A century ago, it would’ve seemed strange to picture photos and artwork with people holding a phone in their hand with their heads bowed down. Today, it’s a norm to walk down the street messaging someone. I miss the days when phones weren’t such a massive part of our lives. I remember talking to strangers more and making friends through the same silence and simply breaking it. However, now it’s easy for people to avoid silence by using their devices. We spend so much time staring at screens now.
One of the things I’ve always had a hard relationship with is the mobile device. I remember using a flip phone for as long as possible until it broke. I was nineteen when I purchased my first touch phone and I always felt it unnatural to use it all the time. I felt an overreliance on it yet a convenience. I’m grateful that it helps us connect in many ways with our family and friends who may not be close by, but I see that it is also making us more disconnected in other ways.
One way to limit phone use is to remove apps that you don’t often use or that you’re mindlessly clicking into. You can switch off notifications or put your phone on silent. One of the ways I’ve found helpful in using my phone less during the day is consciously setting it aside somewhere or putting it on silence. It makes you feel more present and feel more engaged in your day-to-day moments, without the distraction of a phone.
My phone can sometimes give me slight anxiety and urgency, take away precious time, and the less I use it, the more present I feel and the more focused I am. I found after removing several social media platforms in the last few years, it’s helped me feel less anxious about staying up to-date with everything. I find it helps to take moments to just read a book, write in a journal, or play the piano. Everything is more enjoyable in the long run when it’s in moderation. There are endless things to enjoy without the presence of our phones.
Art by Monica Barengo
Tien-Jen 