Smartphones have undoubtedly changed the world since the iPhone was unveiled 17 years ago but more and more people are turning to ‘dumbphones.’
A new study, led by researchers at Aalto University in Finland has explored this growing trend, examining the reasons why people are ditching their smartphones as well as the potential hindrances of doing so in a world dominated by digital devices.
Reasons why dumbphone users choose such devices
To carry out the study, researchers interviewed 13 participants who had chosen to give up their smartphones or never had one in the first place as well as two designers of so-called dumbphones.
“Aside from necessary communication technologies such as voice calls, text, and sometimes GPS, dumbphones usually have little else, which is valued by users as a way to focus on what they feel really matters,” explains Annabel Rothschild, a doctoral researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The participants’ reasons for turning down smartphones varied. Some wanted to avoid the distractions of having the entire internet at their fingertips while others wanted to avoid online surveillance.
For parents of young children, the main factors in using dumbphones were to keep their kids away from social media as well as to prevent a smartphone from disrupting time spent with their children.
Even religious principles were behind the decisions of some participants to choose a dumbphone over their smart counterparts.
The study, which can be viewed in pre-published form, will feature in the April issue of the journal Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction.
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Potential dangers of dumbphones
While choosing not to use a smartphone may be a great way of avoiding distractions, it could lead to numerous hindrances in everyday life according to the study.
Researchers found that dumbphone users faced inconveniences such as struggling to make purchases, being unable to deal with two-factor authentication, or failing to meet employers’ expectations of contacting employees outside of working hours – although, this last point seems like a good way of maintaining a good work-life balance to this writer.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, dumbphone users were also at a disadvantage as they were unable to use things like ‘Covid passports’ to enter events such as concerts and also couldn’t be part of any ‘track and trace’ schemes to alert if someone you’d been in contact with had tested positive.
On top of that, not having access to a smartphone could also prevent access to quick-call rides such as Uber which are limited to smartphone apps. The study noted that this could potentially prove dangerous should someone be stuck somewhere in the middle of the night.
In order to combat some of these issues, dumbphone users have to get creative.
“We found that in many societies, all sorts of tricks had to be invented to make life without a smartphone work,” reveals Associate Professor Janne Lindqvist, head of the computer science department at Aalto University.
These included technical workarounds, such as using standalone devices that replaced smartphone functions or using a family member’s or friend’s smartphone when the need arose.
As a result, if you are considering making the change to a dumbphone, you’ll need plenty of technical know-how to navigate today’s digital world or family and friends willing to lend you their devices from time to time.
