Not Just a "Phone".

Here are a handful of things you can do on a smartphone:

• Talk to anyone around the world via voice, video, text, etc 

• Film or photograph anything at any moment. 

• Edit said photo/video.

• Explore a new city using GPS, maps, etc 

• Find the best restaurant to eat in that city. 

• Learn how to say anything you want in any language instantaneously. 

• Donate money to a worthwhile cause. 

Here are a few other things your phone can help you do:

• Bully a classmate. 

• Attack a small business. 

• Train your brain to be scattered and anxious. 

• Destroy your self-esteem via constant comparison to others.

• Completely scramble your brain’s understanding of pleasure and reward. 

• Spread fear and panic. 

• Consume fear and panic. 

If you couldn’t guess, these two lists were a way to present the idea that your phone is neither good nor bad - it is a tool, and it is a POWERFUL one at that. 

What we carry with us is not “just a phone”, and in order for us to live a fulfilling and joyful life (and survive as a species) we need to develop a certain recognition and reverence for the power of these devices.

To begin this process, I think we need to start at the individual level and first develop FULL awareness of its impact on our own lives.

In the next post I’ll discuss some ways to begin building this awareness - namely, how to recognize when we are using our device versus when the device is using us. 

“If man makes himself a worm, he must not complain when he is trodden on.” - Kant