Ditch your smartphone for a flip phone for a month? This group wants Seattleites to give it a try
Seattle helped create the modern era of smartphones. Now, about 40 people at the heart of the world’s largest technology hub are voluntarily putting their own.
Seattle’s first Offline Month group is challenging participants to swap their smartphones for flip phones — or other “dumb phones” — for 35 days, meeting weekly for what organizers describe as part happy hour, part support group.
What began as a niche experiment in Washington, DC and Brooklyn found an enthusiastic audience in Seattle, where organizers expected 10 to 20 participants but already attracted the largest group outside those two cities.
Weekly programs are scheduled during the month-long detox from July 28 to September 1, with Tuesday evening activities such as bocce ball, bowling and mini golf scheduled to connect people in real time. There are also themed programs during the week, beginning the first week with goal-setting and goal-setting, followed by topics such as “communication and relationships,” and “attention and boredom.” You can register here.
In a region like Seattle that is home to Microsoft, Amazon, T-Mobile and a booming AI industry, this idea may sound almost heretical. But organizers say the goal isn’t to reject technology — it’s to rethink how much of our lives should revolve around our smartphones.
James Wagar, a former investment banker and self-described tech geek who has carried a smartphone with him for years, met with therapist and coach Maggie Hollinbeck, a self-described skeptic, to start the Seattle team. Together, they lead gatherings, serving as guides for those who are ready to take a break from their ever-connected lifestyles.
“We (finally) seem to be at the beginning of a cultural period where more people are analyzing their relationship with technology,” Wagar told GeekWire. “Those who use flip phones and smart devices may be canaries in the coal mine. While I’m still a techno-optimist, the attention economy is not sustainable.”
Hollinbeck said he remembers when smartphones felt simple — a way to replace many devices with one. But over time, he felt that the same “rectangle of glass” became difficult to place, which prompted him to rethink his relationship with technology. He has already deleted his Facebook and Instagram accounts, and was ready for the next step.
“I’m here to reclaim my time and my attention, and I’m doing it this way because I’ve found that it’s actually very difficult to get myself out of this pocket-sized mental breakdown,” Hollinbeck said. “It would take a village, so we built one.”
The concept was spreading nationally through the Offline Month movement, but Seattle’s response surprised organizers. Most of the participants did not find the team through social media, but through flyers, word of mouth, and conversations in neighborhood bars during the FIFA World Cup.
Club members can use their own flip phone or purchase one for a discounted price of $10, with a commitment to sign up for four months of wireless service at dumb.co. That’s a total commitment of $42.
Denver, Austin, Los Angeles and Philadelphia are also jumping on the “Offline Month” bandwagon – best described as dry January for tech professionals. The organization says it is united by a common goal – “our dedication to freeing attention.”
Wagar and Hollinbeck also encouraged a GeekWire reporter to join the organization.
So far, there are no takers.
Note: I actually tried a digital detox for one day back in 2013. I’m not sure I’m ready for 35 days, 13 years later.
