Young people limit 'living virtually' by befriending a basic phone

'The future' for basic phones, once thought to be only for the elderly, but now these 'keypad' phones are being sought after by young people in the US and Europe to 'ride the trend' of quitting smartphones.

In the US, sales of feature phones have skyrocketed since 2022 with thousands of units sold every month. A significant part of this surge is due to the trend of quitting smartphones, returning to the 2000s among young people in the US, or even spreading further in Europe.

Trend of using 'dumb' phones

HMD Global, the company currently behind Nokia's 'brick' phones, has released astonishing figures on the sales of the company's traditional flip phones, with over ten thousand units sold every month. Particularly, a report from Counterpoint has indicated a growing interest among young people in 'dumb' phones, or brick phones, showing an increasing trend.

According to analysts, young people in this Western country want to ensure their health by quitting smartphones and want to experience the feeling of using and the appearance of phones with the most basic features.

The 'mindfulness' in the age of technology

In today's technological age when humanity is besieged by a downpour of information. With just a touch, a swipe, or opening an app, we are inundated with information, with an unexpectedly fast pace of news updates.

Cases like the iPhone 7 Plus taking better pictures than mechanical cameras, 'the convergence of essences, women adore' are all trends that cause laughter, hot hits but to grasp user requirements, we must always update on social media. This compels users to always be attached to their smartphones and at the same time be 'addicted' to social media, or even further, fear of missing out - FOMO, which is spreading widely among young people today.

Feeling tired of constantly updating social media, bored with the habit of immediately diving into social media apps upon taking out the smartphone, and suddenly losing hours due to being too absorbed. That's why young people in the US and gradually in Europe are adopting the trend of 'Ctrl Z' to revert to the past, living with a basic phone.

'Living fake' to stop living fake

Certainly, some readers have tried to limit smartphone usage or reduce the frequency of using social media platforms to avoid distraction and have more time for themselves. Despite the determined efforts, however, you eventually fail.

Two years ago, I also tried using a keypad phone instead of a smartphone to reduce dependence on the smartphone. But it didn't work out. My old Nokia 105 from back then, I don't even remember where it was in my house anymore.

Attempting to 'detox from smartphone addiction' by replacing it with a feature phone is extremely difficult for us to do on our own. But what about detoxing together? A subreddit on Reddit has proven that detoxing as a group, sharing experiences and advice on switching devices, has brought positive results.

Switching from a smartphone to a feature phone on your own will surely be very dull because feature phones have nothing remotely interesting, maybe just the snake game for a bit of fun when idle. Otherwise, we'll feel like we're missing an entertainment device every time we're empty-handed. And this sense of lacking will linger and affect both our daily activities and work.

But if we use those idle times on the computer to share feelings and experiences with 'brick' phones, choosing devices, how to use or install them, then it's a different story. Basic phones have become more interesting and have more to explore through forum discussions. This creates interest and curiosity for users when using feature phones, gradually weaning off smartphones.

Many young people on the subreddit have successfully 'reverted' to using paper notebooks along with simple keypad phones. This habit has helped them feel more connected to real life, work more efficiently, and no longer get distracted as before. The results are quite good and provide significant motivation for us to adjust our smartphone usage habits.

Interim commitment

Young people seek ways to break free from smartphones, limit 'living virtually' by 'living virtually' together on forums, online groups, which is a great way to maintain the 'away from smartphones' habit and also create an inspiring community for more young people to rely less on smartphones than before.

What about you, do you want to experience the feeling of using a keypad phone, and temporarily set aside the smartphone?

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