Smartphones are a fad By Edward Willis (http://encw.xyz) Published Jan/30/2023 No invention has changed our lives more substantially over the last 20 years than the smartphone. These devices have become our constant companions. Parting with them fills us with anxiety and dread. Large numbers of people say, in surveys, that they'd rather give up their pet, sex, hygiene, or even their spouse, than their smartphone. One in ten young people would supposedly rather lose a finger. And yet, smartphones aren't making people happy. Study after study shows that smartphones, and the social media applications that run on them, make us unhappy. And it stands to reason; anything that addicting and dysfunctional is bound to lead to unhappiness. Human beings have a great intellectual ability, and that allows us the creation of such marvels as smartphones. Unfortunately, we as of yet lack, on a broad based societal level, the wisdom to holistically analyze our technology and our own nature, for compatibility. What we do have is endless greed, and that greed exploits our intellectual ability, as well as human nature, regardless of the individual and societal consequences. Maybe it is then a case of uncharacteristic optimism for me to say that smartphones are a fad, but I think eventually, like with cigarettes, societal opinion will catch up to the damaging reality of these devices. In the meantime, why not get ahead of the curve, and get rid of yours? Did you just viscerally recoil from that thought like Bilbo being asked to part ways with the One Ring? If so, then maybe you've had that phone long enough.