Why are Gen Z and Millennials ditching their smartphones for dumb phones? | The Stream
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- Did you know the average user could spend up to 5.5 years of their life on social media? We’re living in a time dominated by smartphones and constant connectivity. But more and more people are saying they want to reclaim their time by going back to the basics.
This switch is fuelled by the desire for stronger mental wellbeing. In this episode, we’ll explore how people are trying to break the addictive grip of social media and whether this is signalling a broader change in society’s relationship with technology.
Presenter: Myriam Francois
Guests:
Shayonne DasGupta - Writer
Jose Briones - Content Creator & Digital Minimalist
Sophia Smith Galer - Journalist & Content Creator
Pete Judo - Behavioural Scientist & Content Creator
Marco Prince - Tech Content Creator
#genz #socialmedia #smartphone #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeera #aljazeeralive #millenials
Wow.. thats awesome.. lets go back to 90s and early 00s folks... Really miss those golden days
Take ur cd player with nickelback cd in it and do some skating
@@rumorscameras let's go then!! Join me.. I still home have my green colored roller skates somewhere in the garage.. letsssss gooooooooo
@@squallleonheart8494 am gonna stop for half an hour to play sreetfighter2 at the game center...will bip you when am done. Can you give me back the gameboy cartridge i lent you
I have an iPod to listen music, and I still use it for 2 months straight
@@rumorscamerasno matter how much it skips. 😂
If we wanna put an impact on the toxic capitalism and corporate greed we should consume less of everything including social media.
You first
@@oddassemblerso easy to do. Let go.
Gonna have to buy an old phone so how’s that gonna impact capitalism
I can’t stand communists but b this point I do agree. I don’t mind people making more money than me, I do mind people being mindless and just falling in with the communist/socialist resentment farm on social media.
I still don't get the economic model of growth is the same in capitalist or communist regime, so what's alternative?
no excuses for giving your toddler an ipad and having them continue like this till they're in school getting their brain scrambled by constant dopamine blast from the social apps. if you want to keep in touch with your kids once they're older, give them a brick phone. they're hard to destroy and serve their purpose perfectly fine
what kind of stupid dressing this host wearing shameful n become joker
All social media is also available on desktops and laptops. Ultimately it’s up to the individual to limit their use.
They should give people the ability to have no access to them in the laptops. Like change laws that can increase type of services from IT specialist to block all social media on desktops and phones.
Much easior to avoid when it is not available 24/7
So I tested this I downgraded to text and call only, and so many times I was was inconvenienced cause I needed an app and data to use it at the time. Example, using Cardless atm, after losing my debit card, or using the virtual version. or using auto pay at wawas have to have app open at wawas and wawas don't have free wifi. Needing someone's contact on a whim stored in my Gmail contacts. Needing to confirm class studies on a phone call
@@egsantosliterally not..
@@egsantosjust like everything is easier said 🙄
I don't think it's got anything to do with addiction to your phone, I think people have realised what phones have become, intrusive location tracking, data graping forcing adverts done your throat. mobile phones have become a joke compared to what they should be.
Point is we keep looking at rectangular glass too much.
Also, let's call it feature phone, not a dumb phone.
Sentient they have become
It’s all that plus addiction and more. Multifaceted and
Multifunctional distractions. You’re totally right
Im using my dumb phone for 4months know, and it helped me limit my social media usage since i have got a laptop which i only use when at home. So when outside home, i dont use any social media and i thought i was alone at this coz many ppl were woundering at me but seeing this made me happy..💯
what kind of phone?
I never had a smart phone growing up, all I had was my first computer at 17 and I was pretty happy with it.
I deleted all my social media app when i was 17 because i spent too much time on it, i began to read more and spent more time outside. I am 24 now. I only check in every month or every other months and delete it again 2 days after or 24 hours after.
You visit any social media and it is bloated with ads. I stopped buying products that I see on ads because they make me angry and waste my time. I believe that is one reason.
I've been debating this, Google has a hold on modern smartphones allowing governments to track everything you do.
Definitely reminds me of George Orwells' "1984", but this one's on another level. And by that, I meant subtle, but far worse than we think.
Everyone is easy to track regardless. Anyone who owns a smart phone is easy to track.
Are we really so interesting, that the government cares about us watching music, and cute talking parrots?
@@DQ_MineIf you vote or will vote in the future, or if you pay taxes. Human behaviour and power.
I want to give my children a "dumb" phone only. Just for connection and safety. Social media is packed with unhealthy content with limitless and uncontrollable access. It's dangerous.
Don't call it a dumb phone then.
Even though it's commendable, almost cultish, not to have a smartphone nowadays, the reality is that there was "an increase of 635 million new smartphone users over the past year alone".
bring back blackberry
amen.
Well there is unihertz titan pocket
Blackberry and sidekicks where tha bomb
There is a simple habit that helps limit the addictive effect of smartphones: reading a printed book every day. A daily dive into a deposit of vegetal paper memory forces the person to put aside the phone and connect with the world in another way. It is not possible to scroll a book. It has to be read carefully, one line after another, one paragraph after another, one page after another. Time spent reading a book helps develop concentration and focus.
ha ha.... i used to be a voracious book reader, but social media and being on the internet has turned me into a low attention span vegetable. It has been YEARS since I've been able to concentrate enough to read a book! and when I've tried, the pace is so slow, and the dopamine so little compared to those engineered dopamine hit devices, that I find myself restless and grabbing for my phone. And when I do manage to just focus on the book, I find that I no longer have the comprehension skills I did pre-phone and pre-internet. Reading books for me now is sadly an exercise in frustration.
@@itsgoingtobeok-justbreathe4808you have to find a good one!
The world is healing.
Before cell phones, even dumb ones, I had at least 30 phone numbers in my head 😮.
TH-cam had been my biggest struggle and addiction for the past decade 😢. I'm a housewife and wasted too much of my time on this site. I downloaded a children's app on my phone and my husband took the parent's role. Once I use my phone or certain apps for a selected amount of time, those apps lock up and I cannot access them unless I do other things. It helped me tremendously.
I’m 49 and did not grow up with a smart phone. Years ago I worked in a large city with some coworkers that were much younger than I, 20 yrs younger or so, and I was impressed with the conversations I’d hear about what it would be like to not have the phone for a day. It informed me that the younger generation is very aware of what is going on. I do think it is like an addiction in that a person can be so consumed by it they don’t see things around them and in their life for what they are, but when it is removed the world can look like a totally different place, and in a good way.
When I moved social media, except TH-cam, to my tablet, i saw a difference in my addiction. But I now fund I spend more time on TH-cam 😢
I'm 29 and deleted all my social media (aside from TH-cam) in March. I will never have it again. I will be getting a flip phone from Nokia soon.
I have a TLC and I can say first hand, my life is much better. Smartphone phones are a trap for your mind literally
@@andresdelgado3566 my Nokia 2780 will be here this weekend!
Same here
Same here, did quit facebook two years ago and started replacing the time i used on facebook with youtube. Got real addiction on watching youtube and now i have to Quit YT as well and get a dumb phone.
@@admirhoxha9748 I listen/watch TH-cam all day during work (WFH). I'm usually burned out by the end of the day from work and TH-cam. Fortunately I haven't found myself burying myself in it.
9:45 … its addiction. Stop trying to sugar coat it. Euphemisms don’t cover up the harsh truth
I am a 50 year old male. I have Aspberger's. I didn't get a cell phone until I was 40. I was a used iPhone from my brother. I listen to music on my phone and make phone calls, since I no longer have a landline. My problem is not having a job, and spending all day on TH-cam.
They delete those apps and two days later download those same apps.
Not always.
Telegram 😅 for me
😅😅
This is not a failure of willpower but how powerful these addictive apps are my brother
@@danmantena4676 these addictions can be broken, I’ve seen it happen before for many dumbphone users. It is a failure of willpower for them
We used to watch more tv, listen to radio , and read more new as papers and gossip magazines, that’s the way to stay connected to the world specially when life separated us from the environment that we like to be in
The only thing about that is information is more controlled and bias. Whereas online anyone can share their opinion and show things that aren't censored
I try to listen to NPR when I want entertainment but it is a lot about gay stuff and sometimes even a*** s*x… I am not really conservative but I just don’t enjoy hearing about that constantly.
I agree with Jose it’s not device problem it’s lifestyle problem.
I had a cell phone when they first came out, maybe 25 years ago. Never had one since. On a laptop. screen time remains an issue ... one to keep away from in a balanced manner. An ongoing challenge.
I switched back to a 'dumb' phone years ago. 😄 They aren't so dumb anymore. Can still access internet and watch videos, but just a tinier screen. The main drawback is that the REST of the world EXPECTS one to have a smartphone (QR codes, for example). The world is becoming very smartphone centered.
They are skinnerboxes that reward you constantly, and sometimes it is a really good reward. So that's why they are addictive. They are designed that way. The hardware and the software. And to not speak about addiction is problematic in my opinion, when it clearly is.
You're absolutely right. Literally everything about the "smart" "phones" and "apps" is deliberately designed to be addictive by the corrupt "screen economy" Silicon Valley Wall Street corporations.
iPhone telling me to turn off my phone for the movies. How about quit stalking me !!!?
excellent program, we need much more of these duscussions!! thanks a lot;
Work emails and messages at nights and weekends have become really intrusive. Colleagues and clients often say they don't expect replies immediately but just getting notifications or reading the constant and neverending stream of work to my phone makes it very hard to mentally switch off from work and have any meaningful rest or downtime.
I feel it’s more conditioning rather than addiction. Maybe conditioning and addiction parallel each other in the device aspect. We’re playing off of each other and become part of the algorithms with each post or reel or whatever we add to the platforms. This is not a healthy way to interact. Humans are meant to interact in each others physical presence. I feel each persons threshold for online engagements are different before we’re conditioned to reach for our devices..I think holding boundaries against using devices is the best way to stave off addiction, reconditioning ourselves so we’re able to properly reconnect or connect with our fellow humans.
I saw this coming long ago and been wondering why android doesn't have a "dumb mode" where all you get is the phone app screen till the input time is up
Because you will turn it off and go right back to square one.
It'd be great if we could go back to having social media used only to share posts among our friends and family. The idea of social media is good but we need to have concrete separation between personal and commercial social media, and the solution is not to create "private" accounts. Even when I want to use social media just to be in touch with my friends, I still see ads and recommended posts. Also, if I want to follow organizations etc, they're all added to the same list with my friends and then those posts are favored by the algorithm over my friends (even when you make a list of favorites etc).
We need social media where we can be free from seeing any outside influence and where we can actually be ourselves.
I disagree with the term “dumb phone”. A phone is a phone. I made money using Nokia, Nextel, original Motorola flip & Startac phones. A great combo was a pager📟 & pay phone combo. Even better was the 2-way pager like the Motorola Accompli with phone built in. The best was the Nextel. Nothing beats the Nextel walkie/phone combo! That was a game changer imo.
One day when I get a job and a type which relies only on phone calls or sms . I'll dump my phone with a dumb one
I'll use tv or a big screen laptop for workouts or movies
Am single but will invest in friendship and genuine non toxic family members for socialization
For news the tv should be fine and newspaper ( my favourite tbh)
Alone time novels, book clubs, walking, cooking
I've gone back to Nokia 8310. Love the old-school designs way smaller, just wish Nokia would make one with mp3 player and big SD card storage like 128gb or more maybe 1tb.
The "disconnected" trend is in direct conflict with LLM artificial intelligence powered by everyone becoming even more digitally-connected than they are currently. It'll be interesting to see how this tension between the two trends is resolved.
My old flip phone has longer battery life, higher call quality and is just more reliable.
i rarely use my phone for actual calls anymore...it's sad
Good for them I myself cannot and will not be able to go back to a dumb phone. Ive deleted all socials but thats the best i can do.
Smartphones have been one of the worst creations for our society. I genuinely hope this trend continues where people can finally see these devices for what they are.
I only have maps, uber, and 2 simple messenger apps on my phone. I'm sick of social media and the productivity blackhole phones can be. Instead, checking social media from desktop is WAY easier and doesn't rob you from time and life.
I have insta, fb and WhatsApp. But only for friends.
wow same. it was over for me when i installed Twitter and then threads app. it dawned on me that i am floating from one app to another to another. I would start from facebook and end up at twitter wasting half my day on these apps. when i realized how negatively its impacting my psychology, i immediately deleted twitter, threads, facebook, 9gag, insta.i use insta on my PC, its not that addictive and you are actually somewhat aware of the time.
Why do you need two messenger apps? Just have one to message everyone on. Or find one messenger app that can do an all in one.
@@bnsyphotography2104 one for him and another one for that him. 😉
Idecided to leave my smartphone at work,and move with dumbphones,ithink smart phones are dangerous, with there its zombie scrolling .
Yes. Your mobile phones are your very first spy…
I don't take my cellphone with me when I'm out and about. It's not necessary. No more than it was necessary 30 years ago.
smartphone while out is the most useful for me. it's while I'm home that I don't need to be on it
1. mapping apps
2. find address of businesses/stores when you're out and about
3. emergency roadside assistance
4. safety issues
5. listening to a streaming audiobook while you commute
6. taking pictures while on a nature walk
7. venmoing or other digital payment
8. call/text friend when you are running late/can't find each other
9. grocery store discount app/digital coupons
10. qr code reader
11. some cities, it's the only way to pay for street parking
@@itsgoingtobeok-justbreathe4808 You think you need all those things. You may but I definitely don't.
Let me tell y'all, if the phones exactly like Nokia 6600, 6630 etc comes back with 5g/6g with same shape , same buttons etc, ppl will start buying right away, the ppl I talked to, almost everyone fade up with such unfun bar shaped bland looking phones.
Warning ⚠️ Even if they dont have internet, dumb phones will still send your data to a bunch of companies.
Get a linux phone and then just dont put any apps on it. It takes a small bit of a discipline but its far better than a dumb phone
Great Idea, maybe I ought to do the same BRING BACK NOKIA 3310 IN IT'S ORIGINAL FORM NOW !!!
No
...and it's almost like the tech industry doesn't want this to occur...they downplay regular cell phone attributes with passive/aggressive sales tactics , i.e.: "the best phone for your old smelly granny!" "on this one the buttons are too big and gangly....on this other one the buttons are waaaay too small," "it's a dumb phone," when SMART is an acronym for Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology
I'm keeping my smartphone. No doubt about it. It makes so many tasks easy and improves my quality of life greatly.
Does it really
@@samfazers8818yes especially when navigating public transport
The Social Dilemma is a good watch to know about "attention economy".
when ever i go on instagram in immediately feellike Ok now what ?
i CAN NOT understand why anyone would ever spend time on it.
and on tiktok it's even worse.
tiktok videos are THE definition of cringe.
i would LOVE to tlk about this but again, i'll never get the chance to.
It depends on how you use it, for me I use it for studies for example I'm watching your programme
Isn't it ironic how "smart phones" made us all dumb, addicted, and unproductive. I am guilty. When I'm working, I find myself getting excited by one single messenger notification. Then I find myself scrolling thru IG, FB, YT and Tiktok for 2 hrs straight (while at work).
Switching to a "dumb phone" is actually a SMART MOVE. Because you are smart enough to understand what these so-called smart phones are doing to your brain.
Try using wellness apps like focus and nighttime blockers to remind you not to overuse. A gradual change is often easier and lasts longer. Think of it like changing your diet, don't go cold vegan, just try some things that are healthier for you, keep what works, move on from what doesn't.
Wise and true words. I agree with you.
except those don't work for many of us b/c of the addictive nature of these devices, we quickly find work arounds. gradual changes don't work for addiction.
The overall real reason : Durability of Dumb phones
I have been wanting to do the same.
Smartphones should come with installed IEDs, which would randomly explode after being utilized for some hour 😉.....will definitely keep one on the edge with extreme adrenaline rush!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Very interesting discussion with great points. But let me ask: 1. How big a problem is mainstream media in crafting screen time habits? 2. Isn't the correct name 'antisocial media?' 3. Who buys those expensive digital devices for the children? And please, stop calling analog 'dumbphones.' May your eyeballs appreciate the beautiful, real world that's there to explore!
Watching it on my phone now
Lovely Generation(Gen-Z) and surprising move.
How the pendulum swings so interesting
This generation is a special one I got to admit it, at 28 years old looking at todays generations I really like what there doing. I’ve wanted this type of behaviour among people my own age. Hats off to you lot I like it
I love the freedom a so called "dumb phone" gives me and will continue to use it.✌🏾
Smart phones are just smaller tablets, lol. Seriously, smart phone addiction is a problem in my generation's life. I went all the way through middle school without a phone. Then i got my first one when i went to highschool, now i have multiple different mental health issues. Is there a connection? I think so . I've tried deleting socials , time limits, and pretty much everything else to help with my social media addiction and nothing has worked . And now kids get phones earlier at a much younger age. I really hope that the dumb phone move ment picks up in the US, and every where else bc it is a real issue.
Which are just smaller pc’s if you think about it. Powerful enough they can act like app of plugged into a screen and keyboard.
Nows A Good Time To Wake Up !!! 💯%
Aged 52 - Never owned a smartphone, always use a digital point-and-go camera, and I listen to my music on CD and cassette tape. Wow I'm an accidental hipster !
I''m glad to see more people going back to dumb phones. Every day I see someone nearly cause an accident because they're looking at their phone instead of driving. Some friends I literally stopped going to lunch/dinner with because they would just be on their phone instead of present in the conversation.
There may be only two people that have done this.
at work in the office we spend 8 hours a day in front of a computer, that is 1.9k hours per year, so 48k hours for 25 years of work which is 22% of your life or 33% of your awake time
Cellphone / Mobile use pales in comparison
Failed comparison, the work gives you money.
Using the phone many hours per day is a WASTE of time.
I didn't know this was a thing. Every few years my phone dies due to some issue and I go back to my black and white Nokia something I got in primary for walking to school alone.
Only issue is not having a map to visit people and phones memory is low so I don't get all my text messages without deleting old ones every other day.
Eventually my family gets tired of not getting to video call and have me reply so slow that I get given a smart phone... grandparents not those weekly baby updates!! Lol
@aj pls produce shows comparing British education system with other competitive education systems around the world
Fantastic perspectives and helpful tips for increasing our awareness on using our smartphones
The powers that should not be want you to obsess over technology. The smarter your technology the less intelligent the user is.
Exactly it.
the powers that be don't want you to be intelligent!
I must be ahead of my time!
67 year old guy, got a cheep flip phone over 3 years ago and left the smart phone at home. Nice and light in my pocket. long battery life. Only use it if I have to and for telling the time and nobody wants to steal it can forget about it, I can leave it on a bar and it'll still be there when i come back!. With my gray hair People think I'm a technicall illiterate and have never used a computer or smart phone, which is fine with me. 😂
Very smart youth right there.
I have removed most of social medical and been doing only use 1 time gor a few days per month which i have been doing a few days. Ihave much more peace and living my better life of course am still connecting TH-cam
Let's go back to the those golden days.
What golden days LOL just create a better future. Hate nostalgia bait
I just prefer to use an older phone model. They tend to be slower, but the essential apps like camera, calling, texting, & gps navigation still work. I would like to own a Nokia from the early 2000s, but nowadays, not many carriers offer coverage for these devices.
passive voice: “dopamine has been hijacked” BY WHOM? FOR WHOM?
I knew that was Miriam Francois from the thumbnail, I'll never forget her words on Palestine
Don’t worry folks. We’ll all be moving away from smartphones… as soon as augmented reality wearables will become trendy and practical to use everyday.
Just imagine, no more reaching out to your smartphone and raising it in front of your face. Instead, you’ll have access to all info (and social media) embedded everywhere in your surroundings.
Problem solved. 😁 Oh wait a sec… 😮
You don’t need a dumb phone. You can delete certain apps, you can disable all notifications [maybe except DMs], you can switch to battery saving mode with basic apps available. I disable access to my location all the time except when using map apps. I use browsers that delete all cookies and cache whenever closed. Basically, you need to put some thought and effort into it and it’s perfectly fine. On the other hand, you don’t need the newest smartphone every year or even two. For instance, I don’t receive any notifications, including TH-cam. Which means I add a comment but I won’t see if anyone actually responds. I couldn’t care less for "likes". I don’t share anything on SM myself. I use them when I’m working or simply bored.
Nice 👍
💯agree 📱📵 Not a device problem, it’s a lifestyle problem.
Revive golden ages and days.
Shut down generation killing smartness, Stop dehumanising technology.
I quit all social media except youtube ( Though turned off shorts) It increased my clarity amd mental peace
There are not dumb phones surely less is more
I learned many things in my life, but the most important factor in every single decision in my life is this:
" never let anyone force you to do anything you need to do."
Or " don't let anyone tell you what you need to do."
Same concept. When these kids claim that government intervention is required, it goes to show that they will do nothing except wait to be forced.
It is like waiting in your car because it won't start. If you do nothing, nothing will happen. Your situation will be the same. If you get out and check the battery connections or solenoid you may fid it may be an easy fix, but you will NEVER know until you stand up and do something. If you keep turning the key for something else to happen, will it fix your problem? No. You have to do something different.
If you deleted the apps and it didn't work, try something else. If that doesn't work. Write down what the fundamentals are and how valuable your phone is and why? Are there alternatives?
Personally I ve got a Huawei Mate 10 Pro found in a mediamarket rubbish in October 2022 that still works good.. And I repair it by myself. No need to spend so much money for new smartphones..
I think I should do this. If i really want to use social media, I'll just turn on my laptop. I think the quick access and convenience of using social media on smart phones is part of what makes it so dangerous.
I love my smartphone. I use it for everything and I’ve learned so much from the access to information I have from my phone.
However, I have no social media apps on it except TH-cam.
It’s not the phone that’s the issue, it’s the apps. There’s no reason to go back to “dumb” phones if you can responsibly use your smart phone.
a pain that is relatable.
I'm all for dumb ❤📲
The problem with these people ain't the phone. It's them.
@@Maggie-zb7gx No, your dad took a high level marketing course aimed at average people.
Which is why I said the problem is with them. The problem most people have is that they're average individuals, that's a mathematical principle on distribution, ergo, it's their problem.
I know so many in their 30 and 40s leaving social media and smartphones
Its almost like chasing endless profits is bad for societys health 🤔
the core message is well accepted
Just buy an iPhone SE and have someone you trust create a screen time code so you cannot use the internet or download apps.
That way you can still play music and navigate with maps.
Whose gonna deal with its horrendous battery life?
I used to really love technology and be excited about the future of technology but it's become more evident that that potential is instead being squandered in favor of a future where everything is connected and in your face 24/7 365 and data brokers are constantly gathering and selling our information and we all have a messy web of devices connected to other devices or connected to accounts that we don't even remember connecting them to. Its like i get notifications from social media accounts and i don't even recall logging in on that device.
Hahaha! I’ve been looking at getting one last few days. But I don’t use social media or scroll on anything haha. I loose my phone everyday and have all notifications silenced. I only look at my phone maybe a once every couple days. I basically just don’t need it! All my friends know I will hit them up when I look at my phone lol. It’s nothing personal im just living real life. The internet is not real yall
There is reason i stopped wearing my Garmin smart watch..Went back to my Gshock that tells the time and basic watch functions that don't interrupt my day.
I love Miriam, she stood up for Palestine without fear ❤