IOT
GOING LIGHT There ’ s been a huge surge in recent years of people trying to make their smartphones less addictive while retaining their functionality , with solutions that range in severity from putting your phone in greyscale mode to throwing your iPhone in the sea and buying a Nokia “ dumb phone ” straight out of 1999 .
Hollier , who went to university to be an artist , founded his own skateboarding and design company , and has won awards for generally being quite excellent at art and design with an emphasis on technology , might be the answer to my prayers .
His company , Light , made quite a stir a few years ago when they launched the Light Phone - a minimalist handset that walks the line between feature phone , smartphone , and e-reader . It ’ s ( somewhat predictably ) gorgeously designed , but Hollier makes it very clear that this is more than a fashion accessory for tech bros on the cyberpunk equivalent of a juice cleanse ; it ’ s a direct response - and hopefully a remedy - to the harm he sees smartphones and social media having on our culture . Smartphone addiction is something he sees “ affecting a wide range of users , from older executive businessmen to high schoolers or younger and basically everyone in between .” He laments that “ The feeling of FOMO has made it harder for us to enjoy our present lives , especially when things are going well , as our smartphone is showing us other places or things we * could * be doing , instead of actually enjoying the moment as it happens .”
The problem is only getting worse in his eyes . “ Amongst children , the ability to empathise is dwindling and depression rates are rising ,” he adds . “ We ’ ve become so dependent on our phones for so many aspects of our lives , many users fear that they wouldn ’ t be able to get around a normal life without one .”
He ’ s also suspicious of digital wellness tools like minimalist UIs and screen time limiters - currently being pushed out by Android and Apple as their best college try at helping people stop being addicted to their technology . “ There are apps that try to promote “ digital wellness ” within the smartphone itself , but they run into the issue that the phone itself is just so powerful .” Hollier says . “ A user might delete social media applications from their smartphone to then find themselves unconsciously spending those same hours scrolling a different app , be it an internet browser or shopping .” Phones have , he contends , become a “ nervous
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