I’m not lying. I don’t have a smartphone. I know, it’s completely and utterly absurd. We live in a society with growing technology and most would assume that I have a smartphone. I mean…doesn’t everybody? Well I’m hear to tell you no, they don’t. I don’t. I figured it would be worthwhile to create a few lists relating to the non-smartphone user. I’ve tagged this article under “family” and “minimalism” because I truly believe it relates to both of these parts of my life.

Yep. That's my phone.

Yep. That’s my phone.

Here are a few (I use that term loosely) reasons as to why I don’t have a smartphone:

1. I believe phones are for calling and texting. My phone does just that.

2. I don’t want any more hours on the internet, especially facebook, than I already am.

3. I want to be invested in what I’m doing when I’m out and about.

4. I don’t want to pay a ridiculous price for a phone and then even more for a data plan. Call me a tightwaud, that’s fine…won’t be the first time.

What I’m missing out with by having a smartphone:

  1. An easy, compact, decent camera. I LOVE taking pictures so every once in awhile I get a twinge of jealousy about people snapping a picture with their already whipped out phone and the quality is decent. I will say though I hear horror stories about how some people lose all their pictures and my jealousy goes away…yes I know they should have backed it up or it should be “on the cloud”, I know, I know…but should and is are two very different things.
  2. That’s it. Just that one thing.

Assumptions you smartphone users shouldn’t make about “us”…

  1. That we have access to facebook/the internet 24/7. Often times I’m out for the day with my boys and someone will send me a facebook message wanting an immediate response. Go old school, folks, send me a text…because I got your facebook message about 5 hours too late.
  2. That we can see your emoticons. It’s true. I can’t get emoticons. When you send me a smiley face, or frowny face, or an airplane (cough, cough…you know who you are) I get…wait for it…a rectangle. Yep. A rectangle. Or two rectangles…and when you’re really excited about that emoticon. I get three.  Three freaking rectangles. Then you leave me with this awkward moment of do I tell you about the rectangle dilemma or let it go. Please don’t do that to me anymore.

    Oh how I despise you sweet rectangles.

    Oh how I despise you sweet rectangles.

That’s it folks. Oh wait. No it isn’t. I have one more thing to say. Please, please do not call my phone a “flip phone.” It’s a slider phone.