The Convenience Trap of Modern Tech and How to Escape

I’ve been considering going old skool and replacing my music with an ipod Classic. Not because I’m getting old and wearing my nostalgia goggles, but to escape the prison of modern tech once and for all – especially phones. 

Imagine – you go to listen to your favourite band on your phone, only to find yourself tapping between three different apps and losing hours of your time. You didn’t intend to do that, and didn’t even realise that dozens of songs already played on your list. You’ve been caught in the trap designed by Silicon Valley. A trap disguised as convenience.

The Price of Digital Convenience

When Steve Jobs first revealed the iphone, the world went crazy for this sexy, innovative new tech which combined everything people loved into one device with fun gimmicks. I finally jumped on board with the 3gs.  I remember going into HMV looking at the display models and getting addicted to the demo of TapTap Revenge –  a music rhythm game which was all the rage at the time. 

Suddenly, you could get rid of separate objects and devices such as cameras, maps, calculators, and e-readers, even more so as the technology improved over the years. Nowadays, the functionality of phones are endless –  even acting as medical devices which can detect blood sugar. I don’t even have to order a meal in person anymore when I go out, as my phone acts like a digital waiter/waitress. 

But with all this so-called convenience, we’ve paid a huge price. 

Sucked behind a screen for hours at a time, we don’t notice days, weeks, months and years slipping by. Opportunities going unnoticed and lost forever. Potential friendships or relationships that never happened because the smile was directed at the latest meme instead of the person nearby. Teenagers are growing up anxious and addicted, rarely looking up from the glow of their phones. People aren’t interacting with each other in public places anymore, because apps do all the connecting for us. 

At the cost of convenience we’ve given up living. 

Human brains will always pick the path of least resistance, and will always choose the dopamine-giving responses. Companies know and profit from this. 

The Illusion of Digital Freedom

Some minimalists swear by the Swiss Army knife functionality of phones, saying they’re great at allowing you to downsize your possessions. On the surface that would appear to be true, until you find yourself in a constant cycle of smartphone addiction and your inner peace goes with it. 

The common advice is to simply use a device-locking app, or to monitor your screen time with the built-in wellbeing apps. But these methods do nothing to curb the addiction, merely giving the illusion of control. 

By downsizing our possessions this way, we’re downsizing our attention spans, minimising the quality of our relationships, and reducing our capacity for living. 

It doesn’t matter how long you lock your device or how many times. How many times you delete your social media apps or change your screen to greyscale. The addiction pathways have already been firmly carved into the brain, and it’s always at the back of the mind. 

You can get a false sense of freedom by taking breaks. You can try all the tricks in every article and every book, but all it’ll ever be is an illusion. It’ll work at first, but the second you let your guard down (and you will because phones are designed that way), you’ll be addicted. 

Caught in the same trap. Again and again and again. 

This is how modern day tech is designed. To keep you in a prison of curated algorithms, endless information, and cheap dopamine hits so you can be ‘sold’ and ‘mined’. 

And by algorithms endlessly sending you more of the same kind of stuff that you love, you’ll never try anything else or explore something new. You’ll never read or experience different points of view – only the stuff you already agree with and believe in. You’re a product, and everything you say and do is being collected, sold on to third parties, and accessed in data breaches.

Cutting the digital chains

Everything you glance at for more than a few seconds signals that your attention was caught for a moment, so you’re shown more of the same while companies collect your data, building a picture of who you are, what you like, what your habits are, and what you’ll click on, share, or buy. 

By having separate, dedicated devices you can escape the pull of the smartphone and it’s addictive services. 

To escape the clutches of a digital life and regain your freedom you can: 

• Use your bank card instead of your digital wallet

• Use a notebook and pen instead of an app

• Use a physical camera (you’ll start taking meaningful pictures again)

• Use an e-reader instead of an app (also better for your health)

• Use an mp3 player instead of your phone’s built-in music app or streaming service (you’ll also save money on streaming)

• Order your drinks/meal in person the net time you go out

Going old skool with tech isn’t downgrading your life but re-claiming it.