Oh, woe is smartphone-less me

Please ignore the scary face - and yes, my cats are my
display pictures.

I am one of maybe 50 people left in this country without a smartphone. I still use the phone I was so excited to get three and a half years ago because it had a sliding keyboard - a huge step up from my bright pink flip phone. 


When smartphones were first all the rage, I didn't really care or pay much attention. Now that they're the norm, I'm starting to feel a little out of touch, and until my husband's unlimited data runs out, my phone will remain hidden as much as possible in public places; you should see some of the looks I get when I have to haul it out - it's like I'm using the giant bag phone my parents kept in the Jeep my sisters and I all drove in high school. 

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Yeah, I guess I've always been pretty trendy with my phone usage.


Here are some disadvantages (D) and also some advantages (A) of this great tragedy of mine:

D: It's one of many reasons I feel like an 80-year-old. If I need to borrow a phone and I get handed a smartphone, I really have no idea what to do with it.

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D: I'm missing out on so many apps! Navigation apps, weather apps, music apps, fitness apps, health apps, shopping apps - I want you all!

A: I'm not addicted to or constantly looking at my phone.

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D: Technology-wise, I feel behind everyone else my age (you know, the impressive age group that's insanely tech savvy?) - and even 10-year-olds!


D: Trying to get to Facebook on my phone is a ridiculous process, but it's easier than getting to any other website, so there is no email, blog, Pinterest, Twitter or LinkedIn-checking on my phone. I only get on Facebook when I am so desperately bored while waiting for something, I don't mind the 10 minutes it takes just to see the first couple of lines on my home page.


A: I'm not addicted to or constantly looking at my phone.

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D: I do not have an Instagram account, and I am so jealous of everyone else's! I know you don't have to have a smartphone to use it, but it's just not the same when the pictures are not instant. I still use my little digital camera to take pictures and then go through the whole process of hooking it up to my computer, downloading all the pictures and finally sharing the pictures days or weeks after whatever it is that happened, happened. And just to rub in a little more salt, the pictures aren't even as good as the ones smartphones take.


D: No Skyping over the phone for me - such a shame since everyone probably wants to not only converse with me daily but look at me too.


A: I'm not addicted to or constantly looking at my phone.

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D: I can't use my phone as a boarding pass. No, I don't fly often, but when I do, it would be one small thing to make the process an easier and smoother one.


D: I definitely cannot stream music from my phone.


A: I'm not addicted to or constantly looking at my phone.


OK, so are you noticing a pattern here? Yes, the benefits outweigh the downsides, but besides the price difference, the huge disadvantage of being a smartphone owner is the power it holds over you. Seriously, people, look at yourselves (I'm sure you are right now, actually, using your mirror app to fix your hair before taking and posting your fifth selfie of the day). Everywhere I look, I only see the tops of people's heads - and it's not because I'm some five-foot-two giant. It's because you are all looking at your phones ALL.THE.TIME.

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On a date? Scrolling through your phone. Out to dinner with friends? You're all checking your phones instead of talking to the people you're actually sitting across from. At a movie? Sporting event? Wedding? At the cash register? Bar mitzvah? Family reunion? Church? Your kid's concert? Justin Timberlake's concert? Same thing. And this is coming from someone who avoids as much human interaction as I can get away with.


I'm sure what you're looking at is fascinating, and I know it's important to stay and feel connected, but at what cost? When I finally have a smartphone of my very own, I know I will be tempted to behave the exact same way. I totally get it, and I don't even have one. But what I've observed as an outsider to this trend that's not even much of a trend anymore is that life still happens outside of those screens, and you can miss out on a lot if you're not careful. Make the effort to spend a little less time on your phones and a little more time living your lives. I promise you won't regret it.