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In a world where many of us are glued to our smartphones, Dolce Cowling is a case out of the ordinary as she has given up her smartphone.
The 36-year-old woman found at the end of last year, that getting rid of her phone would improve her mental health. So, over the Christmas holidays, she told her family and friends that she would be using an old Nokia phone that could only make and receive calls and texts.
Cowling recalls that one of the pivotal moments that led to her decision was spending a day in the park with her two sons, who are six and three years old. Up to 20 people, were looking at their phones!" she added, "I said to myself: Everyone misses out on real life. I don't think you reach your deathbed and say you should have spent more time on Twitter or reading articles online." The idea of giving up her smartphone had been on her mind during the Covid-related lockdowns.
Dolce Cowling plans to use the time she earned after giving up her smartphone to read and sleep more
She added, "I thought about how much time I spent using the phone and what else I could do. Being in constant contact with so many services creates a lot of distractions and it's a stressful thing for the brain to deal with."
Cowling plans to use the time she gained from leaving her smartphone to read and sleep more.
About nine in 10 people in the UK today own a smartphone, a figure that is widely repeated across the developed world. We stick with these devices, all day and night long! a recent study found that the average person spends 4.8 hours a day on their smartphone.
Alex Dunedin got rid of his smartphone two years ago. "Culturally, we have become addicted to these devices," says the educational researcher and technology expert. "They slow cognition and hinder productivity," he added.
Dunedin, who lives and works in Scotland, revealed another reason for his decision which is the environmental concerns. He points out: "We waste huge amounts of energy producing massive amounts of carbon dioxide emissions."
He asserts that he has become happier and more productive since he stopped using the smartphone. Dunedin doesn't even have an old-fashioned cell phone or even a landline. He can only be contacted electronically via e-mail messages that reach him through the computer at home.
"It improved my life," he says. "My thoughts are freed from constant cognitive contact with a machine that I need to feed energy and money to. I think the danger of technologies is that they empty our lives," he added.
However, while some worry about the amount of time they spend on their phones, millions of others consider smartphones a godsend.
A spokesperson for Vodafone UK's mobile network says: "More than ever, access to healthcare, education and social services is more reachable, and the smartphone is an essential lifeline."
We also create resources to help people get the most out of the technology they use, as well as keep it safe.
January 24, 2022
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