Modern smartphones are awesome, there’s no doubt about that. But let’s be honest with ourselves: they can also be pretty darn frustrating. For a gadget that’s supposed to end us untold amounts of convenience, the smartphone can be a source of a lot of the opposite. Can you say that you’ve never wished for the days where phones were a bit simpler? More sturdy? More reliable? Cheaper?
We’re going to take a quick look at the reasons that modern smartphones, great as they are, might be a little bit overrated.
Planned obsolescence
The fact is that phones aren’t built to last. If they were, then you wouldn’t be bombarded with new phones and new versions of those phones several times a year. Companies want you to buy the latest and hottest phones as soon as possible; this is how they make the bulk of their profits. So phones are built to last maybe a year or two before serious degradation of functionality and speed start to set in. This isn’t some anti-capitalist conspiracy, here; planned obsolescence is a well-documented business practice. These phones are purposefully built to be susceptible to software errors. Feeling ripped off yet?
Privacy problems
Modern companies love user data. It helps them get as much information about potential customers as possible, which helps them build more effective marketing techniques. But how do companies get all your data? Well, you’re giving them personal data all the time when you use your smartphone. Apple and Google all have tremendous amounts of your data, as do the developers of most of the apps you use. You might want to make sure you have good security software on your phone, because anyone who hacks into your phone or even steals it will have access to a lot of sensitive information. And we’re not just talking about photos on your phone that you probably shouldn’t have - we’re talking about payment details and other personal data, too.
Expense
There are a lot of ways in which certain aspects of phone use have reduced in price. Calls, texts, and multimedia messaging can all be done for free as long as your phone is connected to the WiFi. So how do mobile phone service providers tackle this? By making contracts more and more expensive. It can be easy to sign yourself up to a contract that doesn’t work out for you financially simply because you really wanted the phone in question. Thankfully, if it’s got you thinking “I’ve changed my mind about a phone contract”, then you do have options available to you if you want to change things up a bit. Make sure you research all your options thoroughly. And ensure you’re using Wi-Fi instead of mobile data whenever possible!
Bad habits
The second you find yourself with nothing to do, you reach for your phone. We seem to be reliant on new information and things to help us distract ourselves. We seem to be afraid of simply standing or sitting around and letting our minds wander. Our smartphone habits don’t help with stress, and they certainly don’t help when it comes to sleep. Don’t let bad phone habits control you!