01 October 2023
I have switched off my phone for 2 days
I have done an experiment of switching off my phone on this long weekend, and see my instincts. I am a living organism who is bound by a technology and internet - cybernetic organism. The phone is part of me, as same as any other organ in my body.
History of phone in my life
Since my birth in 1991, I have used several phones at various periods of my life. We didn’t have a phone at home when I was a kid, so we had to go to our neighbor’s house to take a call. These hops were limited and only available in an emergency. If I were to guess, there was one phone for every ten homes. For the majority of the population, PCO/STD (Subscriber trunk dialling) was utilized only for important calls.
In 1992, my grandparents received the first telecommunications equipment. The soon to be ubiquitous landline arrived at our house. And, being myself, I recalled all of my relatives’ phone numbers, which were few in count. When I was tired of playing with my toys, I would quietly retire to a room with a landline and begin dialling calls to my family. What a time it was, we would rush to pick up the phones because the ringer was associated with a very important message that the person on the other end wanted us to know, and here I was cold calling (a notion unknown at the time) in the middle of the day, only to let them know that I was visiting my grandparents in Patiala.
We were still attending calls from my grandparents at our home owners’ house in Panchkula, where I used to live with my parents. So the concept was that we would only attend the call and keep it brief (incoming was free but we were invading on someone’s personal space) and make the calls from a nearby public phone.
Finally, in 1997, we received our box, a cherry red landline phone with the same number that stayed with us until 2022. I recall being thrilled when I found that my father’s name was featured in the yellow pages. This phone remained in the location where it was originally installed indefinitely, and everyone would gather around it to answer calls until another huge revolution of cordless phones arrived in our home in 2002.
During the 2005 mobile revolution, when Reliance gave out phones for 500 INR ($4), I persuaded my mum to buy one for herself. She’d take it to work and use it carefully, bearing in mind the costs of doing so. After she got home from work, I would play with the device, changing the ringtone (32 bit), wallpaper (32 bit), and calling the helpline number to ask inquiries about the phone (things I’ve been doing to satisfy my curiosity).
When I was in 10th grade, I received my first mobile phone, a Nokia 1100, which was another groundbreaking phone at the time. I swiftly exchanged that phone for a finer (colored) one that my father owned, yet another selfless deed on my father’s part. And once I received an 84% in my 10th grade exams, my mother bought me a better phone - a Nokia 5300 - and from then on, I was on a roll. I am grateful to my grandparents for buying my Nokia 5800 (first touch phone) and, later, my father for getting the ridiculously costly iPhone in my final year of college.
Recently, I have bought iPhone 14 after using iPhone XS for 3.5 years. Starting with my first iPhone, All these years I have stick to Apple phones and used each one of them for atleast 2.5 years.
Digital revolution
Thanks to the mobile phone revolution in India, I have been able to carry cutting-edge technology in my palm . Everything from banking and ordering food to booking travel and making purchases to staying in touch with friends and family is done via mobile devices in India. High-speed internet, which is accessible throughout 80% of the country, is another one of India’s many advantages.
The average number of phones in a home is now roughly equal to the number of people living there, with at least four phones present in most households.
As a software engineer, I build apps for smartphones and the web. It’s something I’ve been doing for the past nine years, and it’s something I really enjoy doing. As product leaders, We want to rewire the minds to use the apps for everything. In under 2 minutes, you can go from having an idea to researching it on Google and buying it. If you live in a tier-1 city in India, you may be able to acquire this item the very same day you order it. What I mean to convey is that if you have the financial means to do so, you may obtain anything and everything by simply tapping your phone screen.
My wife and I utilize ultra-fast delivery applications like BlinkIt frequently. The simple habit of googling something while watching a video on the latest tech gadgets on YouTube has led to more than a few impulse purchases. For a while, I relied on online shopping to get things that I could have gotten just as simply in a nearby store.
Even I have been guilty of mindless app ordering for quite some time.
I don’t think I’ve kept or used cash since India’s demonization in 2016, which was another major change. Since then, I’ve drastically shrunk my wallet, to the point that I no longer use one at all. Even something as simple as a 10/- payment at the corner store requires UPI, which is why I can’t live without it.
All of my important papers are kept in digital form. To make them available online, I store them in a secure location.
Due to my dependence on internet banking and my few bank visits, I am unaware of the procedures necessary to withdraw sums in excess of the ATM’s daily withdrawal limit. When it came time to close on my home loan, I remember trembling as I wrote out the cheque, unsure of how much it would translate to in words.
In India, you can leave your wallet at home, but not your mobile phone!
Prior to this experiment, I had never been in a situation where I was physically separated from my phone and unable to check it.
Day 1
On Saturday morning at 8:30 I turned off my phone and went about my day.
I wasn’t completely cut off from society, because my wife had her phone. I was still able to feel the constraints in my daily routine with merely my phone out of operation.
Mornings were still spent listening to music from my jukebox, reading Stoic philosophy on my Kindle, and writing journal on my laptop. It didn’t matter until that time because I’m usually not near my phone during that period of the day anyway.
I function around my todo list and reminders. I use todo list to setup time to tackle the thoughts in my mind, which can be as simple as booking a cab for office. I have categories of reminders on my phone -
- Manifesting - I start and end my day with simple affirmations.
- Health - I remind myself to drink water every 2 hours as I naturally do not get thirsty that often.
- Medicine - I remind myself of taking my vitamins on alternate days, and eye drops at regular intervals during the day.
I did take care of medicine but missed out on drinking water and manifesting during the day. Missed
My mum called on my wife’s phone to have brief everyday exchange. Missed
While I had stepped out with my wife in the afternoon, I realised that I am not having my Driving Licence, as I was not carrying my phone. Both of us spooked out but we carried on to the destination. Missed
We stopped for coffee on the way, and the menu was printed, which is becoming increasingly rare as more and more restaurants and bars switch to digital menus accessible via scanning a QR code. Saved
Also, On our way we filled fuel, where I was inquired for having the company’s app. Paying via app would earn points which I can later redeem to get free fuel. Though I was able to pay with my card but I did miss on the reward points. Neutral
Then, while driving, I realized I wasn’t familiar with the route to our destination, so I asked my wife to guide me there. I guess I am dependent on the phone for navigating to new areas, even if I had a phone with me I would have asked her to do the same. I used to always stop and ask strangers for directions, but now I rarely do. Missed
The destination is a crowed place, and my wife held on to me as she thought she will have to make an announcement to find me, just in case if I get lost, hilarious! Missed
The reason I came there was to send some photos to my aunt, and my wife took care of that. My credit card was once again accepted at the checkout. Neutral
After sitting for so long, I built up a craving for some Japanese food. Now things become interesting because my wife was out looking for restaurants in the neighborhood and she located one, but the region was unfamiliar to us so we had to use the navigation to get there. Missed
Although, I enjoyed my Ramen bowl and baked Dim Sums at the restaurant, but I Missed taking a photo of the beautiful Japanese themed interiors. In a reflex, I tried reaching out for my phone.
Back at home, I relaxed with an hour of reading before heading back out on my foot. My search for food at the neighborhood tuk shops was complicated by the realization that the vendors only accept payments via the phone-only UPI scanners they use. Big Miss
On one instance, While I was browsing around a clothing store, I reflexively reached for my phone to look up the best price online, but I didn’t have it on me. Neutral
Conclusion on day 1
Despite my best efforts, I can feel my reflexes tuning in to reach for my phone whenever an opportunity presents itself. A part of me is astonished by how much I rely on my phone for mundane tasks; I had no idea I was so dependent on it. When I couldn’t immediately locate my phone, my first reaction is usually that I had dropped it; I had to remind myself repeatedly that I haven’t actually lost it; rather, it’s just not in my possession right now.
Overall, I was a little more anxious and dependent on my phone for basic needs like navigating, making payments, finding places to eat, and talking to my parents.
Day 2
On Sunday morning, I sat at my laptop as usual, writing the Day 1 portion of this blog. At noon, I headed out to the gym, and it was then that I started to feel nervous. I made a point of leaving my phone at home.
Sometimes I forget to take my phone to the gym, but I always remember as soon as I get out and knock back on the door to grab it. The mental gymnastics involved in weighing the pros and cons of my voluntary versus involuntary actions paid out, and I returned, not to get the phone but to retrieve my wallet before heading off.
Even though I was able to sign in with my biometric scanner at the gym, I missed pumping myself up with my favorite tunes. Since I don’t usually work out to music, so it was kind of neutral.
On my way back home, I bought some meat and started cooking it to realise that I am out of Onions. I went to my aid(My wife), to help me order them via BlinkIt. hmm… I suppose I could have gone out, but seeing as we had other things delivered so quickly after placing our order, I think it would have easily taken me more than a few minutes. Missed
After lunch, we went out, and for the first time in recent memory, I was armed with my driver’s license. In general, I did not miss my phone because I was able to use my credit cards to make purchases but at one cafe, I was presented with QR menu but was quickly saved by the large print of the same on the wall. Neutral.
After getting home, I relaxed while watching YouTube on my TV and then went to sleep. Not having used my phone in 18 hours didn’t really bother me. Win
Conclusion
My second day without a phone went lot more smoothly and naturally than the first, maybe because I quickly realingned myself that If I turn off my phone, the world won’t end for me; I’m not that kind of person. So, from the outside, it made little difference; but, I learned something very important about myself.
Even though I was there in person, I had no way of communicating with the outside world.
Without a phone, I had to rethink how I went about making purchases and payments, which is a time-consuming and inefficient process that also lacked the convenience of being quick and safe.
Second, I found myself in a predicament requiring navigation, and maps are an absolute need in everyday life.
Third, I utilize my phone to do some online looking for new places to eat and hang out.
Fourth, I could have used Whatsapp on my laptop like I did with my email, but I didn’t since I consider it to be an equal attention drain to the others. I don’t use social media, but I do make phone calls and send texts to stay in touch with the people who matter to me.
Without much forethought, I dove myself into this experiment and learned that every situation had a workaround. Big Win since mobile devices rely on batteries, a finite resource, we must be prepared to carry on living if our 10000 mAh battery suddenly dies.
Maybe next time I conduct an experiment, I plan to leave the phone on but disable the internet connection. I wonder how far I can go with this.
✌🏽