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, editing an image 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.

Unveiled at Milan design week earlier this year as a collaboration between the beer brand Heineken and the modishConforming to what is fashionable and popular. fashion retailer Bodega, it might be hard to understand the appeal of a device literally called the Boring Phone.

But this phone has emerged as part of a worldwide boom in "dumbphones", mobile devices which pare down the modern smartphone to its most basic and outdated functions. With a dumbphone, you can manage your calendar, message your friends and call your mum - but do little more.

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.

Gen-Z consumers in particular are turning away from the technology of the future.² They 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

The range of 'dumbphones' is astonishing. Some recreate the simple flip phones of the 90s, before we could even have imagined the functions of a modern smartphone. Others are luxury, high-end products which cost a premium for a reduced experience.

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", getting rid of all of the apps you do not strictly need and creating an pared-back black-and-white interface.

From screen time restriction tools to "night mode" and app blockers, modern phones have plenty of tools designed to help users reclaim their time. But cynics believe that these are designed to be ineffective: for Big Tech companies, every second you spend on your phone amounts to more profit. 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: All of the 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 to our daily lives.