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This former influencer gave up her smartphone. She says you should, too
npr ^ | 04/07/2025 | Anandita Bhalerao , Andrew Mambo

Posted on 04/09/2025 1:34:57 PM PDT by BenLurkin

It's hard to imagine going a day without the reassuring weight of a phone in our pockets. A Harvard Business Review study on phone addiction found we're interrupted by our phones about every 13 minutes of our time awake.

Research has found that even a short break from smartphones can significantly boost your mood. As more people hope to take back control of their time and attention, digital detox clubs – groups of people meeting up without phones to reconnect with nature, practice hobbies or just talk – are meeting across the world, from New York City to Seoul.

Some people are choosing to go still further and give up smartphones altogether. They're downgrading to 'dumbphones' – although there's some debate on what makes a phone a 'dumbphone'. Some offer only basic calling and texting, while others still have internet access and a few pre-installed apps, such as Google Maps.

Still, the basic principle that most people in the dumbphone community agree on is that owning a smartphone should be a conscious choice rather than a necessity.

August Lamm, a writer, artist and former art influencer, is helping spread the message. She hasn't owned a smartphone since 2022, and has written an illustrated guide for others who may be considering dropping theirs off a cliff.

Her own journey began shortly after graduating from college, when she started posting pictures of her art online. Her Instagram grew to hundreds of thousands of followers and Lamm found herself an accidental influencer.

"Everything that I shared online – about my love life or or my vacations or my house – all these pictures and captions were feeding into my business so they would result in sales," Lamm said. Ultimately, she said, the pressure to keep that up became too much, and she reached a breaking point.

The switch to a dumbphone wasn't instantaneous

Lamm says if you asked her how to get rid of your smartphone today, she would suggest taking it to their nearest Best Buy and trading it for a dumbphone. But that's not how it went for her.

At first, Lamm put her phone in a drawer and didn't look at it for a month, which she said "was very inconvenient to everyone in my life." Then she went back and forth between a dumbphone and a smartphone. It took her about a year to sell her smartphone and fully commit to the dumbphone lifestyle.

Lamm says she had to figure out what her actual necessities were: "I had lapses where I would feel like I really needed to use it for this one day, because I needed to listen to this audiobook on the train, or I needed the directions, and I would get sucked right back into it."

"There are a lot of things that people feel like they really wouldn't know what to do," she said. "And then once you're deprived of that option, you figure it out."

When in doubt, just ask Still, there are certain things that may feel impossible to navigate without a smartphone – sign-ins that require two-factor authentication, parking meters, laundry and more.

"You figure out these solutions by asking," Lamm said. "You ask the parking company if they can give you another option, and a lot of the time they will. I personally believe that ethically and legally they have to, but that's hotly contested right now."

Sometimes, Lamm says, the need to ask for help can be a good excuse to get a conversation started.

"I draw my little maps on paper, and sometimes I can't read my own handwriting and stop to ask people," she said. "It's so sad that we've lost these serendipitous interactions, which I have all the time now."

"It felt like I was in solitary confinement in my own mind" Lamm found workarounds for the initial logistical challenges, like not having access to a GPS or two-factor authentication, but says that wasn't ultimately the biggest barrier. The real struggle was getting reacquainted with being bored.

"At that point my thoughts were not very stimulating because I wasn't used to having them. A lot of people go their whole day without ever having a moment to just think, whether you're listening to music or podcasts or audiobooks, hanging out with friends, or watching TV. So then when you actually give yourself space to think, you're not used to it, and your thoughts are pretty quiet and dull. Or alternatively they're frightening, because you haven't thought them for so long you haven't dealt with any of your emotions."

Being in her own mind took practice and patience, but now Lamm says, "I'll happily walk around for hours without headphones and just think."

But what about the group chats? Lamm lives in New York, but spent the past five years in London. She argues that keeping in touch with friends and family is not impossible to do without internet access – a dumbphone still lets you make calls and text, and she'll wait until she has Wi-Fi to send emails to keep in touch with friends overseas.

Lamm says not having a smartphone actually has made her relationships stronger.

"When I'm actually spending time with these people in person, I'm fully present and I'm not distracted," she said. "I'm not waiting for the interaction to end so I can check my email again. If I were to be in constant contact with them, it would just make it so I was never really there or elsewhere. I would always be in this in-between space."

Being an artist in the age of social media When it comes to her career, Lamm says there are opportunities that she's lost out on since giving up her smartphone and by extension, becoming less active on social media.

"Sometimes a friend will say that a celebrity follows me, and I'll check and see that sure enough, I've got a fan in Hollywood, or at a major magazine or wherever," she said. "Had I continued to post, these people might have eventually reached out to me, whether to buy a piece or suggest a collaboration. But because I don't post anymore, they will undoubtedly forget about me and direct those opportunities toward others."

Still, Lamm says she earns more money now than she ever did as an influencer.

"That's because I used to spend hours and hours crafting posts, on top of the actual work," she said. "Now I only do the work. I don't spend time packaging it, or posting about my life to stay relevant."

Today, Lamm doesn't earn any money off of her social media presence. Her income comes from articles, illustrations and book advances. But that transition wasn't easy.

"I was often tempted to go back to selling on social media because it was so much more immediate than these other avenues," she said. "I could earn money within hours, and sometimes, when I was extremely broke, I did exactly that – advertising prints or commissions via Instagram stories."

Lamm continues to have over 150,000 followers on Instagram, and one can argue it's that very audience that has allowed her to diversify her sources of income to now be less reliant on social media. But she says, it's still possible to make a name for yourself and your art the old-school way.

"When I stopped posting I sought out income sources that predated social media: agencies, magazines, galleries, publishers," she said. "This meant building up a new network and reputation in worlds previously unknown to me."

"If I hadn't spent thousands of hours trying to build a following, I could have spent that time going to galleries, taking classes, meeting people, forging connections, organizing events, submitting to exhibitions and otherwise making a name for myself in the real world. I could have improved more quickly, had I not prioritized online visibility over creative development."

Her advice to artists just starting out: "Don't even bother with social media. Be creative. Go outside. Meet people. Get involved."

Next, Lamm wants to give up her laptop. She acknowledges that this is an extreme step and not an option for most people, but it's a challenge she embraces.

"If I go all the way and prove that you can lead a rich and social life where you're making money and you're staying a part of the world without even a computer in my own house, I think that could be inspiring to people," she said.


TOPICS: Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: phones; smartphones
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To: HartleyMBaldwin

My wife and I got rid of our land line not long after the turn of the century. And now, because we travel a LOT, the map function on those phones is extremely valuable to us. They even work in the Bahamas.

And before I retired I used it for my commute. It allowed me to avoid bad backups on numerous occasions.

There are a ton of other advantages too, but I could go on for hours about how useful smart phones are.

But I don’t do social media.


21 posted on 04/09/2025 2:26:58 PM PDT by cuban leaf (2024 is going to be one for the history books, like 1939. And 2025 will be more so, like 1940-1945.)
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To: BenLurkin

Life was fine back in the days of the land line. Even before that.


22 posted on 04/09/2025 2:28:08 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: Nachoman

“”so many people assume every man woman and child in America has a smart phone.””

So many PEOPLE plus so many businesses - hard to do business with someone who advises you to “go to your phone AND”...My phone is cordless sitting beside my computer which is also antique - desk top. A FLIP phone (for emergencies) that never leaves my purse except to call the power company to tell them my power is off..which is weird because their message will tell me to go to their site for further information....when there’s NO POWER???? AGAIN - assuming you are calling from a smart phone!

Can’t beat $20 per month for the use of A PHONE that doesn’t do anything except sit around idle - hiding out in my purse.


23 posted on 04/09/2025 2:31:25 PM PDT by Thank You Rush ( )
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To: BenLurkin

Some people are very low-tech and cannot adapt and adjust to normal 21st Century technology and that’s okay.

We see people who swear by their 1990 model car or truck and would never want a new modern vehicle and that’s okay.

We see people who are unable to use normal modern tools and equipment so as to enjoy normal life and that’s OK too.

If you can’t handle a smartphone, then give it up and your computer, your modern appliances and cars and live the 1950 life. It can be done.


24 posted on 04/09/2025 2:35:09 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Nobody elected Elon Musk? Well nobody elected the Deep State either.)
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To: cuban leaf

I use the camera more than I thought. Taking something apart, it helps to put it back together. It helps me document what still needs to be done on projects at a different location from my shop. Taking a picture of something before I go to the store for parts. I even use it to take pictures of nuts and screws in difficult locations.


25 posted on 04/09/2025 2:36:08 PM PDT by alternatives?
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To: Jamestown1630

I can request an e-mail ilo text in most cases.

My email seems to be clunky and slow. Plus I have a free email which is likely thoroughly scanned by the email host.

Surveillance is everywhere.


26 posted on 04/09/2025 2:36:21 PM PDT by Paladin2 ( )
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To: ImJustAnotherOkie

Nonsense, I’d bet you a dollar to a hole in a doughnut she’s posted this from her cell phone.

_________________________________________

Or her computer. If she can’t handle a cell phone, then her computer skills and usage is probably whack as well.

Some people just can’t adjust to normal daily life.


27 posted on 04/09/2025 2:38:00 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Nobody elected Elon Musk? Well nobody elected the Deep State either.)
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To: alternatives?
Right. And for those who won't/can't adapt to smart phones with their amazing camera tech features, there's always this....

The Best 35mm Film (I Shot and Reviewed 12+ Rolls)

28 posted on 04/09/2025 2:43:30 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Nobody elected Elon Musk? Well nobody elected the Deep State either.)
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To: alternatives?

Yep. I am amazed how much I use the camera when buying things, fixing things, you name it. Sometimes if I need to see something in a hard to get at location I’ll set the time to three seconds, turn on the flash, hold it where it can see the thing and get a shot that clearly shows me what I needed to see.

In fact, I have an old smart phone that I use for all of the smart features, including connectivity to Youtube using wi-fi, but only as the equivalent of a small “iPad”. It’s camera is actually better than the camera in my active smart phone.


29 posted on 04/09/2025 2:44:25 PM PDT by cuban leaf (2024 is going to be one for the history books, like 1939. And 2025 will be more so, like 1940-1945.)
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To: BenLurkin

My 25 year old son just switched to a flip phone.


30 posted on 04/09/2025 2:47:34 PM PDT by cyclotic (Don’t be part of the problem. Be the entire problem)
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To: BenLurkin

No, I can put my device down anytime. Lately I’m only on Free Republic not even 10 hours a day.


31 posted on 04/09/2025 2:49:42 PM PDT by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
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To: Responsibility2nd

I don’t think it’s that they can’t handle the technology.
They all seem very good at that.

It’s the content that becomes addictive.


32 posted on 04/09/2025 2:51:52 PM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: BenLurkin

I went a little the other way. I refused forever to get a smart phone till COVID, after I was living in a hotel after a house fire.

No longer had a computer and GPS is a life saver for me as I get lost in my own home town.

However, I do not live on it. My work won’t let us bring them into the job. Have to leave them in a locker. I don’t mind.


33 posted on 04/09/2025 2:58:22 PM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: Paladin2

I hate two factor authorization. Who decided the world wants to use their phone every time they get online. I had to call Amazon to get it shut off so my wife could use our account to buy stuff.


34 posted on 04/09/2025 3:00:03 PM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: HartleyMBaldwin

“I had no idea I was so far ahead of the times.”

Comparing yourself to a leftist democrat artist on NPR ...


35 posted on 04/09/2025 3:00:48 PM PDT by TexasGator
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To: BenLurkin

I still have a landline. I only use my cellphone for emergencies and there’s no internet access, no voice mail, etc. it makes outgoing calls and receives incoming. The phone is always...ALWAYS off. It amazes me how many people can’t function without a damn phone in their face, and it annoys me to no end at a red light and the car in front of me just sits there when the light turns green because he/she has his/her face in a phone. And then there’s the idiots at the gas station or grocery store who let the whole place hear their mind numbing conversation.


36 posted on 04/09/2025 3:01:07 PM PDT by rockabyebaby (THE BEST IS YET TO COME - (PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP))
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To: Jamestown1630

There have been addictive personalities throughout all generations.


37 posted on 04/09/2025 3:01:28 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Nobody elected Elon Musk? Well nobody elected the Deep State either.)
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To: cuban leaf

Yes...GPS is a Godsend to me. I can get lost anywhere but GPS rules the day for me!


38 posted on 04/09/2025 3:02:05 PM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: Larry Lucido

No, I can put my device down anytime. Lately I’m only on Free Republic not even 10 hours a day.

___________________________________

Do you also wake up in the middle of the night to check new threads and pings?

I feel ya, bro.


39 posted on 04/09/2025 3:03:41 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Nobody elected Elon Musk? Well nobody elected the Deep State either.)
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To: cuban leaf

I love audiobooks. When smartphones develop the capability of handling audiobooks, I started keeping several novels and my phone so I can listen over the car radio while driving around. I love it.


40 posted on 04/09/2025 3:04:51 PM PDT by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
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