduce your screentime without eschewing all of the advantages that smartphones bring in our daily lives.