What smartphones replaced

I saw [somebody on Micro.blog](https://social.lol/@sylvia/117021205897534188) post about the Neo-Luddites, and realized I am probably a part of that group, since I am barely on conventional social media, am abandoning my smartphone and am actively working on reducing my kid's reliance on big tech products before they even start using them. On my blog I tag this stuff as "lowtech", not "notech", because I am still using technology (and in fact trying to work around big social media websites and other major services has required I learn more tech if anything!).

My new interests this year are watches and analog photography. Unrelatedly, my husband and I have started watching Columbo before bed, because it's the perfect low stakes and quiet show to watch while my baby is going to sleep. Relatedly, watches and cameras are a big part of many episodes because those are two major things that smartphones replaced.

I didn't really think about it as I picked up these new hobbies, but they were definitely related to my desire to stop using my iPhone for everything, or ideally, for anything. But if you want to do that, those are the two things you miss first!

But what's next? If I don't carry my iPhone with me, what are the next endorsed-by-Lt.-Columbo items am I going to miss next?

(This is why everybody on /r/digitalminimalism is running around with an absolute maximum of gadgets.)

Music

I am developing tinnitus, so I haven't worn headphones outside of when it's necessary for work meetings in a long time. Problem solved: get too old.

Maps and a... compass?

I'm one of those horrible people who turns on their GPS to go absolutely anywhere, and the habit was solidified about ten years ago when I moved to a new city, perhaps the last new city for me, and started using it to get to all the new places (it wasn't reliable or available enough when I'd moved to previous places). I've broken the habit for going to my most common places already.

But what if I get truly lost! When I was young my parents had a heavy book of maps in the cars just in case, even though I never saw my father (a land surveyor) ever need to use any of them and I don’t really know how they worked. But they can’t be bad idea to have on hand, right?

Looking things up

This is the lack I really hate. I sideloaded a browser onto my new phone because I can’t fathom a word without being able to at least Wikipedia stuff, but since it’s slow and awkward I miss a lot obviously. Who was in that movie? How long will the shop be open?! It is agonizing.

This I’m just trying to learn to live with. I used to not know so much! I wasn’t happier then, no. I was always trying to get on the Internet more then, yes. But I can’t deny I survived the experience.

In conclusion

It’s going to be much easier to get away with murdering me now.