I write in response to Steve Pfarrer’s article in the May 18-24 issue of Hampshire Life (“Why I don’t have a cellphone”).
I like the article but concluded that there are other reasons why I do not own a smart cellphone.
I do not own a smartphone because I choose to (1) not be encumbered carrying a 3-by-5-inch object 24/7 limiting my mobility and movement; (2) not accept the escalating high costs of the phone and data plans; (3) maintain my personal privacy by not letting the world know continually where I am and what I think, say and do; (4) not endanger my life and limb by the distraction caused by the perceived need to answer messages; (5) engage real friends in conversation face-to-face or by phone in a meaningful way; (6) not spend large amounts of time on the phone but rather be in direct interaction with the world around me — people, places, and nature; (7) not be subjected to hourly updates on “crisis” situations generally resolved overnight; (8) not to become addicted to the “connection” craze; (9) communicate to those I feel care about me and what I do, and not broadcast my every thought or action to the ether; (10) spend time focusing on doing rather than telling; and (11) not to be harassed, bullied, or fed information of questionable validity 24/7.
I am secure and satisfied in my own skin and life; I do not need to be “connected” on a minute-by-minute basis with “friends.” My real friends know where I am; they can and do contact me whenever they want.
Based on the average time a person spends on social media, I gain 4.7 hours a day of life in the real world rather than texting or tweeting in the make-believe world of cyberspace.
Over an average adult lifetime (ages 15 to 70) this amounts to 10.8 years enjoying life rather than telling others what I do, where I am and what I think.
A decade. To me, this is a major win.
David L. Adams
Hadley