Last updated April 12, 2019
In recent weeks, I’ve come across a few different articles and blogs talking about people making a decision to not use a cell phone any more. This includes Silvio Berlusconi (Italy’s Prime Minister), who gave away his cell phone to evade being monitored by police.
“Be aware that your prime minister no longer has any kind of cell phone because he is subjected to every kind of wiretapping,” Berlusconi said in a meeting with his ruling conservative People of Freedom party in Milan. ”Everyone considers it an infringement of liberty not to be able to speak freely on the phone. This is why I have stepped backwards in time and no longer use a mobile phone.”
Of course, his case is one of necessity born from facing four criminal trials for tax fraud, bribery and embezzlement. Others I have read have been born from simply being tired of always being available; while others still haven’t completely done away with their cell, but simply taken a step backwards to a simpler, more basic phone.
I can understand the allure. Our cell phones have become such a central part of our lives that the gadget, which is meant to connect us often, serves to isolate us. So, I can see where it might be tempting to round up all of the family cells, recycle the old phones for money, and spend the money on something family-oriented. Of course, in my case I’d be back buying a new cell the next week.