Can Using a Dumber Phone Cure 'Brain Rot'? (seattletimes.com) 87
Brain rot — the inability to think deeply after too much scrolling on a phone — afflicts "plenty of people," writes the New York Times' lead consumer technology writer. [Alternate URL here.] He's suffering from it too — "These days, it's tough to even finish a book."
But is the answer just avoiding distractions with a stripped-down $600 phone "that barely does anything"? For a week he tested the Light Phone III... The newest version, which began shipping in March and is set for a broader release in July, can place calls, send texts, take photos, show map directions, play music and podcasts and not do much else. There is no web browser. There is also no app store, meaning there's no Uber to hail a ride, no Slack and no social media. There isn't even email... There were moments I enjoyed it. While waiting for a train, resting at the gym or eating alone, I was not tempted to stare at the phone screen, and I felt more mindful of my surroundings. Phone calls sounded nice and clear. The maps app did a fine job navigating me around town.
It reminded me of simpler times when we used phones primarily to converse before putting them away to focus on other tasks. But over the week, the downsides of a dumber phone chipped away at my enjoyment, and overall I felt more stressed and less capable. I suddenly found myself unable to get into a train station, look up the name of a new restaurant or control my garage door. Some of that has less to do with the Light Phone itself, which is a so-so product, and more to do with how society as a whole has become dependent on advanced smartphone features.
For example, his old smartphone supported virtual phone-based passes for mass transit and speedy access to his gym. (And his friends made phone of the Light Phone's photos.) But at least never felt tempted to check his email when out to dinner.
"While I admire the goal of the Light Phone, my experience demonstrates there's nothing we can realistically do or buy to bring us back to simpler times. So many aspects of our lives, including getting around town, working, paying for things and controlling home appliances, revolve around our highly capable smartphones.
"This Light Phone experiment reminded me of glamping: paying a lot to have an artificially crummier experience."
But is the answer just avoiding distractions with a stripped-down $600 phone "that barely does anything"? For a week he tested the Light Phone III... The newest version, which began shipping in March and is set for a broader release in July, can place calls, send texts, take photos, show map directions, play music and podcasts and not do much else. There is no web browser. There is also no app store, meaning there's no Uber to hail a ride, no Slack and no social media. There isn't even email... There were moments I enjoyed it. While waiting for a train, resting at the gym or eating alone, I was not tempted to stare at the phone screen, and I felt more mindful of my surroundings. Phone calls sounded nice and clear. The maps app did a fine job navigating me around town.
It reminded me of simpler times when we used phones primarily to converse before putting them away to focus on other tasks. But over the week, the downsides of a dumber phone chipped away at my enjoyment, and overall I felt more stressed and less capable. I suddenly found myself unable to get into a train station, look up the name of a new restaurant or control my garage door. Some of that has less to do with the Light Phone itself, which is a so-so product, and more to do with how society as a whole has become dependent on advanced smartphone features.
For example, his old smartphone supported virtual phone-based passes for mass transit and speedy access to his gym. (And his friends made phone of the Light Phone's photos.) But at least never felt tempted to check his email when out to dinner.
"While I admire the goal of the Light Phone, my experience demonstrates there's nothing we can realistically do or buy to bring us back to simpler times. So many aspects of our lives, including getting around town, working, paying for things and controlling home appliances, revolve around our highly capable smartphones.
"This Light Phone experiment reminded me of glamping: paying a lot to have an artificially crummier experience."
Still saving up for a house. (Score:4, Insightful)
That thing is expensive. Particularly with our dollar just crashed, that's a grand in $AU.
Get an HMD KaiOS feature phone for a fifth of the price.
Re:Still saving up for a house. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: Still saving up for a house. (Score:2)
Re: Still saving up for a house. (Score:3)
I would argue t9 is faster than any screen based input
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I would argue t9 is faster than any screen based input
T9 *can* be faster, but the devil is in the details. My Nokia 2720 is really laggy, clunky with capitals and punctuation, and the keypad itself is prone to both double-presses and missed presses.
Nokia pioneered this stuff over a quarter century ago. I had really high hopes for this phone but the text input is one of the bigger let-downs. I find it easier to keep T9 turned off and just bang it all in manually. Back in the day you could hit # to get a capital letter, e.g for a proper noun. Now the # key cycle
Re: Still saving up for a house. (Score:4, Funny)
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Re: Still saving up for a house. (Score:2)
My first few Android smartphones had 5 row physical keyboards. Virtual keyboards are a huge regression.
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> The phone in the article has a touch screen, so typing texts and emails is far easier.
There are no emails on the phone in the article.
Typing txts on a dum phne isnt hard whn u use txt spk 2 whch u cn c im rusty
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I've considered one of those cheap dumb phones, but I need a calendar app. The Light Phone seems to have a calendar app, which is interesting.
My wife has one of those things, the programmable leds on the back have some interesting applications.
Re: Still saving up for a house. (Score:5, Insightful)
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I see this kind of intentional ignorance/naivety in many of these types of articles. Usually its "Can I use a 1990's or 1980's computer in 2025" "Can Win 3.1 be useful in 2025" and it usually involves them diving in with zero preparation or understanding of the actual problems then need to resolve in their "2025 lifestyle" and how the computer/OS should be investigated as to how it can provide solutions for some of those, then to review the effectiveness of those solutions (such as removing distractions as
Re:Still saving up for a house. (Score:5, Insightful)
Clearly this person is suffering from "brain rot" if they think $600 is a reasonable price to pay for a dumb phone.
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Yeah, I have a dumb-phone with a *real* keypad and multi-tap SMS entry that cost me $29. It does *everything* I need it to do because I only do voice/SMS -- for everything else I have a computer within easy reach.
How do I pay for my parking?
Easy... I live in a small town without parking meters or other such fees.
My phone is also pre-paid and I top it up with $20 worth of credit every six months or so.
Cheap, cheerful and very cost-effective.
I see no need to spend US$600 on something that does what I'm alre
Life is what you make of it (Score:5, Insightful)
There is nobody and nothing going to save you from putting in hard work and learning restraint if you want to have a good life.
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While true, I've found that my kids seem to be less slavish to their phones once I removed social media apps and games. They can still call/txt and use a web browser.
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This. Remove social media, games, etc ... basically anything that is designed to keep you "engaged".
IME social media apps employ doom scrolling and most seem to favor showing you things that make people upset. Many games seem to keep your endorphins trickling with easy achievements mixed with an overarching goal of a bigger achievement and a bigger endorphin "reward".
Some may say what's the fun in having a phone without those things. To each their own.
Re: Life is what you make of it (Score:3)
This. If you've ever wondered why Facebook displays each article with its most idiotic and inflammatory comment already visible below it... that's intentional (they call it "maximizing engagement"). It's a giant game of "let's you and him fight".
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So, you think they are to stupid to use facebook or tiktok with a web browser?
Big question? Are they to stupid?
Or are you to stupid?
Asking for a friend ...
You kids ... (Score:2)
In my day we had to shitpost on Usenet with a text based interface. And we turned out just fine.
Re: You kids ... (Score:2)
In my day, we had to transport tapes of usenet content between servers, because modems were too slow.
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That was actually a question in one of my examinations at my university.
"At what amount of data is it cheaper to buy a hard disk, store it on it, and travel in person to the other side of the country and deploy the data, instead of transferring it via modem?"
Considering the slow modems and the hard drive or tape prices and the price for the phone connection: the amount of data was rather low.
Typing that on a close to one GB per second line ... yes, Giga Bytes, not Giga Bits.
Re:Life is what you make of it (Score:5, Insightful)
About the same as saying "Why are you depressed? Just think positively!"
Addiction to social media is called an addiction because it affects the brain's chemistry and, to make matters worse, it has a social component where if you don't participate, you will ostracize yourself from your social peers who do.
Us adults can resist the siren call relatively well because we remember a world without it. For today's children, it IS their world.
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People can't easily just walk away from habitual - or addictive - phone use. Do
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Maybe but that actually does work. Of course it's not easy but how do you think religion leads to less depression? Because you have more hope. Because, in effect, you are thinking positively.
The people on the internet are not real. And I include WhatsApp in that as well. People behave differently when detached through a couple of screens.
You make an assumption that I don't think you should be making: That everyone, including your social peers, are only on social media and are unwilling to engage with you in
That was a phone story to read (Score:2)
$800? For what? (Score:2)
I mean, really. I still use a flip phone - sort of. Mind you, flip phones that are 4-compatible come with some of that named junk. It has an app store, though using KaiOS. Not having an ASCII keyboard nor a touchscreen (and having a tiny screen to begin with) the apps are limited. Yes, it claims to have a web browser, though I really haven't been tempted to see how compatible it is. It does offer a media player, it even has a few games of sorts. Never looked for social media. Mind you, maps doesn't sound us
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Your UID belies it, but your comment makes it seem like you are young. Flip phones were huge in Japan - and much more popular there than in the US - long before smartphones were a thing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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But as I said, flip phones never really caught on where I live (Germany). They were a novelty at best.
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I should note you weren't wrong about the US; it's just that, back in those days, I always read about the "cool" flip phone features hitting Japan long before we saw them in the US (if we ever did see them).
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Same here. Flip phones had a moment of fame here in the UK with phones like the Razr getting a bit of a following but they never really took off.
Not surprising really as they had an annoying hinge in the middle of them and when flipped open they were simply huge, with the fashion back then being for smaller phones they never really gained traction.
The sliding phones did, like the N95.
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Short answer: YES (Score:5, Interesting)
Long answer: Hell Yes
Doesn't even have to be a dumb phone. I just keep no contacts in my smartphone, as it forces me to dial phone numbers which means that I remember them.
Also to write things down. Not that paper is inherently superior, just that the act of writing is proven to cause the brain to retain data that simply looking at does not.
Humans still have the ability to recall data, we just have to use that ability regularly.
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Personally I use one.one.one.one as my DNS entry. And yes that's a valid DNS entry ... for a DNS server. ;-)
Re:Short answer: No (Score:3)
For the simple reason... "brain rot" does not exist.
This kind of article has been around for years, before phones it was the Internet, or TV or Comics or that upstart Mozart (yes, he was hated by the oldies of his day). The idea that whatever ills have been created by $newThing can be automagically resolved by forcing everyone to go back to before $newThing was invented. I
Re: Short answer: No (Score:2)
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I'm all for... (Score:1)
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And junk people should be eating junk food?
There is no way for everyone to know enough about all the stuff to know what it does to them.
A phone is a necessary tool in today's society, and became a status/wealth symbol, same as cars.
Any evidence most people EVER think? (Score:4, Interesting)
On the whole the evidence is against it...
' "Thinking doesn't pay. Just makes you discontented with what you see around you."
Robert A. Heinlein
$0 NO MORE DISTRACTIONS (Score:5, Insightful)
PUT THE PHONE DOWN and for $0 NO MORE DISTRACTIONS. Can't put it down? Get help.
Brain rot is not a thing. It's not ADHD either. It's allowing constant disruptive stimulus.
It's like going to a WWE match and expecting to type your Ph.D. thesis on your smartphone while watching the "wrestlers" do their thing.
It's just not an environment conducive to creation. This is also why library patrons shush those who play videos (ugh!) or have phone calls (ugh!)
and don't respect the quiet environment that is conducive to learning.
A $600 dumbphone is a joke. You can gett a "Jitterbug" (AARP approved for old people and idiots) for under $100. You can get a full smartphone for under $200 (I use a Jelly Star and a OnePlus). If you're going to spend over half a grand it better be a mid to high range smartphone or don't buy it. If your goal (as stated in the original post) is to avoid distractions you don't need to SPEND THIS MUCH MONEY. JUST PUT THE PHONE DOWN.
Radio used to "rot your brain". Then it used to be "TV rots your brain." Then video games. Then the Internet. Now the technical means to access those.
NOTHING ROTS YOUR BRAIN. Not radio, not TV, not video games, not the Internet, and not smartphones.
Man up and put it down and quit whining. Oh yeah, Slashdot on a weekend.
Re: $0 NO MORE DISTRACTIONS (Score:2)
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Right on @gavron!
The real cure is to just build awareness of the situation and muster the will power to put the phone down. We need to be weening ourselves off from the need to constantly be looking at our phones!
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> It's allowing constant disruptive stimulus.
Yes, thats it. The brain rot thing is actually the name given to the cost involved in multitasking.
The human brain doesnt multitask well, it has a very high cost. No, women cant do it either, they are slightly better but thats about it. They still have that cost. Multitasking thus can be done but doing so all the time "rots" your ability to focus. Thats what it is; getting used to constantly switching between separate unrelated tasks.
You think they are re
Something seems off here (Score:2)
$600 for a phone that "hardly does anything"? You can readily buy a refurbished smartphone for that much.
A real "dumb" phone that hardly does anything should be well under $100.
Do what my spouse did (Score:2)
When you upgrade, keep using your old smartphone -- with its WhatApp, Insta and all other social media. Keep the old phone at home. It's a media phone.
Just move your SIM to the new phone. Perhaps add a music app to listen to music while exercising - but that's it! When you go out, only take your NEW phone with you: take photos, write notes, make calls and write brief SMS messages. But predominantly use the new phone to be a content producer - not a content consumer.
Use a common cloud backup account to sync
Brain rot? (Score:2)
How are they measuring this "brain rot?"
Making phone (Score:2)
(And his friends made phone of the Light Phone's photos.)
Can I "make phone" of their "Freudian slip" obsession with phones?
You might as well give up. (Score:2)
Fix a problem by spending more money. (Score:2)
Just switch it to airplane mode. (Score:2)
There's also the "Detox" exercise of leaving your phone at home. and only taking it with you when it's absolutely necessary for example to work if you have to use a third factor authentication application to get into your computer)
Just switch on "airplane mode". No incoming calls, message notifications, or app push crud. (If you've got any apps, other than alarm/calendar notices for your schedule reminders which YOU set up, that poke brain-derailng messages at you, disable (or delete) them.)
Then get into
$6 (Score:2)
>"But is the answer just avoiding distractions with a stripped-down $600 phone "that barely does anything"?"
What are they even talking about? My $450 A52 Samsung does "everything" anyone would want for years. It runs any app, has an in-screen fingerprint sensor, a nice camera, NFC, WiFi, SD slot, bluetooth, OLED screen, is fast, etc. Maybe they mean a $200 phone?? What snobbery!
In any case, the phone does what you allow/want it to do. If you don't want to "rot your brain", then don't install any soc
W T F (Score:1)
What kind of crack addled moron thinks a $600 phone is a stripped down phone? That's at least a factor of 10 more than a phone should cost in the first place - smart or otherwise. Jesus Christ kids these days.
You don't need to spend a dime to not answer your phone. You don't need to spend a dime to not doom scroll whatever social site you stupidly got yourself addicted to. You don't need to spend a dime to NOT use technology.
Accept (or don't) that I'm dealing with some saltiness this morning, but you get th
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I figured his choice of phone was further proof of his brain rot.
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This ^ is brain rot.
Manifesto destiny (Score:3)
more to do with how society as a whole has become dependent on advanced smartphone features
Funny, that's exactly what Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski railed against in his manifesto, which I read upon his death. He said we lose our freedom of choice when that tech takes over because eventually one isn't allowed to NOT have it and/or be adversely affected by it.
Wear a cell watch (Score:2)
Might Help Privacy a Bit (Score:2)
A $600 phone barely does anything? (Score:2)
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A $79 flip phone makes calls texts just fine. It even has a camera and an FM receiver.
Another thing, why do people need a map to get around in your home town? Is their sense of direction that bad?
Paying $600 for this, your brain is gone (Score:2)
Technology is not to blame (Score:1)
I know that I disagree with Spengler, Kaczinski, Oswald, and so on about this but our problem is civilization decay not smartphones. People are addicted to their smartphones as a way of avoiding outside reality, in the same way we order from Amazon and DoorDash to avoid going out into an increasingly ugly and pointless world.
We are on the tail end of a thousand-year trend of middle class rule which has culminated in the disasters of bureaucracy, over-regulation, high taxation, socialist entitlements, dysfun
I partially blame culture (Score:2)
You think we have over-regulation and high taxation? That's an interesting take on things. I think taxes and regulation could be so much worse and more intrusive than they are right now. The ideal measure of where to draw the line is where general prosperity is maximized and suffering is minimized. Easy to say, tough to do in practice, and there is more than one valid answer.
Self-discipline is relatively easy to obtain. It's integral to a culture with a good work ethic. One that prioritized teamwork over in
Flip phones start at about $20 (Score:2)
So you need navigation? Garmin dedicated navigation devices start at $100.
Why would you pay $600 for essentially a dumb phone?
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Russians [globaldefensecorp.com] have bought up all the inventory for use in Ukraine.
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There are plenty of flip phones still for sale at places like walmart.com. https://www.walmart.com/search... [walmart.com]
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A paper map is a few bucks....
Seriously though, as someone who has delivered pizzas and, later, UPS packages before the age of GPS, I strongly feel the brain rot that has overtaken me when it comes to the ease of GPS. It's like I no longer have a sense of direction.
In recent years, I have taken to purposely not using GPS whenever possible just so that I can use my brain more.
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This phenomenon probably affects some people more than others. I use GPS a lot, but I can still get around just fine in familiar places without one.
My great uncle taught me a trick (Score:2)
Keep a pencil and small pad of paper in your pocket. That lets you do the majority of important things that a smartphone offers. And gives your brain a little bit of exercise, while acting as a fairly reliable memory storage device.
Cause of Brain Rot (Score:2)
Brain rot was already occurring without smartphones, and it's known as anti-intellectualism. Mock those smarter than oneself for being nerds, bully them, assault them, and let idiocracy run amok.
The only difference now is that it's commercialized by hyper-stimulating algorithmic social media, and getting rid of any human review or consequences. In fact, the record to speedrun to fascism is held by a Youtuber [theonion.com] who simply follow
ye (Score:1)
$600 CHEAP???? (Score:1)
try the 10000mah rugged phones from aliexpress. 6GB ram, 128GB storage, 6.8" screen, thickness and endurance of a classic nokia
https://vi.aliexpress.com/item... [aliexpress.com]
combined with a silicon case and quality screen protector for another $10 and you have a solid phone for like $120USD
stop simping for local retail, stop buying overpriced crap.
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Stupid (Score:2)
Oh not another one of these (Score:2)
These articles really annoy me. Usually its "Can I use a 1990's or 1980's computer in 2025" "Can Win 3.1 be useful in 2025" and it usually involves them diving in with zero preparation or understanding of the actual problems then need to resolve in their "2025 lifestyle" and how the computer/OS should be investigated as to how it can provide solutions for some of those, then to review the effectiveness of those solutions (such as removing distractions as you have zero ability to access the internet without
ORLY (Score:1)
Brain? (Score:2)
I have no brain to rot. I am a zombie. :P