A Luddite's Guide to Technology - Phones

I've written before about the Luddites, so if you're unfamiliar with the term, or have only heard the pop-culture version: that they were anti-technology. Go read Brian Merchant's book Blood in the Machine. Very short version, they appreciated and understood technology, they were against its use to undermine working people, and in their time held widespread popular support.

Smart phone

I got my first phone late in life. Already in my 20s, I purchased an iPhone 3GS. Prior to that I didn't need a phone, I was fine making plans with people, and showing up a few minutes early. If someone was late, I generally had a paperback book that I read while waiting. Unimaginable now, but some version of this was the norm for all of human history, up until the late 90s.

2009 marked the turning point in which these devices went from things we mostly talked on, to things that fully consumed society. By the early 10s one regularly saw people hunched over screens, a claw-like finger or thumb swiping away. Going to a cafe would involve couples ordering, taking a photo of their coffee and then silently returning to their phones, back to the safety of the infinite scroll.

For a few years I was hooked, fully tethered to the treadmill of annual updates. I like technology, and the space was evolving so rapidly, the art of the possible ever expanding. I vividly remember my childlike exuberance for maps with GPS, maps that would self-orient as the device was rotated, pure magic.

Dumb phones

It's been about ten years now that I've been looking for an alternative, a return to a quieter and simpler relationship with this device that I can't leave home without. From the nostalgic remake of the Nokia 8110, aka "the banana phone", to the specialist, targeting a growing market of people unhappy with their relationship with technology, the Punkt MP01. Both devices were pretty bad at the one thing they promised to be, something to talk on. Depending on when you are reading this, basically two to three multi-billion-dollar companies are behind 99% of smart phones sold today. There aren't really any meaningful alternatives.

An alternative smart phone

After a few misadventures, and more research than is justifiable, I ended up buying a second-hand device from a few years ago and installing GrapheneOS. This uses flagship Android devices, running the latest versions of Android but without requiring Google in your life (or your device). It does require a little bit of technical ability to get started but once installed, it's a surprisingly slick experience, all run by a non-profit, open-source initiative.

And yet, it's still a smart phone, it still slipped into my left pocket each time I left home, or more accurately, when I woke up in the morning. It's a meaningful alternative to the mainstream gated communities of iOS and Android with Google, but not a real alternative.

A real alternative

I still own my GrapheneOS device, it sits on a kitchen counter when I am home, it goes into a backpack when I am out with the kids, or into the car when I'm driving and need maps. Then it stays in the car, or the backpack.

Instead, this device has taken the coveted left-pocket position. It's an e-reader, but palm-sized, that fits in a pocket. I've been on and off the meditation cushion for a long time, and am comfortable being present, but I also really enjoy reading. It's a delight to be out, and to be able to have the book I am reading in my pocket. Of course you don't need a pocket-sized book, chances are high that you already have a book-shaped e-reader and could stick that in a bag, but not having to have a bag means I am far more likely to have it with me.

It has Wi-Fi and is technically an Android device with access to apps, but e-ink is not built for interactive experiences. I can open tuhat and download the EPUB version of articles I am interested in reading, then slowly catch up on them. The rest of the time, it's just a book.

Ultimately you don't need an e-reader at all, you could go out with a paperback, assuming large enough pockets. A Luddite's Guide to Technology is an effort to remind us that not all technology is bad, some is tremendously useful. It's technology that is used against us — to segregate, undermine and commoditise us, that should be singled out for the sledgehammer. The problem is not technology itself, but who it benefits.