If you’re a smartphone user, have you ever considered switching back to a “dumb” phone? According to the Pew Research Center, 95 percent of Americans own a cellphone, and the share of those that own a smartphone is 77 percent. But new research shows that there are a growing number of people who have ditched the smartphone for flip phones or other phones not connected to the Internet.
While it’s unlikely that we’ll ever be back to the days of brick phones or landlines, experts say the reasons behind the dumb phone gaining popularity – security, financial, mental health – are worth discussing. This hour, we have a conversation about technology, boundaries, and how our devices impact our health (and you can stream it on your smartphone). In studio:
- Caitlin Whyte, reporter and host of Weekend Edition at WXXI
- Dr. Eric Caine, M.D., former chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester
- Mike Johansson, senior lecturer of communication at RIT, and social media consultant with Fixitology
- Mark Sample, professor of history at MCC, and self-identified “dumb” phone user
