When you first introduced your new iPhone into your life all those years ago, you were probably unaware of its darker motivations and long term plan to consume and dominate your life and destroy all competition.
The iPhone (like other so-called smartphones) is like a jealous bully and passionate attention seeker. No other object has ever had this much impact on us and how we live our lives.
The Ecosystem Of You
Your life is a delicate ecosystem of people and objects. Everything we introduce to our lives — people, foods, ideas, things and technologies — affects the other parts. Everything you own competes for attention. If you buy a new outfit, the existing ones get used less. We only have a limited amount of time, energy and capacity, so the more we have, the less other things get used.
The big question: what are the handful of people and things that bring us the greatest benefit, happiness, wellbeing and success? Focus on them — and remove what clutters or harms us.
With this in mind, let's return to the iPhone — that wonderful little device. Quite unlike any other object we've ever had (except maybe drugs), it has single-handedly demanded an enormous amount of our energy and time by destroying many other technologies.
The Strange Story Of The iPhone
As soon as it arrives, it swiftly begins executions.
First off, it shoots down the landline. Batatatat. Why would I need that ugly old thing?
Next, it executes its older brother, the iPod, and steals all its songs. Each of its victims is thrown in the dungeons of an old drawer somewhere, given away, sold, or left to rot in plain sight — cast out from the kingdom of your life, all the while enhancing the power of the smartphone. Like a dictator, hungry for more and more control.
It goes after your camera. Your video camera. The other phones — boom. "Only me, none other!"
Your alarm clock: "I am the first and last thing you should see each day!" Pens and paper: "All lists and notes must be in me." Calendars and maps: "Mine, mine, mine!" CD players. Books and magazines: "Fill me up instead!" Recipe books, phone books, instruction manuals. Timers, clocks and watches.
"Me, and me alone. I alone am your world."
It may seem convenient at first — until you realize this smart dictator has been attempting total control of your life. Because destroying your things was never the goal. The main thing it wants is YOU — your undivided attention, constantly.
Then It Comes After Your Time, Energy And Relationships
It demands you play with it, all the time. It demands more apps — highly addictive ones. It demands to know where you are, everywhere you go. It demands access to your camera and microphone. It demands you set up notifications, and if you refuse, it reminds you over and over.
It demands you look at it whenever it pings. It demands you respond to everyone right away — even if you're busy. It demands your fingerprint, your face, your bank account. Unlimited data. "Feed me, feed me." Subscriptions. High monthly fees. Updates. And as soon as you've paid it off — a whole new body upgrade.
It demands you look at it in bed, the last thing at night. It demands you sleep with it. It demands you look at it first thing in the morning. It demands you take it into the restroom. It demands you look at it and not at your family and friends — who are also looking at theirs.
It demands you ignore the life happening around you and create another life on it. It demands you engage in a popularity war of likes and clicks and views and shares. It demands that you shall never leave the house without it — or you are irrational, irresponsible and rude.
It gets you hopelessly addicted, to the point that even the idea of not having it seems absurd. Ridiculous. Preposterous. And frankly, impossible.
Never question why I am here and what I want. Never wonder about who is benefiting from this. Don't give any thought to wasting your life.
Take Another Look At Your Phone…
You were born without a phone and will die without one. Humans didn't have smartphones until recently.
Remember who is more powerful — you or your phone.
And if you're ready to reclaim your power — then consider de-cluttering your phone.
It's your life. Stay happy and do what you (truly) love.
Michael has spent much of his working life online—and much of the rest of it trying to stop that technology taking over. He has thrown a phone into a lake, locked devices in boxes and experimented with long periods offline. He writes about what helped, what failed and how to keep the useful parts of digital life.