Decentralizing My Phone
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I've been on this track for quite some time now. At about the middle of 2024, I got this idea in my head to start trying to separate myself from my phone. I was at this point that I realized this damn thing was basically designed to have me stare at it for hours on end.
I had already deleted my social media presence at this point, so why not keep going and fully decentralize my phone? What do I mean by that?
The idea is to slowly replace the "apps" on my phone with single-purpose (not to be confused with single-use) items. For example, using a pocket notebook instead of the notes app.
First off, why decentralize? Few reasons:
- With phone decentralization, if my phone breaks my music,games,camera, etc. don't also break too.
- Removing myself from the algorithmic wormhole, and putting in the effort to curate what I want to consume/spend my time on.
- It's nice not having to feel like I need to be connected at all times.
Notes
I got the idea of using a pocket notebook from watching this video where a guy talked about using this $2 mini composition book as a pocket notebook. Where he catalogues his thoughts, little quotes, or whatever else. So, that's where I started. I bought this little green notebook and just carried it around with me. I've had this notebook for about a year now. I actually have a stain in one of my pants where the ink from the pen came out accidentally.
Music
A little bit before buying my mini notebook, I had bought an iPod. My goal for the year was to repair my relationship with music (I might write an article about that experience soon). I also wanted to rid myself of streaming services as much as possible. So, I started building out my CD collection around this time, and ripping them to my iPod, on top of also using a YouTube MP3 converter for the odd one-off songs or albums I didn't feel like buying.
So, that was the notes app and music app down. What's next? Camera!
Camera
I actually kinda fell in love with digicams, they're adorable, portable, and that take decent enough pictures. I have a 14 megapixel Kodak Easyshare C195 that I use and love, and it runs on AA batteries! No proprietary battery packs. I bought it and its cousin at a pawn shop for like $30 bucks for the 2 of them.
I did also get a Canon Powershot SD750, its lower resolution almost gives it a film grain effect that I like a lot. I also have a Canon DSLR that I take with me when I want to take some really high-quality pictures.
These don't take video, so I worked around this by getting a Sony handycam from a Pawn shop for about $70. This thing I adore, I used it to capture my daughter's first year, and man it feels so nostalgic to sit and watch. It has a setting to shoot in 4:3 or 16:9. I like the 4:3, it just feels right, and scratches that 90s-00s home video feel. My wife thought it was dorky at first, she's right, but when I put that video together she loved it.
The nice thing about the handycam is it also takes pictures, so if you didn't want to buy a digicam for pictures, then there you go!
Camera, notes, music, done. Games is next.
Games
This one was easy, I had a DS that I love to death, so this just gave me an excuse to use it more. I've been playing A LOT of Tetris because of it, it's so nice to just slip it into my pocket and pull it out when I want to kill some time.
I honestly didn't play games much on my phone, I find smartphone games to be kinda, meh? Like you can play GTA: Vice City on it which is neat, but I prefer the tactile nature of a controller over feeling like everything is behind glass.
That's kinda the bulk of what I use my phone for. I am planning on switching to a dumb-phone in the near future, but until then I'll just keep my regular android for when I want to call/text.
Downsides
I won't lie, this does come with some downsides. For example, with all this stuff you're carrying. This can sometimes feel like I'm playing an inventory management game with myself. Trying to put everything in pockets. You might opt for a fanny pack or even a backpack. I don't carry EVERYTHING on me at one given moment. I usually always have my phone, wallet, keys, iPod, and notebook. I don't take a lot of pictures, so the camera is kinda for when I KNOW I'm gonna be taking pictures.
So, either get some cargo pants, a fanny pack, a backpack if you're going to be carrying a lot of stuff.
The Positives
Due to not doom-scrolling all the time, I actually have more time to do other things. As of right now I've cleared about 7 books, totaling to about 2,500 pages. I have more time to read thanks to also using public transit on my commute to work.
Cost
Another plus is that my entire setup is a FRACTION of what a smartphone costs. Here's the breakdown:
- Pocket notebook - ~$2
- Camera - ~$30
- DS - ~$75
- DSLR - Free (since its a hand-me-down from my Mother-in-Law)
- iPod - ~$65
- Sony Handycam - ~$70
Total: $242
This may seem like a lot, but considering a new phone costs over $1,000 you're saving quite a chunk of change. In all honesty, you can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. I could have saved $30 and just did the handycam since it does video and photo.
Pawn shops are a great source for a lot of these things and it reduces the cost. Don't feel tempted to jump on any trendy device, I know the Canon Powershot SD1000 gets pushed a lot, but it might not be worth it to you to spend $100 on a digicam, you probably shouldn't anyway.
Other Positives
I feel like I engage more with the actual items rather than apps. I re-read my notes more, take more pictures, etc. The process is more fun too, the tactile nature of these devices.
You can also repair these devices yourself if they ever get damaged. Which can either be a pro or a con depending on how you look at it. I've replaced my screen on my iPod, upgraded the battery and the storage on it too. I've repaired the digicam when I dropped it one time.
In Conclusion
Overall, I've lived this lifestyle for about a year now, and I enjoy it. I still use my phone sometimes out of convenience (mostly getting video and photo of my daughter doing something cute or funny).
If you would like to start on this adventure yourself, start slow. Don't feel like you need to buy it all in one go, I spent a few months slowly acquiring the devices.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me and I'll do my best to get back to you :)