Why do I use Keypad Phone? - Rohan Mudvari

 

Living with a Keypad phone in 2022 is not a compulsion but a choice. However, the story of me using a keypad phone is purely consequential. I lost my smartphone while travelling by bus. It was actually a theft as no trace of my mobile phone was to be found ever again. As I had no money at the time and a mobile phone being an indispensable part of everyday life, I instead opted for a keypad phone.

When every other person is opting for new smartphones with new embedded technology and new features, using a keypad phone gives a sense of nostalgia to me. Being born in the decade of new millennia, I have grown up using the keypad phone. When the smartphone was launched in a decade since 2010- with features like touchscreen and such, it was a completely new thing for me at a time. Eventually, every member of my family also had a smartphone including me. It is not actually a big fuss now but it was ‘NEXT BIG THING’ when we experienced such stuff initially.

Initially, every technology was made with good intentions, they were meant to connect people more effectively, deliver the information at a pace which was never experienced before and make the world a global village but everything has its own pros and cons. The intent with which social media and new smartphones rose through the market is not applicable in the present context. As we all know, data has overtaken oil as the most valuable asset in the world.

Selling personalized data of users is the reason why Technology companies like Facebook, Twitter are the richest in the world. The rise of smartphones has made it even easier for them to track every user activity from their preferences to the people they meet. As such, the only way to prevent from getting tracked is to use a Keypad phone which has no social media app like Facebook, Instagram etc.

Being an IT student myself, I am aware of modern technologies like AI, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality etc. But at the same time, I am also concerned about the ethical code of conduct in Information Technology. Is it fair that few young white males of Silicon Valley have the access to what the rest of the world sees on their screen? Of course not. Data privacy is becoming a major issue at the current time and big tech companies should seriously take an action towards it.

It does give me the sense of relief that companies can’t get much data about me as compared to what they’d be getting had I used the smartphone. However, the downside of using a keypad phone for me is that I can’t click photos and that’s all. Maybe it’s impossible for youths today to use keypad phones as they are so obsessed with social media but I think I could cope with it.