Observations

Why I’m putting this site on hold

by Mike Pumphrey · Aug 8, 2019

It occurred to me recently that it had been a long time since I had put anyone on hold. With my current phone, I wasn’t even sure how to do it.

It’s not that people have forgotten how to put people on hold (it happens to you all the time when you call a business) it’s just that we don’t talk on the phone much anymore.

Phone calls have become like “snail mail”: something most people don’t want to do, unless they make a specific effort for specific reasons.

I love phone calls, but admittedly only in certain situations. I love the ability to have asynchronous conversations. And because I don’t use Google Chat or iMessage or anything like that, no one knows when I’m “online” or when I’m typing a response. And I like that.

And so, putting people on hold has become, not exactly an anachronism, but just less relevant.

But I’m bringing it back right here. Because I’m putting this site on hold.

Let me explain.

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The train has left: Why we must look to the future

by Mike Pumphrey · Aug 1, 2019

I have it easier than most people.

I’m not just talking about all the privilege that I have (white, male, cis, hetero, American, middle class, etc.,.)

I’m talking about smartphones, and how I never owned one.

This makes my experience much different from most people, I know. And by “most” I mean 81%, according to the Pew Research Center.

But there’s a lesson in this, for both me who never owned a smartphone, and you, who likely does, or at least did.

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We are not low income: A manifesto

by Mike Pumphrey · Jul 25, 2019

If there’s one thing I find often when I talk about accessing products and services without using a smartphone, it’s that people assume that the reason people want to do this is for “accessibility”

Accessibility is, in this case, a code word for “low-income people”.

I am all for accessibility for low-income people. I think everyone should have access to important services regardless of their income. Health care, retirement benefits, housing, basic income, these are all things that should be available to everyone in some form, regardless of people’s ability to pay into the system.

But people are making the connection that not using a smartphone means that you are a person of limited means. No smartphone means low income. “Obviously, if you just made more money, you’d have a smartphone.“

They couldn’t be more wrong.

Which is why I propose the following. Perhaps it’s a manifesto. Maybe it’s just a poem. Either way, it’s for you to think about, mull over, and make your own.

A manifesto

We are not low income
We are empowered to choose
We are intentional with our purchases
We are intentional with our personal information
We don’t need gatekeepers
We can opt-out where we want
We are not beholden to Apple, Google, Samsung, or any other hardware provider
We choose our services with care
We know that app stores only track us to sell our info to advertisers
We know that smartphones make us less happy and more disconnected
If we use a smartphone, we seek to not be forced to always use one
If we don’t use a smartphone, that doesn’t mean that we wish we could
We are not disabled
We don’t need “accessibility”
We don’t need either pity or scorn
We exist
We have means
We are able
We make choices
And we may make you uncomfortable
Aware that you haven’t made choices
But instead just did what they told you to do
And we have compassion for you
As we have been there too
But we don’t wish to judge you
We just want to be accepted
For our choices too
We are not low-income because we don’t use a smartphone
There is no correlation for us between income and phone usage
Except
For the thought
For the idea
That maybe someday
Maybe in the future in the future
Those who use smartphones
May be the ones
Who are low-income.

The size of phones has gotten out of hand (literally)

by Mike Pumphrey · Jul 11, 2019

Someone recently remarked at how small my phone was. “It’s a baby phone!“, they said when they saw it lying out on a table on one of those rare moments when I needed to charge it.

Ignoring the comment itself (as I did), it made me think about the size of phones, and how strange the evolution of their sizes have been.

Because, let’s face it, phones are huge these days, and growing larger. Does this make any sense?

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You don’t need a data plan

by Mike Pumphrey · Jul 4, 2019

Note: This post originally appeared on Empathic Finance (previously known as Unlikely Radical), a partner site to The Smartphone Free Life. It was first published on October 22, 2015.

I willingly raised my cell phone bill by 17% recently.

That sounds punishing and predatory, until I tell you that it went from $30/month to $35/month.

While my new plan had a limit of minutes and texts per month, my new plan gives me unlimited talk and text, so I no longer need to keep track of how many minutes I’ve used.

Sure, laugh at my quaintness, but how much is your cell phone bill? According to a recent JD Power report, the average is $73/month. If I’m paying $35, that means that, statistically, some poor soul out there is paying $111/month. My condolences.

But I’m not bragging. I’m not even going to suggest that you ditch your smartphone. (I’ve already done that.)

Instead, let’s look at what separates my situation from yours. I’m going to assume that you have a smartphone and plan on keeping it. That’s fine.

But one thing you don’t need, even with a smartphone plan? You don’t need a data plan.

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KaiOS, or what even is a smartphone anymore?

by Mike Pumphrey · Jun 27, 2019

Everyone knows the two top mobile operating systems. It’s Apple’s iOS, and Google’s Android.

But what about the third mobile operating system. What is that?

The answer might surprise you: KaiOS.

It might be far behind the iPhone and Android, but it’s on 80 million phones and counting, which is no small number.

And get this: it’s not billed as a smartphone platform!

Are we in wacky land or what?

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Your phone is causing you to work more

by Mike Pumphrey · Jun 20, 2019

We’ve all heard the arguments for why having a smartphone on you is beneficial, important even. “I can be in touch with the office when I’m out and about” is a common one.

This came up for me recently, when I was talking to a coworker on Slack, and he asked me if I knew of an app that can snooze emails after a certain hour.

And I thought: How did we get here?

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