I Ditched Social Media for a Flip Phone

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GEN Z WOMAN DITCHES SOCIAL MEDIA FOR A FLIP PHONE WITH VID AND PIX By Hannah Hodgetts This social media ‘addict’ decided to give up her phone and trade it in for a flip phone. Mycelia Amadou, 19, from Nevada City, California, US, documented her journey of giving up social media and navigating life with a flip phone. The content creator paid $80 for her Nokia 2780 and only had access to phone calls, texts and internet for just under a week.  She said: “Using a flip phone has actually taught me a lot.  “It showed me how much time I was wasting on my phone that I could have been doing so many other better things that make me feel more fulfilled and more happy, more alive.” Mycelia gave her iPhone to her mom to hide away and documented her detox on her iPad camera. She prided herself on embracing the challenge and enjoying quality time outdoors and with her friends, away from the screen. However she did share her struggles in social situations where her friends were on their phones and she had nothing to do - often opting to leave the flip phone at home.  As a Gen Z teenager, she explained how she regularly ‘doom scrolls’ on social media and wanted to break that habit. Mycelia explored hobbies she never found the time for, such as reading, cooking, makeup tutorials, hair appointments and sleepovers.  She explained that the only reason she was excited for the challenge to be over was due to the fear of missing out online.  She said: “I want to try using a flip phone because my attention span is absolutely cooked.  “It's forcing me to do a lot of the things that I want to do, but I just never get around. “There were so many moments when I went to grab my phone and it was not there.  “I'm very proud of myself for sticking through with this challenge though.  “After getting my phone back, I immediately kind of went back to social media and scrolled on it a lot. “I did also notice that I get more headaches now that I have my phone.  “I feel more drowsy, more fatigued.  “I have noticed so far that my attention span is so much longer. “Now that I have it back, I have been consciously trying to spend less time on it and it has been working. So I think my flip phone challenge was a success.” ENDS

Transcript

00:00How did I get the flip phone? How much is it and was it worth it? So I decided I want to try using

00:28a flip phone because my attention span is absolutely cooked. I feel like I- low-key kind of expensive.

00:33This one was like $80 and then I had to get the sim card so in total it was like $120 which I wasn't

00:38expecting. Is it worth it? We will find out. It's officially been one day of me only using a flip

00:42phone and so far it has been kind of hard. I'm not gonna lie. Like all my friends are on their phone

00:46and I don't have anything to do in that situation. Like I just have to sit there and stare at the

00:51trees. Look too. This phone is so dry. I thought my messages were dry. This makes it like 10 times

00:56drier if that's even possible. I gave my phone to my mom so I couldn't use it. I'm using my iPad.

01:00I didn't even take my flip phone with me when I went out because there was no point. Like it's so-

01:04it's so dry on there. I probably should have taken it in case something happened but I didn't even like

01:09reach for it. I didn't even think about it. I just left it. I think I'm adjusting a little bit. A

01:12little bit out of- Day two of only using a flip phone. So far it actually hasn't been that. I'm

01:16starting to really enjoy not having the phone because I'm doing so many more things. Like I can't

01:20just sit there and doom scroll and I'm someone who has to constantly be doing things so it's forcing

01:24me to do a lot of the things that I want to do but I just never get around. I'm not sure if it's

01:27gonna get better from here or harder but I guess we'll have to see. Day three of only using a flip

01:31phone. Today was hard. There were so many moments when I went to grab my phone and it was not there

01:36and just wanting to do things on my phone and this thing is very inconvenient to use. Like the way it's

01:40laid out it takes a long time to type. It takes- you can't do anything on it really. I've got a few

01:44more days to go. I know I can last. I am just excited to get my phone back. I'm not gonna lie to you guys.

01:48I'm very proud of myself for sticking through with this challenge though. I can confidently say

01:52I do not like this. Very hard to navigate. But I made it look cute so it's a little bit better but

01:56really it takes so long to press all these buttons and texting. I haven't texted like this one. What

02:00I have noticed so far is that my attention span is so much longer. It is so much longer. Even in this

02:06short period of time and I have been feeling bored. Like truly actually bored. I haven't felt that since

02:11I was like a child. Definitely had phone withdrawal. Like a lot. Like bad. Day five of only using- honestly

02:17I'm excited for it to be over but I'm also sad that it's gonna be over. Using a flip phone

02:21has actually taught me a lot. Surprised me how much time I was wasting on my phone that I could

02:25have been doing so many other better things that make me feel more fulfilled and more happy, more

02:30alive. And the only reason I'm really excited for it to be over is because phones are so normal. In

02:35today's day and age having a phone is almost like necessary if you don't want to get FOMO. That's what

02:40I was struggling with was FOMO. Everyone's on their phone. Everyone's looking at certain things and I

02:44just was staring at the ceiling to realize yeah this is the final day and I am really excited for it to be

02:49over but I'm also a little sad.

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