Like many many people, I’ve become increasingly frustrated with technology that seems to get worse and worse (enshittification), algorithms designed to elevate the infuriating and incendiary, the feeling that everything I encounter online (and half of in-person interactions) is a scam or harboring some smuggled deceit designed to manipulate me into supporting a corporation that inevitably funds warlords or genocide.
I considered a “dumb phone,” even though I don’t really struggle with screen time (I average 45 minutes to 1.5 hours per day, depending on the day and whether I get lost in playing 25 games of sudoku while listening to a podcast). But the number of tasks in the world that seem to require a smartphone doesn’t make this feasible. I need an authenticator at work, the airline app when I fly, my banking app to deposit a check…
So I decided on a compromise: the “minimal phone,” which discourages regular use by making most apps look terrible on a black-and-white, e-ink screen, while also allowing any app to be downloaded and used when necessary. I ordered one. It hasn’t come yet.
In the days since I’ve ordered it, I’ve been frantically using my iphone literally like I’m about to lose it–even though I certainly won’t throw it away, it’ll just become a wifi device. I’ve been gripped by a sudden fear, such that my “electronic leash” (as I’ve called it for years) suddenly seems indespensible. It’s literally a 9 year old phone… but in the last week I’ve downloaded new apps, reconfigured settings, and played more games of sudoku than I can count.
Will this firey impulse go away once I receive my new gadget? Or will I cling to the electronic leash and refuse to give it up? I suppose I’ll find out in 2-3 weeks 🙃
Stay tuned.
Strange Simulacra 