Smartphones have become very important in our lives in the last decade, but is this really a good thing?
All the interruptions, constant distractions and various notifications received throughout the day by journalist Jenna Woginrich on her personal smartphone, made her completely give up her smartphone for 18 months. He wrote about the whole experience in The Guardian, and Woginrich tells us how he was without a smartphone for the last year and a half, and it seems that there were a lot of inconveniences.
In the first phase, she announced to the people of interest and her family that she could only be contacted by e-mail (which she checks only from her laptop) and on her landline, at work or at home. On the one hand, he noticed that not having a smartphone all the time was uncomfortable, he was missing out on interactions, "gossip" on social networks, and other uncomfortable things in many ways. On the other hand, she felt that she was no longer constantly distracted and could be more productive.
"I'm a freelance writer and graphic designer with many reasons to have a little computer in my holster, but I don't miss it," she explains. "There are a dozen ways to contact me between email and social media. When I check in, it's on my terms. No one can interrupt my bad singing of Hooked on a Feeling with a text message. It's as freeing as the first night of a vacation."
Woginrich also says that her quality of life has been much better since she gave up her smartphone. The number of distractions present in our life is ridiculously large and giving up some of them gives you space to... think! Starting from the fact that she now looks people in the eye, and doesn't check her smartphone with every notification, and socializes more face to face, to the fact that she is physically and mentally healthier. He realized that he can live very well without a smartphone as long as he can keep in touch with the online world on his laptop. The big inconvenience is that you can't get in touch by phone at any time, especially in cases of emergency.
"My business, social life, and personal safety have not evaporated overnight either. Turns out a basic internet connection and laptop is plenty of connectivity to keep friends informed, weekends fun and trains running on time."
It sounds really nice, but personally I wouldn't be able to do it, for N reasons. Do you think you could manage to stay without a smartphone for 18 months?
