Should we all try it? The poet John Cooper Clarke has learnt to live without modern technology. Others who have given up on it say doing so made their lives better.
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The man with no phone, no email, no computer
Should we all try it? The poet John Cooper Clarke has learnt to live without modern technology. Others who have given up on it say doing so made their lives better.
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What's happening?
The poet John Cooper Clarke is sharing one of the secrets of his art: "I write all my poems with a quillA large feather with the end sharpened to use as a pen. and parchmentA stiff, flat writing surface made out of animal skin. by candlelight... I don't have a computer, I don't own a mobile phone, and it's not possible to send me an email. If someone needs me, they can call my landline."
Cooper Clarke has many reasons for giving up tech. He points out that online banking has led to people losing their money in scamsDishonest schemes, often to trick people out of their money. .
He also dislikes supermarket self-checkouts. He says they are slow, and that they have taken over the job of a person.
He worries, too, about people losing natural skills because of tech. Those who depend on Google Maps may forget how to find their way. Above all, if you stop taking part in the world around you, you will lose out on having a social life.
The facts back this up. In her book Unwired, Gaia Bernstein writes that the amount of time American teenagers spend partying has fallen by two thirds since the 1980s.
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In a recent newspaper article, James Marriott wrote about trying to give up his smartphone. It was much easier than he expected.
He felt "a sense of giddyFeeling happy and excited, so much so that you might whirl around. freedom and relief" at being free from his phone.
Should we all try it?
Yes! Tech can be useful. But we should not let it rule our lives. We might all be happier if the people walking down the street stared out ahead, rather than down at their phones.
No! We live in a high-tech world now. To be successful, we all have to take part. Those who give up technology will be left behind.
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Keywords
Quill - A large feather with the end sharpened to use as a pen.
Parchment - A stiff, flat writing surface made out of animal skin.
Scams - Dishonest schemes, often to trick people out of their money.
Giddy - Feeling happy and excited, so much so that you might whirl around.
The man with no phone, no email, no computer
Tech-free: "I write all my poems with a quill by candlelight," says John Cooper Clarke (above). Glossary
Quill - A large feather with the end sharpened to use as a pen.
Parchment - A stiff, flat writing surface made out of animal skin.
Scams - Dishonest schemes, often to trick people out of their money.
Giddy - Feeling happy and excited, so much so that you might whirl around.