People are seeking devices that help them unplug, redefining what ‘connected’ really means.
Not so long ago, the ability to carry a pocket-sized phone with you everywhere and call anyone in the world with it seemed like a stunning technological breakthrough, the realization of the most fanciful sci-fi daydreams. We’d finally made a real-life version of the impossibly advanced communicator gadget in the old Star Trek TV show. Everyone rushed to get one and step into a new, futuristic age.
But soon, this wonder machine itself became obsolete, as flip phones were quickly outpaced by smartphones—which we really ought to call miniature computers instead of phones, since calling is used far less than their social media apps, web browsing, games, and texting features. By the mid-2010s, anyone still using a flip phone was seen as frightfully out-of-date. People still lugging around those antiques were either hopeless Luddites or criminals using them as burner phones.
But now, cell phones are following the cycle of hairstyles and fashion: What was once cool, then uncool, has become cool again. The “dumbphone” may have been knocked down, but it never left the fight. Today, it’s coming back with a vengeance.
Back to the … Past
The moniker “dumbphone” isn’t really fair, although it’s useful shorthand for any cellphone that isn’t a smartphone. Many people have begun to wonder whether returning to dumbphones might actually be a smart move in our technology-saturated, dopamine-addled world. Dumbphones—better defined as “minimalist” or “feature” phones—provide the opportunity to disconnect a little, break an addictive relationship to technology, and be more present in the moment.
Although it remains a subculture, the growing interest in minimalist cell phones is undeniable, with Gen Z in particular yearning to return to a simpler time (even if they’re too young to recall it) when phones lacked the sleek, sophisticated, and addicting apps they boast today. Google searches for “dumbphone” have maintained a steady upward trend over the last 5 years. Ammy Archer—a media relations and research lead at the phone plan comparison company WhistleOut—described for The Epoch Times the results of some of her market research on this emerging trend:
“In a survey earlier this year, we found out that over half (59 percent) of Gen Z wants to make the switch to a dumbphone this year, along with 49 percent of millennials. 1 in 4 people interested in dumbphones don’t even care about retaining apps, which speaks to a drive for really unplugging.”
Archer added, “While there are a lot of benefits to staying connected to everything, like staying informed about world events and socialization, there’s also a lot of fatigue from constant input that can have an effect on our lives outside of our phones. Just a couple of years ago we discovered that over half of Americans consider themselves addicted to their phones.”
The growing frustration with phone addiction has led to disaffected smartphone users scouring eBay for old Blackberries, modifying their phones to remove distracting apps, or even buying one of the new, high-end minimalist phones put out by companies like Punkt. or The Light Phone, which lack all but the most essential phone features, such as texting, calling, and maps.
