I am a massive fan of my Mudita Kompakt, and I’ve been using it for months. I like that the hardware includes a headphone jack, slots for physical sims and SD cards, and a small display. These are sadly becoming rare. I like that the software is deGoogled, and I like the phone’s kill switch. I also like that I am not wasting time watching stupid short videos all the time, window shopping eBay, over-flooding my brain with too much information, etc.
Despite this, I’m probably moving back to an iPhone at some point just to fit in with society more. Some people judge me on the basis that I don’t use a smartphone. I find myself going out of my way to conceal that I use this phone out of embarrassment. I can’t do things like use dating apps or gamble with my friends (yes, a friend sent me a dating app link for double dates, but it wouldn’t work on a desktop).
I know that the purpose of this phone is to not have those features, and that is good! I wish I were living through a pre-smartphone era where interactions were more front-facing and didn’t use smartphones as an intermediary, but sadly that is how I see it is now. Additionally, I see society is trending toward an over-reliance on smartphones to function. For example, at my city’s bus stops, there are no maps of the bus routes. In their place are just QR codes or website links to view the routes, which actually just makes it more inconvenient to access a map of the routes than if the county were to simply have signs of the literal maps…
I would be curious about if any of you people have thoughts about these things too, thoughts about this post, or if you have a different perspective.
It’s possible I’m missing some context but honestly, when I run into issues in regards to communication via outside apps and stuff, I just tell my friends my phone can’t do that, and they understand and work around it somehow. Like with the dating app link - why couldn’t your friend just text you the time and place of the date, why did it need to happen through a special app anyway?
I agree that corporations and government services pushing apps has gone too far but I don’t think the correct response is to roll over. If I’m at a restaurant and the menu is on a QR code, I ask for a physical, and if they don’t have one, I leave. If I see a bus line has taken away their physical maps in favor of QR codes I find whatever phone number I can call to give them feedback and I complain, because even for smartphone users that’s a dumb choice, how are you supposed to get around if your phone dies or gets stolen? If I buy a ticket for an event, I print the QR code. If a transit system pushes me to download an app and a digital membership card, I push to get a physical one instead, and so on. It takes extra work for sure, but I see it not just as a matter of me getting to make my choices in life, I see it as standing up for other people like myself, who do not want these over-digitalized services. Being the sand in the gears is how we slow this whole thing down.
So far the only thing my friends have given me shit for in regards to my phone is the picture quality, but that doesn’t bother me, I wasn’t much of a picture-taker anyway and I plan to invest in a nice camera at some point for travel. Mostly my friends find my choice of phone neat, or even admirable. A few of them have said things to the effect of “I wish I had the guts to make a change like that” or asked me for some guidance on finding a phone that would fit their own needs.
I guess my point is the way we combat these things is by sticking to our guns (phones?). If it turns out it’s literally impossible for you to navigate the place you live without a smartphone then I’m very sorry that you’ve been pressured into that, and I hope you’re able to find a compromise. Maybe keep the MK as your main phone but keep a powered off smartphone in a farady bag on hand, so you can use the hotspot to get it online when you absolutely need it?
Yes, the pressure of society, companies and governments to depend on the smartphone is strong and clear here. It is a little different in each country. Defending ourselves against this is natural if we want to maintain the possibility of being offline.
By transferring a significant part of human activities to the online world, we become much more controllable, and it is only a matter of time before mass abuse of power occurs. Of course, for our own good.
Therefore, let’s look for ways to make the world a more pleasant and free place, even for those who want to be dependent on technology. There must always be a choice.
My Kompakt becomes a conversation piece. Most tend to say they wish they could break free from big tech but because of whatever reason, they can’t. I tell them about my own journey…took years, starting with the LP2. It started as a secondary phone. It became a weekend or downtime phone - a little too basic to become my primary phone. Today, it is my running phone.
Then LP3 and Kompakt came out - got both around the same time - Spring 25., the 3 before the K. Still moved back and forth from a more minimalist phone and my iPhone - two numbers. Slowly, founds ways to keep the iPhone home more regularly. Started traveling without my iPhone. Decided the Kompakt was more my vibe. Now, ~14 months later, I only have 1 phone and 1 number - my Kompakt. I’ve never been happier. Never been more engaged. And my FOMO has become JOMO (Joy of Missing Out). Oh, and got a second Kompakt in case I ever have to send my primary one back to Poland for whatever reason.
In the end, most leave wishing they could start the journey and more than one has begun. Two of my colleagues at work are now joining me. One with the Mudita, the other with the LP3.
Bottom Line: If you are happy, who cares what others say/think?
@sleepbyslowdive, I feel you about the societal pressure. I have gone through times where I don’t feel like advertising I don’t use a smartphone because it has caused inconveniences. I feel that way in situations for example where I’m meeting relatives and they send dozens of messages over WhatsApp in a short period of time and the location of meetup can change quickly and they expect everyone to be following messages closely.. Or when there’s photo exchanges. We all have kids and everyone takes a lot of pictures. So far in those times, I switch back to an iPhone. Maybe due to FOMO since I don’t see my siblings often.
That said, as I get more and more comfortable with the Kompakt and care less about what others think (I think in my case, they find it amusing and really don’t care), I want to stop doing that because I agree with @TechVampire that unless there is push back, things will just get worse.
