I've been struggling with addiction in various forms for my entire adult life, so I have a decent understanding of it imho. When I first learned what a smartph

I've been struggling with addiction in various forms for my entire adult life, so I have a decent understanding of it imho. When I first learned what a smartphone was, I knew immediately that I would become addicted to it if I let myself. I simply chose not to get addicted to smartphones by never purchasing one, and it's working out quite well so far. I know they're awesome little nuggets of technology, but I just don't want to be that connected... so I don't own one. For the same reasons that I choose not to continually purchase the latest gaming console. Spending $1,000 on something every 6 months (amortized cost of the smartphone + connectivity charges) that eventually becomes worthless isn't far off from a serious drug or alcohol addiction financially speaking... And now all of my "straight laced" friends can hardly even carry on a casual conversation without looking at their smartphones every few minutes has only reinforced my way of thinking. They use smartphones as passive babysitters for their children when they're on short car rides without hesitation. The look on a 3 year old's mesmerized face as they stare into a tablet disgusts me to no end. I now choose to never own a smartphone. I know they're a detriment to society. Perhaps when I am old, dying, and actually in desperate need of "contact", I'll splurge on one. But until then, I'm perfectly content receiving and composing emails from a full-blown computer with a keyboard... and sending the odd text message through my dumbphone. I work in the tech industry, and refusing to own a smartphone hasn't slowed me down yet!