Choosing not to be constantly connected

Smartphones are no longer a luxury – they’re a necessity. So how are people without a smartphone coping – especially having passed through Covid restrictions? ALIX NORMAN finds out more

We check our smartphones roughly 58 times each day. And the average person spends more than three out of every 24 hours on their smartphone, according to monitoring app RescueTime. Michael, on the other hand, only picks up his cell for a call or message. “But then I don’t have a smartphone,” he reveals. “I have a basic, black Nokia that’s kept me going for the last 12 years…”

Michael is one of the few who eschew smartphones (basically a mini-computer, which can connect to the internet) in favour of more traditional technology (phones that tend to be text and call only). For this 52-year-old, it’s a matter of principle.

“About ten years ago, when everyone else was getting smartphones, I made a conscious decision NOT to,” he says. “Having a phone that makes calls and texts is 90 per cent of what I need; everything else – banking, research, emails – I can do from my computer. I have occasionally missed having a phone camera – I’d like to share the odd funny sign or cute cat that I see in the street. And though I do enjoy getting lost, GPS would certainly come in handy.”

During dead time – “when I’m waiting for someone, or standing in line” – Michael jots down observations and ideas in a notebook. “As a director, I’m always drawing inspiration from the world around me – if I was constantly on a smartphone, that wouldn’t happen.”

But there is, he admits, one factor that might force him to upgrade his device: the pandemic: “With Smart Passes and QR codes all going straight to your smartphone, I’m finding it harder and harder to exist without one. It’s becoming a necessity, I think.”

While being sans smartphone is, for Michael, a matter of principle, Paphos resident Amy admits it’s cost that’s the clincher. “I simply can’t afford a smartphone,” acknowledges the 64-year-old retired nurse. “The cost of buying and running one is prohibitive compared to my little pay-as-you go Alcatel number, which has stood me in good stead for the past five years.”

Statistics database Statinvestor estimates the average price of a new smartphone in 2021 was in the region of €350 – a figure that’s equivalent to Amy’s monthly rent. “My husband and I are both retired, and it’s not like we have pots of money,” she explains. “So spending that amount of cash for a few extra features just isn’t worthwhile…

“We do all our Covid stuff on the computer and print it out,” she reveals. “We FaceTime my family in the UK on an old iPad we were given; and we have our basic mobile for texts and calls. Honestly, the only thing I think I’d really appreciate in a smartphone would be the larger keyboard – on my old device, I have to press the button three times to get a different sort of ‘a’ or ‘e’. It’s terribly annoying!”

Device irritation is also common in those who do have smartphones, says recent research from the Ben-Gurion University, and youngsters are particularly guilty. The study, which explored participants’ reactions to being kept waiting without a smartphone, found that Gen Z were especially reactive: fidgeting, banging the desk, and displaying high levels of aggression within minutes. The under-30s, it transpires, rely on their devices to calm the nerves and distract from uncomfortable situations far more than their elders. Which makes Christy, a 24-year-old Gen Z sans smartphone, something of a rarity.

“I grew up WITH smartphones,” says the Limassol-based yoga instructor. “I honestly don’t really remember a time when they didn’t exist – both my parents had them and, during my teens, so did I and all of my friends.” But while Christy appreciated the ease of having a device – “especially when I was travelling to and from uni, for my boarding passes, and also for Ubers and Lyfts” – once back in Cyprus, she changed her tune.

“A smartphone always seemed to tie me to an unhappy, unfulfilling existence: I was constantly checking social media; feeling pressured to reply to messages,” she declares. “So about a year ago, when my Samsung Galaxy died, I consciously made the decision to purchase a simple text and call device. I’ve never looked back.”

While Christy acknowledges that her decision has had repercussions – “it’s harder to stay in touch with people, though those who matter understand my choice” – she enjoys the freedom of feeling untethered…

“I see so many of my friends answering emails on their phones when we’re out; it’s hard to get away from the work stress that comes with being constantly connected. I have my laptop for work,” she continues, “and at the end of the day, I close it up and I’m free – there’s nothing to disturb my evening.”

Christy is well-aware of what a smartphone can and can’t do for her. But at the other end of the spectrum is 78-year-old Rich, who confesses he doesn’t own a mobile phone of any description.

“I grew up in the 50s and 60s, says the Peyia-based songwriter, “and I’ve never really been a fan of technology. I’ve always seen it as an infringement on my personal life – all those telemarketers calling you at odd hours, beeps and bings in the night!”

While more than half of the over-75s now own a smartphone – the modern equivalent of the panic button – Rich is staunchly resisting the trend. “I’ve printed out all my Covid stuff, and I just show them the paper and my ID whenever I need to go into a shop,” he reveals. “In fact, my wife noted just the other day that it took far longer to scan a smartphone code than it did our papers – people have to hunt through their device, whereas we have an easily accessible piece of paper. I’m no expert,” he concludes, “but all those apps seem to make modern life more challenging. If you want to check the weather, just look out the window!”