It's NOT that damn phone

It's not?!

I watch a lot of YouTube during the evenings. For me it's a way to unwind after a long day. Recently I'm starting to notice a trend where young people blame their smartphones as the main cause for being unproductive. In fact, many have started replacing their smartphones with dumbphones! It's the hip thing to do. Well I'm here to tell you that it's not your phone that is holding you back. Because you're not addicted to your phone but to social media.



Animd girl using her smartphone

It's a tool

Being addicted to social media blows. Although I don't know what it's like to be addicted to something like Instagram I can understand that having to do something compulsively is never a good thing. Blaming your smartphone for these addictions is the wrong move though if you'd ask me. A smartphone is just a tool. You choose whether or not to install Instagram or Tiktok on there.


I am currently writing this blog post on my Google Pixel 8 via Termux. I'll spare you the details on how that works exactly, but what I'm trying to say is that my smartphone is not an addiction to me. I'm using it as a tool. A very useful tool.



Anime girl scrolling on her phone

Be productive using your phone

There are so many useful ways you can use your phone instead of doom scrolling. Learn a new language via Anki, create videos for your new YouTube channel on CapCut, write a diary entry using Obsidian, track your calories on MyFitnessPal to lose weight and so much more. I think you understand where I'm going with this: there is so much you can do with a phone. And what are you using it for? Instagram?


Why aren't we also blaming PC's and laptops for making us unproductive then? They can access social media, so are they just as evil as smartphones? I barely hear anyone talking about that...

Conclusion

So if it wasn't clear yet, I think smartphones aren't the problem. In fact I think smartphones are pretty neat. The problem is a lack of willpower. Stop using social media if it's harmful to you. Stop using websites and apps that stop you from being productive. And stop blaming smartphones for your addiction.