I was on a mission, biking around to post fliers for my latest tech downgrading event. “Want to ditch your smartphone?” they asked in bold capitals. “Want to leave social media? Spend less time on screens?”
I had brought a friend along to hold the tape dispenser and look out for cops. “Are you going to mention the TikTok ban at the event?” he asked as I affixed a flier to, appropriately, a defunct phone booth.
“What TikTok ban?” I asked. Clearly, I had missed something major.
I am a 29-year-old anti-tech activist. I received my first smartphone for Christmas at 15 and spent the ensuing decade in its thrall. But I gave it up three years ago, switching to what I call a dumbphone — mine is a Nokia 2780 flip phone — that can do little more than call or text. While I do occasionally use social media on a laptop to spread my message, I generally abide by a no-scroll policy: I log on, make posts, then log off. I don’t need to waste a single additional second on these platforms to fuel the anger and conviction behind my mission: to get people off their smartphones.
“Downgrading” is the term I adopted to describe making the switch. I aim to help others do the same. They are often skeptical. “I have no sense of direction” is a common objection. Others are “I need to use FaceTime” or “I need to log my runs.”
Downgrading is the radical decision to step backward in an age of dizzying, almost compulsory forward momentum. I have watched many people attempt to reduce their screen time, an agonizing process requiring constant vigilance and self-restraint. Removing the option altogether, I’ve found, is the surest way out.
Three years ago, I was as entangled in my smartphone as anyone. As an Instagram art influencer with nearly 200,000 followers, I spent all day online and earned all my money through the app: print sales, drawing commissions and paid partnerships with art supply companies.
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