July 4th, 2024

Dumbification of Our Smartphones

The article discusses "Dumbification" in technology, where screens become overwhelming. It explores using "dumbphones" and minimalist apps to reduce screen time, emphasizing balance and reclaiming attention in a tech-driven world.

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Dumbification of Our Smartphones

The article discusses the concept of "Dumbification" in the context of smart screens and technology. It highlights how the initial promise of smartphones making us smarter has turned into a situation where screens have become overwhelming and distracting. The author explores the trend of simplifying technology by opting for "dumbphones" or minimalist apps to reduce screen time and improve focus. Various products and initiatives are mentioned, such as the Light Phone and the Boring Phone, that aim to provide alternatives to the constant connectivity of smartphones. The article reflects on the need to find a balance between staying connected and avoiding digital overload. It suggests that Dumbification could be a way to reclaim time and attention in a tech-saturated world, emphasizing the importance of a healthier relationship with technology.

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Link Icon 5 comments
By @slowmovintarget - 3 months
Kid phone: SMS (no images) to fixed contacts only, phone to fixed contacts and 911 only, GPS, map. That's it. No other apps, no app store, no media, no web browser. Basic comms and nav only.

No instant depression for girls, no retreat from the real world into games and porn for boys (and eventual depression).

By @pclmulqdq - 3 months
The "hipster" boring phone looks like prison tech. A clear plastic case and a significantly reduced UI. I bet the speaker is intentionally quiet, too, with the marketing idea that it "saves your ears" (another hallmark of prison electronics).

Did someone actually take prison tech to market it to hipsters?

By @simpaticoder - 3 months
"And it seems the mood right now is to run away from screens."

I don't think this is true. Like cigarette smoking in the mid-20th, the elite are realizing how harmful screens are, and are starting to turn the wheels of awareness and regulation to the fact of harm. But the message hasn't landed. The same struggle will ensue, but the institutional elite are far less powerful than they were then, and it's not clear that it will work. We will be left to our own devices (so to speak), and it will be up to individuals to do what is right for their minds, and look on with sorrow at the damage screens are doing to the very fabric of civilization. It is a great mercy that the bleeding always stops, one way or another.

By @echelon - 3 months
I want a smartphone with an e-ink screen, email, messaging, and a lightweight web browser.

Maps, GPS, camera, but no distracting apps, no social. Note taking, TODOs. Stuff that helps me.