why is it a requirement now to own a smartphone in the modern age?

a little before covid, my phone broke and i decided to not buy another one. i hated being reminded of work, schoolwork and constantly being connected to everyone else. my life significantly improved, but now i have to go through life with way more inconveniences than i expected. its like how cars were made as a tool to travel faster and more efficiently, but now, cities are built around car infrastructure and you don’t have many other options BUT to use a car. yeah you could walk 15 miles to the big city, nothings stopping you. but what you’re doing is turning a 20 minute car drive into a 6 hour hike, or hell even a 2 hour bike ride. who wants that? >_> but of course for the united states, in the case of exchanging cars for a rail system, you can sort of see why there’s no motion to construct one. there’s a reasonable worry that nobody would use the rail.. despite there being a bunch of people out there who are pushing for it. but in contrast, ive seen nobody asking for all this unnecessary soykaf. it just seems like theyre doing it just because they can, to show how technologically advanced they are. they’re not trying to make stuff more convenient for the people using it, they’re trying to impress shareholders. anyways, in too many cases ive had to resort to using a burner phone service on my computer just to do stuff. to sign up for the gym, i need to provide a phone number. why? just email me if there’s a problem with my account or my payment. this gym in particular also uses their own app in order to pull up a barcode on the screen, that you scan to get in. felt bad for always bothering the front desk workers with telling them my name and number so they could let me in, every time. i ended up borrowing my friend’s phone, downloading the app, logging in, and screenshotted my barcode, printed it out and now i keep it in my wallet. (later on i learned there was a web portal, now i feel pretty stupid) it feels so complicated for something that used to be very simple, like at my old gym they gave out these plastic tags with your barcode that you’d put on your keyring. but anyways, ive sort of realized that since im going to college next year, im gonna have to get a phone so i can stay in contact with my mom. i was leaning towards getting a light-phone (because of the combo of a dumb phone but also having gps, mp3, notes, and calculator) but ill probably require the functionality of a regular smartphone, so i may as well go all-in. ive known id have to get one eventually, with the line of work im going into, but it still is like kicking dead whales down the beach realizing its pretty much a requirement and my phone-free days are waning. does anyone else here hate how phones are so necessary now? i mean yeah its cool to be able to google a question when you’re out doing something, and to call people (you can do stuff like that through VoIP clients like mumble anyways), but now its just more of a liability. i dont like that i have to scan a qr code to get the menu in some places. fuarrrk that, id rather eat somewhere else (~_~) i miss those punch cards they’d give out at some restaurants when i was younger, but now mobile loyalty apps are all there are. point is, i dont think anybody has asked for all of this. they just go along with it because they have a phone and it’s not too much of a deal to them, but they aren’t “happy” about it. however, im pretty goddamn stubborn and i dont like dealing with all this nonsense. ┐('～`；)┌ i wish i knew a clear-cut solution, but now i guess all i can do is ramble about it on here and hope other lains out there understand my plight.

I only really use my phone to read books and to listen to music in bed

>>75135 IDK man I feel the same as you. Probably it's to keep us all monitored, it all feels that way nowadays. In my city is getting worse by the day, in some areas you just can buy tickets for the train&metro from your smartphone and use the NFC on it. I wanted to get a dumb phone but due to this I find it very impractical if not impossible. Maybe check out those Chinese phones that go for about $50, they usually have GPS, mp3 and all you mentioned without being the ripoff that is the light phone. Although they are a bit of a gamble and idk if they spy much on you.

>>75135 I'm too kinda surprised with mobile only places. Usually though they work with QR codes, so if you get some ticket, you can print it out. Whenever it's worth the hassle, that's up to you. Also, my advice is to use as little apps on your phone as possible. I uninstalled everything I could from my phone last week that you could replace with the web version. It's way better that way cause you don't get these notifications anymore, yet I can click one bookmark on my phone's browser and get what I want. You would think it wouldn't make so much of a difference, but you really feel way more at peace whenever that thing doesn't go off anymore. >i wish i knew a clear-cut solution There probably isn't one. But a good thing to do is to spread the message a bit. Support places that you can order stuff on without a phone, tell people about it (although don't make drama from it cause it turns people away), etc.

>>75138 you havent had to deal with the urban hell stuff i mentioned? lucky fuarrrker >>75139 yeah it is. we’re too open to accepting conspicuous wiretaps into our lives *cough cough alexa cough*. with all thats come out about surveillance tech in general, i just dont understand how anyone in their right minds could just shrug it off, but then again a lot of people have the “i have nothing to hide” philosophy. i also dont know how to feel about nfc, it seems very flawed as a concept afaik. you have this thing that can execute something (like opening a link for example) on this person’s phone, just by being within its vicinity? it seems like something that could be easily co-opted to send people to bad links or somethin like that (-_-) im probably just gonna get a blackberry when the time comes, ive seen some on ebay for ~$50, even the 4g ones. i was looking at this light-phone review earlier, this guy had it for 4 years, and the battery ended up deteriorating and only holding a 40% charge. in contrast, the e-ink reader i had as a teen works perfectly fine even now. i wonder what separates the two. ive found a couple light-phones for about $100 on ebay, which i could get behind paying, that’s what it’s worth to me. but it’s around $300 to buy a brand new one, no thanks (<_<) with that sort of money id rather buy a real phone honestly

>>75141 yeah and im even more surprised that they’ve caught on after covid. there’s no real reason to have them, especially now. i think the whole concert industry is one of the only applications where it makes sense to use the qr codes. no having to worry about someone losing their tickets, cause everyone carries around their phones 24/7. that’s smart, i wish i had that sort of motivation. back then i just put my phone on silent. it just never felt like it was enough to me, even then. phones just dont add anything to my life, except for the off-chance that i get stabbed/have a stroke/get kidnapped by the mafia/etc etc and need to call 911 it seems like most people aren’t interested in it. the only people who don’t change the subject are those who are already invested in it themselves. so, unfortunately i haven’t been able to convert anyone. i understand why most don’t have this idealogy as a priority, but i wish they did

An underestimated point is that it is just to have an identifier that is/appears expensive/bothersome to spoof. Why can't I validate this or that or that with just a voip number? Well, because that doesn't get them a free phone number to connect to my data but also because voip is cheaper. They want to filter spam like this, it is a way of doing "proof of humanity" where "humanity" is proportional to affordability of your handy dandy surveillance device. I can buy two phones to be two different people in all these systems, but if I really only need 1 phone for 90% of stuff then I kinda got the first identity on discount.

I dont have a fone. doubt im the only one here. Had one for a while but it was too much hassle so I quit. Great majority of the time its no terrible inconvenience, a modicum of social ability is useful to cover the gap. Ive been to restaurants that want qr code stuff, just ask for paper and they've always obliged me. If they didn't I think I'd leave and never come back. Maybe Im weird, don't much do concerts or stuff like this. When truly needed for paperwork Ill give a friends number and indicate its a poor way to reach me. This generally serves me fine. >i was leaning towards getting a light-phone (because of the combo of a dumb phone but also having gps, mp3, notes, and calculator if you need gps you're a moron if you need mp3 you've no imagination if you need electronic notes you're illiterate and shouldn't be allowed on a university campus without a mop in your hands if you need phonecalculator you'd probably be better off with a 20 dollar scientific calculator and youll likely be expected to have a better one still for college classes, or Im out of touch But a phone will get you in touch with people far further than the loudest man can yell so thats handy. also cars are legitimately nice. People talk about how amazed ancients would be at various modern items, but of all the things that are common now, nothing is as incredible and yet common place as the motor vehicle. There are certain unfortunate qualities of which they are in possession, some by law of nature, and some by law of man, but the power to travel so quickly, carrying so much, and endure so far, is nothing to be scoffed at.

>>75143 >you havent had to deal with the urban hell stuff i mentioned? lucky fuarrrker No, in europe it's not such a necessary thing, also I hate to carry it around in public, I never take it with me when I go out

the way i deal with with dumbphones is the same way a dumb person would deal with the world. It's THEIR problem that you have a dumb phone. got a QR for a menu? well i have a dumb phone, cater to me. (99% if waiters would just hand me their phone with the menu or a physical menu would appear out of nowhere) gotta have a QR to enter the gym? just tell them your name and number... make it a funny thing where you flash them your dumbphone and say something along the lines of "oh i live in a cave haha" or "im a technophobe, never understood all those touch phones stuff" or even my favorite one "i recently became stronger spiritually and got closer to god, phones with internet connection are sinful and lustful and i would rather keep myself clean" people (atleast in my experience) are nice and willing to help. hell they might even ask you about you decision and hear stuff that might make them question their own phone use. dumbphone use being embarrassing is sorta in your brain, you will always be surrounded by people with said smartphones and they will usually help dear cavemen such as you.

Congratulations, your thread is the 5th currently active thread whining about smartphones on just /tech/ alone and the one millionth thread to be posted about it on lainchan! You've won a prize: respond to this post with your shipping address and we'll randomly mail you one of three potential prizes: a book on how to search the catalog, a book on how to kill yourself, or your very own Nokia flip phone! But seriously, why not use one of the four other threads about (smart)phone-free living? >>71625 >>72761 >>72126 >>72233

>>75158 perhaps we should have a dumbphone general :p

>>75135 I actually typed out a long post about this but apparently it's not good enough so this is now my reply.

>>75141 >my advice is to use as little apps on your phone as possible. I uninstalled everything I could from my phone last week that you could replace with the web version. It's way better that way cause you don't get these notifications anymore, yet I can click one bookmark on my phone's browser and get what I want. i also do this - particularly because as part of university everyone uses instagram for dms, but i hate that soykaf app on my phone. its brainrot, but for some reason everyone has to use it as a messaging client. i try to get people's numbers when i can so they can contact me if needed, but yeah. its a peaceful life.

>>75135 Honestly, the only reason I've a phone now is because my job requires you to respond to messages in 5 minutes and currently only a phone gives me reliable notifications. If I had a job that could enable me to nditch it, I would.

I had one phone years ago, a google pixel, got it for forty or fifty bucks, wanted to flash grapheneos to it because I fell for that meme, well, I couldn't because you can only use grapheneos on one of two hyperspecific models, they decided to just stop supporting the model i had by the time i got it. So I retained that phone, and kept my normal phone. One day I decided to trash the pixel, so I did, smashed it with dumbells, tossed it in a dumpster miles away. I needed my other phone to conduct activities at uni, but finally my bullshit at the uni ended so the phone was obsolete, within a week I just took the thing and smashed it on the ground, then garbaged it. Soon thereafter something popped up, and I needed a phone to deal with it, so I got a cheap one, and I've been stuck with it ever since, but my problem will go away soon, and then I'll either put this one in a dark corner somewhere or smash it.

It's a lost cause anyways. Dumb phones (flip phones) nowadays are soykaf. They either run a locked down Android or KaiOS, which is also locked down. I just want a simple flip phone for calling and texting, ideally a small one. Maybe an alarm as well. Is that so much to ask for less than $100? Even in that ideal situation, all of your messages will be unencrypted and pass though your mobile service provider. The only solution is make our own phones.

The answer is that they vice, vaccinate, and circumcise. If you know that they vice, if you know that they vaxx, if you know that they cut and poison and brainwash... then you pretty much know it all. That's the game.

Why not just use a land-line telephone and messaging service to stay in contact with your mom? Or you can use a cellphone with no carrier service or sim card to connect to the internet via wifi (shudder) or ethernet and use email. You can mitigate some of the tracking and snooping by turning off location, wifi, bluetooth, any other wireless stuff. Just keep it in airplane mode most of the time. You don't need a Google account to use it. If it can be rooted, you can install a nice firewall like afwall+ and set it to allow only whitelisted items to access the internet. Almost all of the android system snoopware, carrier installed snoopware, and Google snoopware that wants to phone home can be blocked in one feel swoop that way. You only need ntp to keep your clock accurate for tor, and maybe the download manager if you want to download stuff. You can disable most of the battery draining bloatware and snoopware, or even delete it to free up space if you're careful. If your phone has a lineage os rom available, that's the icing on the cake as far as elimination of bloatware and snoopware. You can use a lot of foss apps from f-droid like fennec browser if you don't trust the built in stuff, whihc you can then just disable. You can use aurorastore app from f-droid to use Google play store (free apps only) without a Google account. Newpipe is great for downloading YouTube videos. So an android cellphone can be a useful device without having a carrier or a Google account, and with a lot of the corporate snooping and potential surveillance capabilities mitigated. That doesn't mean it's fully secure by any stretch of the imagination, but significantly more secure than average.