Seventy-seven percent of middle-age Americans (35-54 years old) say they want to return to a time before society was “plugged in,” meaning a time before there was widespread internet and cell phone usage. As told by a new Harris Poll (via Fast Company), 63% of younger folks (18-34 years old) were also keen on returning to a pre-plugged-in world, despite that being a world they largely never had a chance to occupy.
I’ve been saying for a couple of years now that I think within the next decade there’s going to be a resurgence in “dumb phones.” And other methods of disconnecting from the web as people start to get fatigued from being connected to everything constantly.
I almost went down that route when it came time to upgrade a few months back. Ultimately though, my lifestyle is dependent on having a smartphone. It’s just more convenient to have a wallet of virtual cards on my phone, GPS is right there without needing a second device. If I had gone for a dumbphone, I’d have essentially been delegating any smartphone requirements to my wife.
Ended up just going for a 13 Mini, figuring that the smaller screen might make me less inclined to waste so much time online. It’s partially worked.