Imagine you had to live without your smartphone. Why would anyone do that? Well, there are a couple of reasons. The global rise of smartphones, bringing record sales to the IT industry, is becoming an ever-increasing burden on the planet – and on people. The supply chain of our indispensable companions is long: mobile phones are made of different metals, including rare earth elements, glass and plastic. Miners put their lives at risk to extract the precious metals used for smartphones. In addition, the production of electronic devices is extremely energy-intensive. And still, people tend to get a new smartphone almost as often as they change their socks. Less-than-smart is what you could call this business model that focuses exclusively on short-term profits and creates so many problems for humans and the environment.
And there’s another layer that led me to go smartphone-free for a while: questionable data protection policies and the addictive nature of certain smartphone apps, for example. My plan: no smartphone for two weeks. I am using an old-school mobile phone instead – without Internet access, without social media apps. Theoretically, I would have to walk around with a giant shopper for everything I had previously bundled in one device. Calendar, newspaper, camera, note pad, city map, proof of vaccination and so on. Before I turn off my smartphone, I quickly make a few bank transfers (only possible with my fingerprint) and notify the most important friends, family members and groups. The reactions vary from incomprehension to interest to encouragement. People think I’m a little crazy …