Almost all of the population owns a smartphone. Theseperform a multitude of useful functionsand they don’t solve a lot of problems. For example, if we travel to a city that we do not know, they guide us precisely to the place we want to get to. But this has not always been the case, the explosion of smartphones occurred in 2007, when the iPhone entered the scene.
Previously, we had been using mobile phones for two decades. Do you remember those gadgets with a gigantic battery and a long antenna? The executives and heads of state were the only ones who could afford them, andthe cost of each call was astronomical.Little by little, technology was dwarfing the size of telephones, increasing their benefits and making it possible for the general public to have one. Those devices were only used to send and receive calls, as well as a text message.
And the most advanced had some game or a composer of melodies. If we look back, it seems incredible that we could survive with those devices, now we carry real pocket computers with us, capable of almost anything. But the experience ofspend a few days without a smartphone in the middle of 2021It is perhaps an experience that you must try. For some it can lead to a panic attack just imagining that situation. NeitherWhatsApp,no social media applications, no internet connection, no high-quality photos … But, nevertheless, the experience can be well worth it. Thanks to her you can get tounderstand your relationship with technology, in how essential it has become, but also to verify that there is another type of relationship with it.
This is what it’s like to spend a few days without a smartphone
This experience arises almost as a necessity, as a way to test yourself and see how far you can go. For a few days, I decided to stop using my smartphone, the one with which I spend too many hours, and replace it with a phone that has not been manufactured for many years, specifically, the Nokia 8210. It should be remembered that this device was launched in October 1999, and that it was the smallest of the Finnish company, but also the most expensive for the time.
Of course, forget about internet connection, high definition color screen, listening to your favorite songs on Spotify or taking a photo.
Previously, I warned my most usual contacts that I was going to be disconnected for a few days, so if they needed me, they would only have to call me on the phone. If they sent me a WhatsApp message, obviously I would not be able to receive it until I decided to change the device SIM card.
The moment of truth
The first thing that strikes you is that the mobile phone with more than 20 years continues to work perfectly. It’s amazing how robust the technology was only two decades ago. Once I inserted the SIM card into the phone , I mounted the battery and pressed the power button. The Nokia home screen made me smile, but what mattered was that the phone was taking carrier coverage well and everything seemed to work.
The first shock is to check that there are physical keys, one is no longer used to pressing them because now we do it directly on the screen. The small size of the device also attracted attention, very comfortable to carry in your pocket and with little weight. Some advantage would have to have. I decided to go outside with him with the feeling that I was missing something. I did not have the phone to consult any nonsense if I felt like it. That made me uneasy for a while, but as it goes on you assume that, if you wish, the communication continues. You just have to dial a number and call. The problem comes perhaps due to the smartphones themselves. The least use we make of it is to make a call. In my case, there are days that go by and go by without me doing any, quite a paradox for a phone.
This experience makes you realize that we spend too much time with the phone in hand doing practically nothing. What he is doing is fulfilling a function that is no longer entertainment, but to supply boredom. That isIf before we were bored in one way, now we do it in another.
As the days went by, that feeling of restlessness, like a smartphone withdrawal syndrome, subsided. It’s more,it becomes even a liberation.You give the phone the importance it has, and you use it simply for the function for which it was created. This experience helped me understand that, in my case, I was spending too much time on the phone. This led me to pay more attention to the control of phone time use, which sends you a weekly report with the average time you have spent connected. The day to day with a phone from two decades ago in the middle of 2021 is positive, as an experiment it is a highly recommended experience.
You live calmer, you are perhaps more productive and you realize that the battery lasts forever. But reality ends up imposing itself, we had to go back to the iPhone 12. When I reinserted the SIM card and turned it on, I had the feeling of being a premiere. When the phone received the signal from the operator, the WhatsApp application went crazy. I hadmore than 1000 unread messages,coming from so many and so many groups in which I am as a participant. With Telegram it was also something similar, the mail did not notify anything because it was consulted from the computer.
But this experience of being without a smartphone for a few days in 2021 has been very pleasant and I do not rule out doing it again during a vacation period. It helps you tounderstand your relationship with technologyand give it the value it has. It is not about going back or giving it up, but understanding that excessive and uncontrolled use of the smartphone is not positive.
