Oh, how I loathe that word “yet”. I hear it all the time when people see that I don’t use a smartphone. “Oh my gosh! You haven’t gotten one yet! I thought everyone had one by now.“
The primary implication being that someone without a smartphone is “behind the times” or “hasn’t caught up” or, worse, a “Luddite”.
And from the perspective of a techno-utopian, who believes that newer tech is always better, to not be on the treadmill is to be wrong. Like, get with the program, man. How are you going to scan this QR code?
But we know better. We know that newer is neither worse nor better. It’s just newer.
Instead, I suggest we turn this narrative around. Because we could just as easily be called early adopters.
What’s an early adopter?
An early adopter is a person who starts using a product or technology as soon as it’s available. These are the people who were talking about the Internet in 1994, or who talked about Bitcoin in 2013, And yes, who had an iPhone in 2007.
My favorite joke about iPhone users back when they were first released was a variation on the old Harvard saw: “How do you know if someone has an iPhone?” “They tell you.“
These neophiliacs love being the first person on the block to have a thing. The newness is the excitement. It’s what sets them apart from the crowd. “Look at you with your Blackberries; I have a magical device!“
There is nothing wrong with being an early adopter. It’s neither right nor wrong, it’s just a choice that says more about your personal makeup and relationship to others than anything else. Early adopters are seeking a feeling.
Dealing with early adopters
The reaction to an early adopter says more about the social capital of the person and the point in the adoption curve of the thing being adopted.
In other words, being an early adopter is not always received positively.
To take that Bitcoin example, many people I know have known at least one person who would just not shut up about Bitcoin, talking about how it was going to revolutionize the world of finance, destabilize governments, and basically do everything but make the coffee.
This person isn’t necessarily popular (at least they weren’t until they were the first person you knew to become a millionaire on paper). This person can in fact be annoying, especially if you aren’t on board with what they’re selling.
Early adoption isn’t always about products
What does all this have to do with smartphones?
Simple. You can “early adopt” a lifestyle just like you can a product.
Proof? That one person who talked about Marie Kondo before everyone else, who threw out half their stuff in the pursuit of a home where all the objects bring joy?
What product were they adopting? See, it’s the wrong question.
You can “early adopt” a lifestyle just like you can a product.
And while Kondoification might be trending in some circles, it’s clearly an anti-trend against hyper-consumerism.
In that world, the more you have, the more joy you have. Getting rid of stuff is going backwards. “Why haven’t you gotten with the program yet?“
Living the Smartphone Free Life is nothing more than being an early adopter for a life focused on connection, presence, and intention, unencumbered by technological distraction. And yes, this is against the backdrop of notifications, pings, and endless scrolling (as well as disgruntled partners, distracted family members, and increasing loneliness).
Far from being Luddites, we are the new trend.
So feel free to ask others, “why haven’t you gotten with the program yet?“
