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I equate going "dumb phone" with those guys who dreamed about setting up a homestead in rural Alaska: A nice thought exercise, but well beyond the realm of the

I equate going "dumb phone" with those guys who dreamed about setting up a homestead in rural Alaska: A nice thought exercise, but well beyond the realm of the practical or even likely (or even possible in some tragic cases). The world has moved on, and your traditional cellular phone and SMS system is only slightly more useful than the telegraph (especially outside of the USA).

okdood64 3y ago
100% With some proper notifications set up and self control, you can live your "dumb phone" dreams while still not living a comically unpractical life.
tweedledot 3y ago
> The world has moved on Movement is not self-justifying. Have you weighed the pros and cons of what movement there has been in the last 5 years due to smart phones? >traditional cellular phone and SMS system is only slightly more useful than the telegraph (especially outside of the USA). I can phone or message almost anyone in the world at any moment. Have we forgotten what a magical power that is? Countering your last statement, I count myself lucky to live outside the US , where a smartphone-free life is still very practical for more than just a few die-hard holdouts (a bit like car ownership).
- kstenerud 3y ago
  > Movement is not self-justifying. Nothing is self-justifying. Things move. You either move with them and adapt, or they leave you behind.
  - tweedledot 3y ago
    Or I can decide that “forward” is bad and go somewhere else. Let’s not forget that those pushing apps and smart devices care only for sales and profits.
    - kstenerud 3y ago
      Of course you can, just like the homesteaders. Nobody is going to stop you; they'll just leave you behind.
      - tweedledot 3y ago
        Ironically, it’s very easy to literally overtake a phone zombie, whether on foot or by car.
  - _npe3 3y ago
    Comments like these really reinforce how happy I am to not have to live in the US of A.
throwaway81523 3y ago
> The world has moved on, and your traditional cellular phone and SMS system is only slightly more useful than the telegraph (especially outside of the USA). I don't find that. I broke down and got an Android phone some years back because I needed it for work, and I've since gotten a newer one. It's nice but it doesn't do anything that I consider important other than phone calls and SMS. I use it for road navigation, but previously used a standalone Garmin GPS that was superior in many ways. I occasionally check email or look at web sites while outside the house, but it's usually not that important. And I use the camera and clock, but I had a digicam and wristwatch before that, so again not that big a deal. I know some people are glued to their phones night and day but it doesn't exicte me that much. I'm as much of an internet zombie as most people here, but primarily at home, where I mostly use a laptop rather than a phone. The phone isn't a good substitute since it has a tiny screen, no keyboard, and too much of a GUI-driven OS. I prefer a traditional CLI environment with gcc and emacs and so on.
- hedora 3y ago
  Maybe the bay area is a particularly dystopian hellscape compared to the rest of the US, but here are some things that don't work here without a smartphone: - Going to large event venues. Ticketmaster implemented a rotating barcode system, specifically to prevent people from using printed tickets. You have to either (1) use their webpage at the event where there's no cell service (2) install their malware on your phone or (3) on iOS add the ticket to Apple Wallet. - Park in touristy areas. Parking meters still accept quarters, but a typical parking session is $20-$50, and the meters don't appear to be physically large enough to accept that many quarters. - Charge your electric vehicle (Unless it's a tesla, maybe? Mine isn't.) - Get into your office building (if you still have a commute) - Get the lowest available rate for public transit
  - throwaway81523 3y ago
    - Ticketmaster: no idea, I haven't gone to those events since the 20th century. It does sound dystopian but also for most people, at most a very occasional thing, no reason to carry a smartphone every day. Especially if there is no cell service at those events, you don't need a phone per se. - Parking: parking meters here take credit cards. They also take 1 dollar coins which are slightly bigger than quarters. I used to carry a few in my car for that purpose. - EV charging: hmm ok, though sort of a niche use. There are some chargers near here but idk what it takes to use them. Maybe I'll check. - Office building: I'm used to access cards, has that changed? Anyway if I need it for work, that's a work phone, not a personal phone, more or less. And it also sounds dystopian, if it requires cell service to work, or if you have to install a malware app. - public transit: idk if it's even possible to pay with a phone here. They want us to use the Clipper card, clippercard.com.
dieselgate 3y ago
Haters gonna hate, but in 2023 it's real. I have a month-to-month for both a smart/dumb phone and just use/take with me whichever whenever. Need the app verification infra for work and basically only use it for that. Most of the time the smart phone is at home and i'm "free"
- theGnuMe 3y ago
  Why not switch to a landline and an answering machine?
decafninja 3y ago
I’ve known two people who did the dumbphone thing. What brought them back to smartphones was not because it made life difficult for them. Rather, it made life difficult for their friends and family. Eventually they succumbed and went back to a smartphone. Not just phones, but there are a lot of things you can do if you choose to ignore various aspects of society around you. But can’t if you cannot.
- _npe3 3y ago
  It's amazing how people freak out when they "can't get a hold of you," after being trained to expect instant responses via smartphones.
  - decafninja 3y ago
    It’s not instant responses. It’s more that the many peoples’ first line of communication is no longer voice calls, and old fashioned SMS doesn’t cut it either. The price of participating in society is to conform to it. You can choose not to, but then you are choosing to live with the consequences. It’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth it, but it’s also society’s decision to whether it’s worth putting up with your eccentricities.
    - _npe3 3y ago
      Hmm maybe in your experience. I don't know anyone who can't or wont use sms instead of an online messenger. The consistent complaint is that they can't get ahold of me as fast as they used to, because I'm not glued to my phone anymore. Also, I find it kind of interesting that you equate "owning a smartphone," with "participating in society." I participate in society just fine without a smartphone, and in fact most people are very impressed that I ditched the smartphone and say they wish they could do the same, but of course, "they can't." Voice calls aren't good enough for people anymore. SMS "doesn't cut it." These are just excuses. Unless you can't afford a phone plan, and rely on your smartphone for its wi-fi capabilities, i would say it is fact YOU, the smartphone owner, who are demanding unreasonable things of me, the dumbphone owner.
_npe3 3y ago
this is kind of silly. there's absolutely no comparison between being completely self-sufficient and using a phone that can't access the internet. the oversized reactions to these stories always remind me of the mindset of addicted people. and for full disclosure I've had a dumb phone for over a year. I had no way miss my smartphone it was a total curse on my life.
- halJordan 3y ago
  There's definitely a comparison. The needs and wants that lead people to imagine themselves in rural alaska are the same needs and wants that lead one to saying "i gotta get a dumb phone." You're cajoling it into a one-for-one, equal sized comparison. But's it's really the same concept with two instantiations- one much smaller, one much larger.
  - hydrok9 3y ago
    I guess the main reason I got a dumbphone was to feel MORE connected to other people and society, not less. I don't think that owning a dumb phone is really comparable to living in a cabin by yourself in the woods surrounded by nothing but trees and animals.
nunez 3y ago
There are some people that very much like that though.

okdood64 3y ago

100% With some proper notifications set up and self control, you can live your "dumb phone" dreams while still not living a comically unpractical life.

tweedledot 3y ago

> The world has moved on Movement is not self-justifying. Have you weighed the pros and cons of what movement there has been in the last 5 years due to smart phones? >traditional cellular phone and SMS system is only slightly more useful than the telegraph (especially outside of the USA). I can phone or message almost anyone in the world at any moment. Have we forgotten what a magical power that is? Countering your last statement, I count myself lucky to live outside the US , where a smartphone-free life is still very practical for more than just a few die-hard holdouts (a bit like car ownership).

kstenerud 3y ago
> Movement is not self-justifying. Nothing is self-justifying. Things move. You either move with them and adapt, or they leave you behind.
- tweedledot 3y ago
  Or I can decide that “forward” is bad and go somewhere else. Let’s not forget that those pushing apps and smart devices care only for sales and profits.
  - kstenerud 3y ago
    Of course you can, just like the homesteaders. Nobody is going to stop you; they'll just leave you behind.
    - tweedledot 3y ago
      Ironically, it’s very easy to literally overtake a phone zombie, whether on foot or by car.
- _npe3 3y ago
  Comments like these really reinforce how happy I am to not have to live in the US of A.

throwaway81523 3y ago

> The world has moved on, and your traditional cellular phone and SMS system is only slightly more useful than the telegraph (especially outside of the USA). I don't find that. I broke down and got an Android phone some years back because I needed it for work, and I've since gotten a newer one. It's nice but it doesn't do anything that I consider important other than phone calls and SMS. I use it for road navigation, but previously used a standalone Garmin GPS that was superior in many ways. I occasionally check email or look at web sites while outside the house, but it's usually not that important. And I use the camera and clock, but I had a digicam and wristwatch before that, so again not that big a deal. I know some people are glued to their phones night and day but it doesn't exicte me that much. I'm as much of an internet zombie as most people here, but primarily at home, where I mostly use a laptop rather than a phone. The phone isn't a good substitute since it has a tiny screen, no keyboard, and too much of a GUI-driven OS. I prefer a traditional CLI environment with gcc and emacs and so on.

hedora 3y ago
Maybe the bay area is a particularly dystopian hellscape compared to the rest of the US, but here are some things that don't work here without a smartphone: - Going to large event venues. Ticketmaster implemented a rotating barcode system, specifically to prevent people from using printed tickets. You have to either (1) use their webpage at the event where there's no cell service (2) install their malware on your phone or (3) on iOS add the ticket to Apple Wallet. - Park in touristy areas. Parking meters still accept quarters, but a typical parking session is $20-$50, and the meters don't appear to be physically large enough to accept that many quarters. - Charge your electric vehicle (Unless it's a tesla, maybe? Mine isn't.) - Get into your office building (if you still have a commute) - Get the lowest available rate for public transit
- throwaway81523 3y ago
  - Ticketmaster: no idea, I haven't gone to those events since the 20th century. It does sound dystopian but also for most people, at most a very occasional thing, no reason to carry a smartphone every day. Especially if there is no cell service at those events, you don't need a phone per se. - Parking: parking meters here take credit cards. They also take 1 dollar coins which are slightly bigger than quarters. I used to carry a few in my car for that purpose. - EV charging: hmm ok, though sort of a niche use. There are some chargers near here but idk what it takes to use them. Maybe I'll check. - Office building: I'm used to access cards, has that changed? Anyway if I need it for work, that's a work phone, not a personal phone, more or less. And it also sounds dystopian, if it requires cell service to work, or if you have to install a malware app. - public transit: idk if it's even possible to pay with a phone here. They want us to use the Clipper card, clippercard.com.

dieselgate 3y ago

Haters gonna hate, but in 2023 it's real. I have a month-to-month for both a smart/dumb phone and just use/take with me whichever whenever. Need the app verification infra for work and basically only use it for that. Most of the time the smart phone is at home and i'm "free"

theGnuMe 3y ago
Why not switch to a landline and an answering machine?

decafninja 3y ago

I’ve known two people who did the dumbphone thing. What brought them back to smartphones was not because it made life difficult for them. Rather, it made life difficult for their friends and family. Eventually they succumbed and went back to a smartphone. Not just phones, but there are a lot of things you can do if you choose to ignore various aspects of society around you. But can’t if you cannot.

_npe3 3y ago
It's amazing how people freak out when they "can't get a hold of you," after being trained to expect instant responses via smartphones.
- decafninja 3y ago
  It’s not instant responses. It’s more that the many peoples’ first line of communication is no longer voice calls, and old fashioned SMS doesn’t cut it either. The price of participating in society is to conform to it. You can choose not to, but then you are choosing to live with the consequences. It’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth it, but it’s also society’s decision to whether it’s worth putting up with your eccentricities.
  - _npe3 3y ago
    Hmm maybe in your experience. I don't know anyone who can't or wont use sms instead of an online messenger. The consistent complaint is that they can't get ahold of me as fast as they used to, because I'm not glued to my phone anymore. Also, I find it kind of interesting that you equate "owning a smartphone," with "participating in society." I participate in society just fine without a smartphone, and in fact most people are very impressed that I ditched the smartphone and say they wish they could do the same, but of course, "they can't." Voice calls aren't good enough for people anymore. SMS "doesn't cut it." These are just excuses. Unless you can't afford a phone plan, and rely on your smartphone for its wi-fi capabilities, i would say it is fact YOU, the smartphone owner, who are demanding unreasonable things of me, the dumbphone owner.

_npe3 3y ago

this is kind of silly. there's absolutely no comparison between being completely self-sufficient and using a phone that can't access the internet. the oversized reactions to these stories always remind me of the mindset of addicted people. and for full disclosure I've had a dumb phone for over a year. I had no way miss my smartphone it was a total curse on my life.

halJordan 3y ago
There's definitely a comparison. The needs and wants that lead people to imagine themselves in rural alaska are the same needs and wants that lead one to saying "i gotta get a dumb phone." You're cajoling it into a one-for-one, equal sized comparison. But's it's really the same concept with two instantiations- one much smaller, one much larger.
- hydrok9 3y ago
  I guess the main reason I got a dumbphone was to feel MORE connected to other people and society, not less. I don't think that owning a dumb phone is really comparable to living in a cabin by yourself in the woods surrounded by nothing but trees and animals.

nunez 3y ago

There are some people that very much like that though.