Jan Wildeboer 😷Dec 28

You might not notice it in your peer group, when you are not their age, but my daughter showed me that many 20-30yr olds are switching to dumb phones, are cancelling their Facebook/tiktok/twitter accounts and are discovering libraries and printed books. As a conscious decision. Not all of them, but quite a lot and it's growing.

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Show threadJan Wildeboer 😷Dec 28

They are not anti-technology. They have gaming PCs and quite some of them are picking up software development, 3D printing etc. But they have recognised how mobile devices are sucking up their time, energy and attention span. They also have lost trust in social media and are aware that every move is being analysed. In a world that needs us all to move around with open eyes and ears because we have real world problems to solve. I am learning from them, not the other way round. Good!

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Show threadJan Wildeboer 😷Dec 28

It's not a coordinated movement. It's leaderless (for now, and I hope it stays that way) and very diverse. More a set of shared principles and desires that is continuously evolving in many directions. Mistakes are made. Discussed. Typically in person (and sober, alcohol consumption is not "cool" anymore ;) Oh, and saying "I asked ChatGPT" will not go over well :)

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Show threadErik HaugaardDec 29
@jwildeboer Your post got me checking the apps on my phone. I could probably do without most of them, doing the stuff they help with from a PC (banking, purchases, news, entertainment). But transport would be a problem. Bus and train tickets, as well as charging my car, would often be much more troublesome, sometimes impossible, without apps on my mobile device. Navigation is also very helpful and often used. Is it only the SoMe and media apps («content») they are ditching?
Show threadSimon Hewison
@Erik_Haugaard @jwildeboer most of Europe has at least contactless payments or rfid roaming for public EV charging, Norway might be an outlier there if the charging networks can still insist on proprietary mobile phone apps.
Dec 29 at 10:21amWeb
Show threadErik HaugaardDec 29
@zymurgic @jwildeboer Public charging stations in Norway are required by law to accept contactless/card payment. My personal problem is our private, communal station at our cottage - which is app only. But more pressingly are bus and train tickets. Alternatives to app exist, but are far more cumbersome. Also the gym is app only, I just realized.
Show threadJan Wildeboer 😷Dec 29
@Erik_Haugaard It's not a binary thing. Preferring a dumb phone as daily driver and and avoiding things that insist on smartphone apps go a long way. But also: having a "backup" smartphone in your bag but only using it when absolutely not avoidable is perfectly fine too. @zymurgic
Show threadJeferson 'Shin'Dec 29
@jwildeboer @Erik_Haugaard @zymurgic additionally you can modify your phone to behave like a dumb, and when needed space from the dumb space into the regular smart for a quick use.
Show threadPipDec 29

@jwildeboer @Erik_Haugaard @zymurgic

I agree that it's important for us to push back against things that require smartphone apps, especially for physical services. But it's pretty difficult to do in practice.

- Don't like Ticketmaster? You could refuse to see any live performances but ones at small clubs, university theater programs, etc. It feels doable for some.

- Don't like that U-Haul makes you use your phone to get a moving truck? Unless you have a friend with a truck, I'm not sure there are many good alternatives.

- Don't like the video doorbell needed to get into the building where you're renting an apt or own a condo? Opting out there could require living somewhere actively worse for you. But in the meantime we need more tenants unions to push for these things.

Show threadFelixDec 29
@zymurgic @Erik_Haugaard @jwildeboer
It's much the same in Sweden.
You can buy physical period tickets for say a month at the time for public transport in Gothenburg. But I really don't know if you could buy a one way ticket for cash (or with a bank card); I certainly wouldn't count on it.
Besides, many smaller businesses here do not accept cash at all any longer, and some only accept payment by phone!
Swedish urban life really presupposes that people come with a smartphone.