Defibrillators, air conditioning, those little bug vacuums that let you look at grasshoppers under a magnifying glass without hurting them–technological advancements change the world. But not all of those changes are positive, and people are starting to worry about it.
Why do people hate smart devices?
They were fun for a while, but recent growth in smart technology has had too little actual innovation compared to the exploitation growing beside it. Here are some common complaints from consumers.
1. Privacy concerns
The first issue that comes to mind when you think of smart devices is privacy. You’d be hard-pressed to find a company that hasn’t been charged with sharing private images and other sensitive consumer information. Here are the big ones.
Tesla
Tesla employees have saved and circulated videos of naked owners in their garages (while the car was off), children being ran over by cars, and personal identifying information. Among other things.
Amazon
Not only can hackers access your Amazon cameras, but Amazon Ring itself has shared videos with law enforcement without user consent.
Ring employees and contractors have historically been given unfettered access to customers’ cameras and information. According to an Intercept source, “Ring employees at times showed each other videos they were annotating and described some of the things they had witnessed, including people kissing, firing guns, and stealing.”
Amazon already settled for $31 million for privacy violations with Ring and their Alexa voice assistant for illegally storing children’s data, including their location.
Apple has allowed people to listen in on others’ FaceTime calls, Meta sells any and every bit of information you give it, compromising images of users have been shared from basically every smart device with video abilities.
Users, particularly parents with smart devices in their homes and children’s rooms, are moderately sketched out.
2. Bombarding advertisements
Ads are fine to an extent, but companies consistently increase the frequency and length of those ads.
YouTube adding video ads a few years ago was annoying. Now they run video ads before, during, and after videos, even if the creator doesn’t monetize the video. They even run them if the creator specifically elects not to run mid-roll ads (personal experience).
Disney+ started running ads on their paid subscription service. Now you can pay even more to remove them.
This is another problem with constant growth models. Particularly with online platforms, after companies have collected as many users as are available, the only options to increase revenue are to put features behind paywalls or run more ads. They strategize to squeeze every possibly penny out of users, and customers are getting sick of it.
In the case of Disney+ and other streaming services offering less and less product for more and more money, the pirate sails rise again. 🏴☠️
3. Digital overwhelm
At a certain point, technology becomes too much. There’s too much noise and stimulation. People are cutting back. They’re deleting social media. They’re doing digital detoxes. And they’re changing their buying habits.
4. Performance issues
Planned obsolescence is when tech companies intentionally design their products to only last for a certain amount of time. They might do this with irreplaceable batteries, denying software updates, or using parts that will degrade quickly. Companies like Apple are particularly under fire for this practice, having even gone so far as using software updates to degrade the performance of old devices.
Beyond planned obsolescence, the longer a product is on market, the worse it gets. Cost-cutting continually wears on the quality of products, from tech to appliances to clothing. If you can’t charge more, produce for less (and still charge more).
5. The whole brainwashing aspect
The psychological strategies that keep users on devices are effective. Endless scroll, suggested content, and even the color of the app’s background are designed to keep you locked in, wasting your day away and growing ad revenue for the company.
Consumers are wising up to this and taking measures to avoid being controlled by their smart devices, like limiting screen usage and employing app timers.
6. Growing ethical concerns
And with new technology comes new ethical concerns, such as AI harvesting work from real writers. Not to mention exploitative labor practices and ecological impact.
For these reasons and more, many people are backing away from smart technology. New products don’t fly off the shelves the way they did a few years ago.
Technological Backlash
Technological backlash refers to a point in tech advancement where the consumer says, “No? Yuck. Take it back.” This can be over concerns of privacy, complexity, dependency, or negative impacts to their quality of life.
Another term is “technological saturation,” which is the point where the market is oversaturated with types of technology, which leads to consumer fatigue and rejection of further advancements. This effect worsens when new versions of the same tech are marketed to them every few months.
The iPhone popped off. A phone, a music player, a camera? All in one? An alarm clock, a baby monitor, a home security system, a fitness tracker, a fertility planner, a digital wallet? All in one?!
It’s so convenient and cool, especially for companies mining your data!
Late Capitalism Is Crushing Advancement
With the constant growth model most tech companies adhere to, it’s inevitable that things will suck more the longer they exist. Companies are incentivized to create cheaper products and price them higher. Into infinity.
While an initial release of a new product can be exciting, full of possibilities, and genuinely helpful to consumers, the umpteenth version of that device has been stripped of as many features as possible, basic functions are hidden behind paywalls, and planned obsolescence forces users to upgrade within two to three years of buying their $1,300˜ product.
Best Smart Device Alternatives
So people are rolling back to the Dark Ages, which is fantastic, I think. I love the idea of forcing companies to be better by just not buying their products. I also love the lowered consumerist mindset by buying more affordable, longer lasting, and used/refurbished versions of “dumb” devices. Here are some of the swaps people are pursuing.
1. Smart phone to flip phone
Cracking our technology addiction is tough. Sure gets a lot easier for people who swap to a flip phone. They’re more affordable, they’re sturdier, and they force you to be more present and engaged with the world around you.
2. Laptop to typewriter
One of the biggest struggles writers face today (besides the publishing industry) is avoiding distractions. And there are endless distractions on a computer, so typewriters are having a little comeback moment.
The typewriter doesn’t have to actually be a typewriter. There are lots of analog options for word processors, like the Freewrite or Neo2. Upcoming products will allow users to connect to a small display screen with their Bluetooth keyboards, creating a functional, portable, distraction-free writing experience.
I use a Neo2 AlphaSmart that I found refurbished for $40.
3. Analog watches
Smart watches can tell you to get up and move, you lazy POS, and they can track you, listen to you, and sell your data, just like every other smart device! Many consumers are making the switch back to analog watches. Tell us the time, and leave us alone, says the classic watcher. They’re also way sexier.
4. Appliances that can’t talk
We’ve put screens on too many things, in my opinion. I don’t need to be able to send an email from my freezer. I just want it to dispense ice and keep my things frozen (and maybe last for longer than four years).
5. Manual coffee makers
While it’s certainly convenient to program your coffee maker to start brewing as you’re waking up, many people have found they miss the benefits of making their own coffee. French press, pour over, and other methods of manually making coffee can help foster a slower morning routine, enable mindfulness, and help you chill tf out a little bit.
6. Stereos & MP3 players
A man I saw a few weeks ago riding his one-wheel skateboard while carrying a boombox the size of carry-on luggage will live in my heart forever.
We brought back record players in the 2010s, but we ignored the iPods and MP3s sitting at the bottom of our desk drawers with outstretched arms. But now they’re coming back!
7. Digital to physical media
Consumers are realizing the value of owning physical media, like CDs and DVDs. A big part of this realization is due to Apple randomly deleting libraries of digital movie purchases. A crash, a change in IP rights, or an acquisition are only a few of the things that can permanently wipe your purchased digital media.
So people are embracing the entertainment center movie collections again.
8. Traditional home security systems
We’ve already talked about hackers teaching your toddlers racial slurs through baby monitors and Tesla watching you walk around naked in your garage from your parked car. Stories like this pop up regularly, and homeowners aren’t McLovin’ it, so many are turning to non-smart home security systems.
Simplisafe Standard Systems don’t require smart features or Wi-Fi connectivity.
Honeywell Home Series offers a range of non-smart alarm systems which use wired connections and basic control panels.
And then there are proven organic ways to protect your home, based on interviews with convicted burglars:
A dog. Any sized dog has been shown to dissuade home invaders. Even a small dog will yap, drawing attention to their entry. Of course, this isn’t fool-proof, especially if you don’t have a trained guard dog. It can sometimes only take a sandwich to get through this barrier.
A bathroom light. Leaving an interior light on, like the bathroom light, can give intruders pause–is someone awake? Sounds easier to nab the next house.
Motion lights. Motion lights are more effective than continuous outdoor lights, because they are spooky and indicate camera recordings or an awake owner.
Nosy neighbors. A nosy neighbor is an invaluable home security asset. Be sure to introduce yourself.
9. Polaroid cameras
There are cute and trendy Polaroid cameras that print out your photo on the spot, and your mom has six digital cameras in her closet that no one’s used in twenty years.
The Zoomers have ushered in another era of Messy Aesthetic photos, cultivating a market for things like retro and grainy filters. If the first photo of your Instagram carousel is too in-focus or too posed? Cringe. Get your friend to swipe their blurry hand over your food pic for an Action Shot.
Anyway, the kids want Fuji.
10. Alarm clocks
Whether it’s creating a productive morning routine or sharpening their Feng Shui, people are leaning toward no-tech bedrooms. But if you need an alarm clock, you’re stuck with your phone. Unless!
PS, if you ever see this retired American Girl alarm clock for sale somewhere, please contact me. 🙏
A Note On Switching Devices
Don’t let the urge to return to the forest create another set of consumerist behaviors in you. Before you rush out to buy a trendy dumb device, pause. Check in with these questions first:
1. Do you need it?
Is the smart device you’re replacing actually worth replacing, or would it be better to sell it (or keep it until it breaks next year) and live without?
2. Do you already have it?
I tend to hang on to things for a long, long time, and I still have some old MP3 players in my memory box. Do you (or your parents or grandparents or local thrift store) already have a device that would work that you can use? I promise those will last longer than anything on the market today.
3. Can you buy an older version?
I briefly considered buying a Freewrite keyboard to have more productive and focused writing sessions, then I saw the price tag. It’s insane! That’s why I bought the Neo2 pictured above, and it’s been fabulous.
Buying an older version is often more affordable, it’ll last longer, and it will most likely work better from the jump.
The market is already responding to consumer fatigue of smart devices, so expect to see even more gimmicky, shoddy “dumb” products pushed for hundreds of dollars. Pry yourself from the consumerist habits we’ve been groomed into! Take a step back and really evaluate if your life would be genuinely enhanced with that device, or if you have a more practical solution.
Being more intentional with our device usage, controlling our buy impulse, and maintaining awareness of the ways that companies take advantage of us and steal our time and attention can limit the negative effects of data mining and corporate greed.
Drag yourself over to this 14-day digital detox challenge if you need help breaking that smart phone addiction.
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