An array of handset makers cater to that market with feature or “minimalist” phones that go beyond just calls and text messages to allow for a couple of apps.
A Reddit forum member with the screen name Melanin_King0 told of finding it easier to cope with mental strain and of feeling better overall since switching to a dumbphone about three weeks ago.
“When I was constantly on my smartphone, I felt like my brain would fog up,” Melanin_King0 said in an exchange with AFP.
“It would be harder to do anything and scrolling on Instagram’s Reels and TikTok was sapping my motivation.”
Another Reddit user said that carrying a smartphone caused “background anxiety” and more superficial connections with friends and family.
RETRO CHIC?
The young hipster crowd is also giving dumbphones a try, thinking of them as cool or retro, according to Briones.
Many members of the “dumbphones” forum have made the switch away from smartphones but keep some conveniences such as email, Spotify, Google Maps, or Microsoft Teams, Briones noted.
But “not many people come and say they want to keep TikTok, Instagram and Facebook,” Briones said.
Many of the aficionados keep a smartphone on hand for their jobs.
Briones said he transfers his sim card into an iPhone or tablet when his job is packed with video meetings and travel, but that he relies on his dumbphone about 80 per cent of the time.
“In my work with non-profits I deal with a lot of emails, reminders, nudges, and scheduling volunteers,” Briones said.
“That is depleting; you want to step away from that in your personal life.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
