If you look around on any bus, at any restaurant, and, I’m guessing, in many bathroom stalls, you’ll find people obsessively checking their email, the sports scores or the stock market, all on their smart phones. You’ll find struggling college students strangely connected to their Blackberries, iPhones and Androids, most of which cost as much as the school’s food plan for an entire semester. By some estimations, 1 in 2 Americans will have a smart phone by the end of 2011. But if you haven’t yet jumped on the smart phone bandwagon yet, you’re not alone – I haven’t either, and for good reason. Actually, for a few good reasons. Beware – the thoughts below may be a bit controversial, but I welcome you to read them and to let me know what you think!
- Money, money, money. When I consider that so many people pay hundreds of dollars for trendy, blitzed out phones, accessories, downloads and apps, I just don’t get it. I mean, phones break all the time, and an expensive phone can fall into a puddle just as easily as a cheap (or free) phone can. Why take that chance and then have to live with the pain of having a broken, expensive toy? And this says nothing of the additional monthly expense for a Blackberry data plan that can cost hundreds of dollars a year.
- Solitude. As a writer, I sit in front of my computer at least ten hours a day. And I sleep for at least six hours a day. Of the remaining 8 hours, I’m probably spending time with my children, commuting or speaking to my husband or other friends or exercising. And while I often wish I could be surfing the internet instead of doing homework with my kids, I am comfortable knowing that they have my full attention. If you’re in a different profession that requires you to be away from your desk, chances are good that you wouldn’t be able to be online most of the time anyway. Wouldn’t it be funny if a teacher just stopped the class to check her phone for important messages?
- Health. Sadly, I know too many people who have health problems stemming from overuse of their smart phone. From vision problems to early-onset arthritis stemming from overuse of a tiny QWERTY board, I have seen cases of creepy health problems that have been directly attributed to those tiny cellular wonders. While these cases may not be standard yet, I’m curious to see how many more cases will sprout up in the future – and I’ll be glad that I’m not one of them.
- Stress. Long gone are the days when letters went unanswered for days, when email responses had a respectable grace period. In today’s world, many companies expect instant answers from anyone that has a smart phone. There’s no such thing as being ‘unavailable’ because smart phones allow you to remain connected at all times. When you tell someone that you don’t have a smart phone, they might think you’re a dinosaur, but you’ll be able to reduce the stress that comes with always being available. For this reason alone, not having a smart phone is priceless.
Sometimes when I’m lost, stuck in traffic or unsure whether a price in the grocery store is truly the lowest, I wish I had a smart phone so that I could check my email or do a quick price comparison. But then I remember that I got to enjoy my daughter’s dance recital without interruption and that even if I pay a few bucks more for my groceries, I’m still saving money on the expense of a smart phone, and I know that I’ve made the right decision. Is it possible that I’ll succumb to the peer pressure one day and get a smart phone? Sure it is. But until then, I stand proud and strong with millions of others who haven’t yet forfeited their freedom in exchange for the status that comes with having a smart phone.
