Are smart phones dumb? Are dumb phones smart? (Asking the big questions here.)
This is the 3rd of a series of Luddite Chronicles. The Luddites were opposed to innovation, and true confession, I’m a bit of a Luddite. Here are the two previous Luddite posts:
1) Intro (learn about the Luddites here)
2) Newspapers vs. on-line news (New Orleans will soon be the largest US city without a daily newspaper. Read more here.)
Today’s topic is smart phones.
When we lived in England my wife wanted to buy me a “mobile phone” (that’s what cell phones are called across the pond). I wasn’t interested. Why do I want people to be able to call me whenever they want? I waited as long as possible. I finally got one, but didn’t use it often except to tell Shannon I’m coming home late. Even now, I leave my cell phone off for several days at a time. (Remember, I’m a Luddite.)
I don’t have a smart phone, and I don’t plan to get one anytime soon. Here are seven reasons I don’t like smart phones:
1) I can’t afford a data plan. So, I’m cheap. Tell me something I don’t know.
2) I don’t want to check my email 24/7. I’m not that important. People can wait. Nobody responds to my emails instantly. (Maybe that’s because they know I don’t have a smart phone, so I must not be very important. Hmm…I need to think about this more.)
3) It’s good to be unconnected. There’s a place in Appalachia (13,000 square miles) with no reception of any kind: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7409162n&tag=mncol;lst;1. Nice.
4) Smart phones over-prioritize the immediate. The most important thing is not always what has just happened a few seconds ago.
5) Smart phones are obsessive. People’s lives revolve around them. (I’m not talking about you, just everybody else.) They can become idolatrous. I struggle to make my life revolve around God. I don’t need another idol. (Although, I did get that iPad for Christmas…)
6) Abraham, Moses, Deborah, David, Mary and Jesus didn’t have smart phones. They did OK with them. Judas probably had a smart phone. (I had to tie this post into the Bible somehow.)
7) There are an increasing number of free wi-fi hot spots I can use my iPad.
Smart phones are dumb. Call me a Luddite.
In what ways are you a Luddite?
Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphone