Telegram - Serving Metropolitan Detroit Since 1944

As long as I can remember, I have never been one to jump on the bandwagon whenever some new gadget or gimmick arrived on the scene. Video games? No thank you. iPad? Not interested. Cell phone? Well maybe, with limitations. I first began using a cell phone some time in the 2010s. I do not have a wide circle of people I associate with so the phone was tucked under the visor in my car. It came in handy if I was running late for an appointment and it was useful when I was involved in an auto accident in 2018. Apart from that, I never used it.

The same is true of my life today. I currently carry an Orbic V flip phone which features a camera, Wi-Fi access, and texting capabilities, none of which I actually use. This fact was highlighted for me this past week when five of us on staff at the Telegram took off on a road trip to Nashville. Initially, we were to fly to our destination but four delays and one flight cancellation later, we were forced to opt for a rental car. The airline offered us food vouchers which we could access from our smartphones. I guess my flip phone isn't smart because it was tucked away in my purse and I have no knowledge of how to access my email using it. I haven't ever needed to so why bother? One of my associates from the Telegram asked for a printed out voucher from the airline at their service desk and upon presenting it to me said, "You need a cell phone."

I need to breathe. I need to eat. I need to sleep. I don't need a cell phone. I do have one but I regard it as a tool which I occasionally use when needed, rather than a way of life. I observed this way of life over the next four days as we drove, ate, worked, played, and slept within vicinity of one another. At any given time, one or more of my associates were busy on their smartphone, reading, texting, or just scrolling as a way to glean information or to pass time. At mealtime or in meetings, each had their smartphone on the table within reach and were frequently picking the thing up, checking the screen as if it held the innermost secrets of the universe.

I observed them expending effort both in the vehicle and the hotel we stayed in, looking for an outlet or wall plug with which to charge their phones. I had charged my flip phone overnight the day before we left and it held the charge for all four days. In fact, the thing is still 79 percent charged, having been used only infrequently. I observed them and their need to be instantly available to all people at all times and their need to be assured that so-and-so is only a text away. I asked myself, why? I can't think of anyone I know that I need to be constantly available to or in contact with, whether I'm driving down the road-a task which now carries a legal burden in our state-or walking down the aisle in the grocery store.

Cell phones and smartphones-or whatever you want to call them-have gained in popular use over the past few decades. Pew research says 97 percent of Americans now own a cell phone of some sort and that 85 percent own a smartphone, up from 35 percent in 2011. I must sit within that 97 percent group because I do own a cell phone; I just don't depend on the thing to make life go round and round. New research from tech company Asurion says people reach for their device an average of 352 times a day, or once every two minutes and 43 seconds. Yes, I observed this firsthand last week. Asurion also found that 75 percent of people found their phone to be a necessity rather than a luxury and 75 percent are so attached to their phones, they take the phone with them into the bathroom. Sometimes we must ask, do we use the device or does the device use us?

Now I understand the usefulness and practicality of having a cell phone. But many who rely on them also rely on the phone's memory to retrieve phone numbers, dates, birthdays, etc. rather than using their own brains. Ongoing research shows that smartphones may negatively affect cognition, the process of acquiring and applying knowledge through thought, experience, and the senses. With a smartphone you no longer need to use your memory, do mathematical calculations, or find your way around using a map, all of which are basic, necessary mental abilities.

Engaging with the world around us and with the people in it is good for us. Engagement promotes increased awareness, improved communication skills, and appreciation for what our eyes take in. How healthy can it be when one spends a good portion of each day with eyes locked onto a screen which fits into the palm of your hand? In conclusion, I believe smartphones are neither good nor bad, but merely a tool to use which can either improve our lives or worsen them. That choice is up to the user. As for me, I don't need the world at my fingertips. For me, a phone is for talking and hanging up, therefore my Orbic V will continue to find its home tucked in my car's visor.