First blog post + Rant lol
Hey everyone! My name is Shante, I'm 23 years old, and I love the Most High God, art, music, reading, and tech (mainly old and newer tech). In the more recent years, I wanted to find myself and be able to focus on the things I love without getting distracted; then I realized it's those damn phones lol. So, I decided to delete my Instagram/Snapchat account that I had for 8 years, and my TikTok account (which had some issues anyway because of my email), and it helped for the time being, but I got addicted to YouTube lol. So, I decided to delete the app from my phone and decided to watch YouTube on my TV and on my laptop that has a built-in shorts/home page blocker. But then I stared at my huge slab of glass in my hand and realized I missed having a dumbphone.
Interestingly, my first phone was actually a candy bar Tracfone, and it was pretty cool. I was able to download ringtones from the store, use a web browser, play cute JavaScript games, and most importantly, no social media! But then, I saw a lot of people whom I knew had iPhones and were able to do a lot of stuff like post on Instagram, Snapchat, watch YouTube, iMessage, etc., and it made me feel left out. So, my mom decided that I was responsible enough and handed me her old iPhone 6s. And since then, my confidence has gone downhill from there. I was constantly on my phone, checking notifications, watching YouTube, scrolling on Insta, and comparing myself to others. It also didn't help that I didn't have the best of friends either. (not to say I didn't do some things that I do regret; we were all toxic to each other)
But then a shift happened; one day I was scrolling through Insta and decided to post something, but then I felt anxiety over a damn photo. Then it clicked. I shouldn't be worried about what others think of me constantly when I post something on social media, so I took a break from Insta and Snapchat. But it didn't last long lol; the cycle still continued until I found a subreddit called r/Dumbphones, and it piqued my interest. As I'm looking through the posts, I see that I'm not the only one who feels that way and honestly wants to get rid of my phone/social media addiction. It took me a while, but I was able to reduce my screen time from 20 hrs all the way down to 1-2 hrs by using an app called Opal. And it helped a lot! But as I stated before, I realized that I don't like my iPhone in general. I was mostly buying it because everyone else had one. Sooooooooooooooo, I decided to get a flip phone!
Now, this is my fault for not doing research, so I ended up getting an Alt Mive style folder and the Samsung Galaxy folder 2 because it was touchscreen, it has some nice colors, and I was able to root both of them; however, these phones don't work in the US 🥲 I have also tried the CAT S22, but the battery was terrible and ummmmm I broke the wifi because I rooted the device thinking it was the v30 when it was on a custom rom from Unifone.... Yeah, that was idiotic of me lol (luckily I was able to return it because I showed proof that the battery life was bad before I rooted it)
I can technically use the Mive style folder as a secondary home phone since I was able to use the Google Voice app to call and text on it. But I need a flip phone that is functional or can at least work with T-Mobile and/or its MVNOs. So far, I'm looking into the Kyocera models and the Sonim ones too. Even though it's not a flip phone, I'm also interested in the Unihertz Elite 2 (even though it has Google Play Services) I don't know for sure yet; but for now, I have been getting back to using physical media like playing Just Dance on the wii, play PS1, PSP, and GBA games on my RGXXSP35, listening to music on my mp3 player and on my cd player, and reading like the Bible, some library books, and some books I had as a preteen like Twilight for example.
Since then, I do see my memory/listening skills have improved, and I'm able to focus more, especially as an at-home university student. I also started back sketching, which I haven't done since I graduated from my community college. When I don't wanna use my iPhone, I just put it in my drawer or leave it in my purse(at home, obvi). The only times I ever use it are when I'm out and I need to contact a family member, check the grocery list since my mom can be forgetful sometimes lol, search something up, or use the GPS. It will take some time, but I'm getting the hang of it! Plus, it feels so freeing not being on social media anymore, especially with all the AI slop that's on there. The only social media I decided to keep are Facebook (to check up on family members and access messaging on the web version), WhatsApp (also on the web version), and Reddit.
If you feel like it's impossible and don't wanna miss out, it will take time, and don't punish yourself for not being able to quit right away. It took me a couple of years lol. Also, if the people who say they care about you can contact you easily via your number or WhatsApp (depending on where you live) and do not mind not being able to reach you on social media. If it's a problem for them, then they were never your friends in the first place. Anyways, I hope y'all take care 🌺
