Even among smartphone owners, there are people who prefer to use other methods to find and communicate information.
Americans who prefer to communicate and access information using methods that were before the Internet have become difficult to find.
Still, there are non-smartphone owners out there. Even among smartphone owners, there are people who prefer to use other methods rather than reaching for their internet devices.
“I have a flip phone, and I didn’t have an iPhone, and I didn’t feel I needed it,” said retired dentist, former San Francisco project. Commissioner Michael Antonini told the Epoch Times.
Antonini picks up the phone and says he wants to call someone if he needs to talk to them.
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“I don’t think I need a text message,” he said. “A voice message is fine, or a letter written and mailed to someone.”
Thomas Irwin, who lives near Eugene, Oregon, told the Epoch Times that he prefers not to spend emails, texts or time on the internet due to lack of security.
He said he prefers to communicate directly, and when we communicate using email and text, we are limiting ourselves.
“We communicate with our tone of voice, our eyes, our body language, our hands. Our voice inflows. There’s a lot to use for communication,” he said.
Irwin said by restricting the use of text messages and emails to let him know that he feels close to a godly reality.
Retired former San Francisco supervisor, California Senator, and Superior Court judge Quentin Kopp had a different view on why he didn’t spend emails, texts or time on the internet. He told the Epoch Times, “I was 96 years old, mostly because the world passed me, and I learned to use computers, even before I retired as a Superior Court judge around 2010. It’s not happening,” he said.
He likes to listen to someone and therefore prefers to pick up and make a call. Or sometimes he sends letters.
Antonini pointed out that it is beneficial in that your phone can call someone when it’s not at home, but you don’t need to resort to the phone to access the information you’re looking for.
“I probably have a library. I don’t know how many thousands of books are in my home. …I have a world history book, a book on our history,” he said. “There’s a lot to learn whether or not you learn in a traditional way.”
He said he can get the news by reading physical newspapers and sometimes watching them on TV.
“So you really don’t have to go and look for a computer to get the news,” he said.
Kopp also said he prefers to read the newspaper rather than to read from the screen.
He also works as advising records by another lawyer. Instead of using email, he receives the documents via email or fax machine.
“I think I got along just before my generation, without technology, without computers, without email.
“One of the things I think are very informative is that I get them almost every year. It’s the ‘world calendar’,” Antonini said. “So if you want to learn something about the country, statistics, or all of them, they’re probably on the calendar. I got a new one for 2025.”
He may take a little more effort to get the information he is looking for, but that can be done, and if you can’t find the information at home, the library is full of materials.
“That’s how we were doing it and there’s no reason why you can’t do it now,” he said.
Antonini said that phones are distracting and allow people to keep an eye on what they are doing, where they are going and what they are around.
“They don’t appreciate the fresh air and the sunlight and the buildings they’re looking at,” he said. “Many people don’t even know how to read address signs and don’t know where to go without a phone call. They’ve completely lost the ability to read the map.”
He believes that because he doesn’t use his brain and relies on cell phones, there are many benefits that people will overlook.
“For example, I was a retired dentist and I was hiring younger people towards the end of my career. Many people struggled to figure out how many days it was without a call,” Antonini said. I said that. “They didn’t know how to read the calendar. They couldn’t spell it very well. They had problems with simple additions and were generally mathematically estimating things.”
The website states that Google Effects are useful from a brain perspective that prioritizes what information should be remembered. Don’t have your phone.
Antonini said he traveled to Europe in 1972 with his wife and sister. On the trip, he bought his first Volkswagen car in 1972 and drove all across Europe for seven weeks.
“We were well, we had maps of different countries. We knew where the roads were. We were able to follow the map and direct the direction by the sun and landmarks.” said. “I had no problems getting a place. Now I’m panicking about how everyone can’t go anywhere without a phone.”
He said it was dangerous as many people drive their phones and watch them.
“So I prefer to take taxis to Uber because those people usually know where they are going and don’t rely on screen,” he said.
