Confession: I am a Smartphone Virgin

     I am currently a sophomore in college, and somehow, over the past half-decade during which Razors and Blackberries became antediluvian and Nokias were laughed into near-extinction, I have eluded owning what appears to be one of the world's most coveted commodities. In the hands of the young and old, the dwellers of first-world to third-world nations, and approximately 1/5 of our world's 7.046 billion (2012, Google) population is.... the Smartphone.
     I cannot tell you how many small children have asked me, "Can I see your phone?" and when I reply that I do not have a smartphone, eye me with a strange look and ask with disbelief, "Really?" to which I casually retort, "Yes."
     No, I do not live under a rock. Yes, I can afford a smartphone. Yes, I have seen the commercials glorifying this tiny device's plethora of nifty capabilities. Yes, I have friends who enjoy the whole social media thing and would gladly "follow" me on smartphone apps. Yes, I find the digital realm appealing and realize that my hypothetical smartphone could transport my mind into such fantastical worlds with the tap of its screen. However, though I have begun this blog post in such a way as to have the reader believe I am a perfect candidate for owning a smartphone device, I indubitably do not wish to own a smart phone.

Why I Do Not Have a Smartphone

1. I am afraid of smartphones. While many people have nomophobia (the fear of losing one's iPhone), I have a fear so rare and strange it has yet to be named as far as I can tell.

2. I am also afraid of smartphone-addiction.
This video scares the crap out of me, and I don't even have a smartphone.

     During the Creativity in the Digital Age Class I took at the beginning of freshman year in college, we read a book titled Program or Be Programmed. In this book, it discussed the typically hidden dangers toward the users programmed technology. For example, it noted the addictive qualities of smartphones. Phone companies "induce our dependence and compliance." Like the smartphone users Rushkoff regarded in his book, as a smartphone owner, I would "scramble to keep up with the never-ending inflow of demands and commands, under the false premise that moving faster will allow us to get out from under the endless stream of pings for our attention." Phone creators program phones to keep us attached to them, even to the extent that "each variety of beep is studied and tested for its ability to en-train our behavior" (Rushkoff). Consequently, being so caught up in keeping up with the virtual world could lead to anxiety (FBJ). In scientific studies, college students who heavily rely on their smartphone become anxious when without their device. I fear being torn apart from my hypothetical smartphone would lead to smartphone withdrawl, a period during which I might fall apart completely. As a person who likes being in control, I fear allowing my hypothetical smartphone to run my life. I do not wish to feel obligated to my smartphone or feel incapable of going minutes without it.

3. I don't see a smartphone adding much to my life.
    Call me old-fashioned, but when I think "phone," I define it as a device which allows me to call and text others.
      Sure, with smartphones there are so many apps available, but if I really thought about it, the only apps I'd ever use would be Instagram (because pictures are fun), Viber (to text my international friends free of charge), Google Maps (because I get lost easily), and Google (to search stuff).
       But really, I have a laptop, friends who let me use their smartphones to Instagram stuff, enough patience to wait until I get home to look up that thing I wanted to know about a few hours ago, and I can read maps.
       But there are so many fun games. My boyfriend swears by smartphone gaming as his favorite way to pass the time while taking a #2, and one of my friends actually has an app designed to be played in the bathroom, "Toilet Time." But, I got enough of virtual gaming when I was addicted to Neopets in the fourth grade.

4. I prefer the real world.
    As unfiltered, non-hilarious, and mundane it may seem at times, I enjoy seeing the world for what it is. If I had a smartphone, my world would be limited to an tiny screen. I might never stop living vicariously through my phone and would consequently fail to acknowledge the beauty of the real world. (Cheesy, I know.)
     But there's a truth in this. If I had used my phone as a crutch during social situations, be it on the first day of a new class or at an orientation, I could have missed out on meeting a potential friend.

4. I live above the influence.
     I know that sounds high and mighty of me, but to me, smartphones are just another trend. Like any trend, I am allowed to choose whether or not I want to follow it. I think of buying a smartphone with the same mindset I have when contemplating buying a trendy fashion piece. So what if every model and fashionable girl is wearing (insert trendy fashion item) right now? Does this piece fit me and flatter me?
      Personally, I do not think a smartphone fits my personality nor flatters my lifestyle. Personality-wise, I cannot be bothered by other people's photos or tweets 24/7. What can I say? I'm an introvert. I do not feel compelled to be connected to others all the time. I do not need virtual attention-- receiving praise for a filtered photo of blueberries or a #selfie brings little satisfaction to me. I don't mind the virtual solitude. Plus, virtual communication doesn't  fulfill me. I'm not a huge fan of texting or messaging, and would prefer face-to-face conversations over Snapchats any day. Also, smartphones would not flatter my lifestyle. As a crazy, ambitious college student, do I really need more distractions? It's hard enough balancing my studies with a social life, and adding an online social life to keep up with would just drive me insane.

5. Overall, it's just my personal preference. 
     Right now, I'm a smartphone virgin. I don't know if I'll ever want to change this status (call me a smartphone asexual or a loyal dumbphone-lover), but as of right now, my pink flip phone's good enough for me.


All the Ways Your Phone is Messing Up Your Life in One Chart:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/31/smartphone-addiction_n_5626996.html

Sources:

• Archer, Dale (MD). "Smarphone Addiction." http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201307/smartphone-addiction. Psychology Today, 25 July 2013. Web. 14 July 2014.
• FBJ Bureau. "Even minutes spent without smartphone can fuel anxiety." http://freepressjournal.in/even-minutes-spent-without-smartphone-can-fuel-anxiety. The Free Press Journal, 14 July 2014. Web. 14 July 2014. 
• Heggestuen, John. "One in Every 5 People In the World Owns A Smartphone, One In Every 17 Owns A Tablet."http://www.businessinsider.com/smartphone-and-tablet-penetration-2013-10. Business Insider. 15 December 2013. Web. 14 July 2014. 
• Googling
• Rushkoff, Douglass. Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commandments for a Digital Age. California: Soft Skull Press, 2011. Print.