So far I have managed to avoid getting a smartphone and am still using a flip phone. Every time I look into getting one it gives me a yucky feeling. Of course I have a computer, a laptop, and also a tablet that I have some apps and games on for amusement. But for a phone to carry around, all I care about is having a way to make a call if needed and send/receive texts, so I have no need for a smartphone. I have taken my tablet to a cafe and used their Wifi to access the internet a few times, but I rarely want to do that.

Things that I can see a smartphone being useful for:

• GPS/maps, but I don’t really need that since I rarely travel that far away and I know my way around my city and nearby cities. However I can always download static maps of other cities to my tablet if I’m going to an unfamiliar place and/or look it up online ahead of time–like when I had to go to a funeral, I printed off a couple maps–one close up on the location area and one zoomed further out to see the route to the area.

• Signal app, which I’m not sure I’d use, but I think it would be nice to have in case I need secure messaging as we move into 2025.

• ummmm, can’t think of anything else 🤔

Things I’m glad I don’t have to worry about by not having one:

• Tracking, data harvesting, surveillance. Including via the phone’s mic.

• going around like a zombie everywhere constantly staring a screen, unable to sit or stand quietly for more than 15 seconds without whipping it out (the phone! you knew what I meant). This is really not healthy. Maybe I wouldn’t do that, but who knows, maybe I would start doing that, as it seems everyone else does, and (sorry, but) it looks pathetic.

• the constant beeping, dinging, vibrating, or whatever it’s set to do for notifications, from dozens of apps demanding attention. That would drive me nuts. My phone only makes a sound if I get a phone call or text, which is not often. If I ever started getting texts too often I might turn off sound for them.