The Return of ‘Dumb’ Things

Why young people are ditching their smartphones in favour of ‘dumb’ phones, cameras and notebooks.

If you spend any time in the company of people under the age of 25, you may have noticed a curious thing. Despite being brought up surrounded by technology and developing an enviable mastery of a vast range of devices, many are turning their back on their smart tech in favour of ‘dumb’ things.

While the word ‘dumb’ has a number of meanings (not all of them complimentary), in this context, it refers to devices that can only do one thing. So rather than using a smartphone for everything from online research and social media to taking pictures and making to-do lists, many young people are outsourcing their smartphone functions to individual devices that simply perform one.

So high-definition smartphone cameras are being ditched in favour of digital cameras, emoji-packed messaging apps are ignored in favour of old-school texting, and music subscription services are swapped for MP3 players. And when it comes to digital calendars, diaries and note-taking apps, many young people are turning to paper.

Digital Disconnect

The desire to shun the smartphone in favour of ‘legacy tech’ comes from a recognition among young adults and teenagers of the harm that being online 24/7 brings and the lure of social media that’s increasingly hard to resist. Many young people have tried a digital detox and found they enjoyed the mental space it offers. Now, they are discovering the attraction of simpler, more tangible technology that requires more thought and provides a greater emotional connection.

“I put my smartphone in a cardboard box, wrapped it in three layers of duct tape and said goodbye to it,” said a 19-year-old called Caleb to Yahoo Life. “I’d much rather write about my experiences in a journal because it feels so much more personal and emotionally driven.”

Another digital disconnector is Pascal, who uses a basic Nokia for communication, an old-school stereo system to listen to CDs and a digital camera to take photos. “The picture quality of a digital camera is infinitely better than on smartphones,” he said. “I’m also a bit more intentional about what’s worth saving a memory of instead of just taking a picture of everything.”

Paper Passion

The personal benefits of using pen and paper are well-documented: the act of writing not only implants the information more deeply in the memory, but it allows the writer to think through their decisions and form insights that improve the understanding of complex processes and creativity.

These benefits are now being linked with the movement of ‘digital minimalism’, which sees an increasing number of young adults and teens dumbing down their devices in the pursuit of greater meaning and personal connection.

“Digital minimalism is a focus on the more analogue parts of everyday life,” explains Caitlin Begg, a sociologist based in New York. “Older systems allow people to focus on one activity at a time instead of being overrun by algorithms and spending hours on a smartphone.”

So the next time you turn to your smartphone to do something, you should ask yourself if it could be done using something simpler, such as paper. Making that one small change could make a big difference to your wellbeing.