The efforts employed by the fairphone company are commendable and appreciated.
It seems, tough, that the concerns addressed by the end product are restricted to material aspects.
Are the workers well treated? The materials ethically sourced? Is it repairable? etc.
I wonder if in this community, including the people running the company, there is a curiosity regarding immaterial aspects of a “good phone”?
The starting point for that conversation I think would be the human nature and how the modern smartphone experience fits in.
For instance, the fact that modern phones are big screens emphasize the “pleasure box” aspect of these gadgets. The main concern for the hardware and software industries seems to be enabling dopamine driven, highly addictive activities. We are becoming enslaved to these gadgets.
I think a “good phone” should help form a human person instead of deforming them. With that said, I wouldn’t categorically condemn the modern phone paradigm. I guess a wise person can use it properly!
Maybe phones with smaller screens would be a little more adequate for many people. And I’m now making a subjective point.
I don’t want my phone to be mainly a “pleasure box”. I want my phone to emphasize the communication and data transfer aspects. A phone like that would make me feel better when I pull it out of my pocket - it wouldn’t signal to people around me that I’m a hypnotized “content consumer”.
I know the workers are well treated, the materials ethically sourced and that the phone is repairable.
Those questions are related to the material aspects that have been successfully tacked by the fairphone company. As if I’m trying to lay out the mind of the company. It is to be understood as praise!
Removing the “Are the workers well treated? The materials ethically sourced? Is it repairable? etc.” line is fine since its superfluous to the discussion anyway…
For me, my phone is first and foremost a communication device cum ultra-portable computer.
I’m traveling a lot (professionally), and my phone is what allows me to a) keep in contact with my clients/family/friends (phone calls/emails/messaging services) where ever I might currently be.
Also, and just as important, it functions as a minimalist laptop, allowing me on the road to b) do things like consult work documents, find my way in a strange city, and even have a spot of leisure when killing time at the airport/train/hotel room.
For the “laptop replacement” aspect a big(-ish) screen is a boon (try to consult an spreadsheet on a tiny screen!), not to mention my eyes aren’t what they used to be and I don’t want to have to find my reading glasses each time need to I consult my phone.
Why did I buy a FP4 and not yet another Samsung? Because Fairphone promised longevity (easily replaced parts and… updates).
I am very strongly opposed to the ever-rising throw-away society: I do not change my appliances yearly for the latest model, I tend to keep my stuff till it isn’t repairable anymore, and while most big phone brands in 2022 had decided their product’s lifespans were to not exceed 2 years, Fairphone seemed at that time to offer a credible alternative.
(By now things have changed though.)
Just a comment about “pleasure box”:
I really don’t see where you get that from. If I want to seriously play games I’d use a tablet, or even better, a console or computer with a real screen. And a real controller… Screen size is important for doing real work (as opposed to just surfing on messaging services or social media). You can’t seriously work on a tiny screen like the first smartphones had. I know, I’ve tried.
Obviously I admit not everybody is a “road warrior” like me, my point is just that favoring bigger screen sizes isn’t necessarily the sign of a "hypnotized content consumer” (your words)…
Hope that helps.
You’ve given me new perspectives on the use of smartphones.
I can see how the big screen is a real blessing for your use case.
I do have a bit of a pessimistic view of the use of these devices in society as a whole. And that view comes from the isolation, anxiety and addiction they seem to trigger for a lot of people.
Well, if I may, our societies have bigger problems than smartphone use…
Besides, smartphones are just a tool, at worst they are the symptom of something, not the actual cause.
I think you have a very fair point and made it very well. I totally understand where you’re coming from and, only recently, I’ve started to leave my phone downstairs at nighttime as it was the last thing I touched at night and the first thing in the morning, not to mention several times during the night. They can, and very often do, become addictive and this is a consideration that’s especially important when thinking about school children. Many times I’ve thought of switching back to a dumb phone but the reality is that a smartphone is a truly wonderful device and, as such, I’m happy to have it for the many benefits it brings. We live in a world where marketing and media constantly tells us what we need and what we must have and sometimes it can be difficult to take a step back from that to assess what is it we actually do really need. The mobile phone is many things to many people (I totally get Kurt’s use-case) so there is no right or wrong, just different requirements. Thank you Peu for raising this - I’m sure there will be many more responses and it will be interesting to hear what others think.
I think many of the aspects that make a good phone are handled excellently by Fairphone. I too highly appreciate the ethically sourced materials, improving the working conditions etc. and the devices are generally good and long lasting. The device I am typing this on, my FP 3, is still working fine and getting updates. (I am going to miss the 3.5mm headphone jack when it’s time to upgrade.)
I think the biggest problem is that people in general live their lives too much online.
It is beyond any device manufacturers’ power that people feel the ever growing pressure to use a smartphone to handle every day tasks in a hectic pace and while at it, feel the social pressure to download apps that are designed to entertain, allure and engage into endless scrolling and reacting to click-bait material. Too often the ill-informed, algorithm-led, dopamine-seeking individuals spend their precious time engaging in “discussions” that are encouraging people to shout their opinions and behave badly. Or just mindlessly scrolling brain melting nonsense. Social media and the internet are poisoning the minds of those who are not able to protect themselves or even aware of the dangers.
The genie is out of the bottle now and it is very difficult to go back and apply restrictions on what people can do with their “pocket computers”. The multinational social media giants should definitely be forced to take more responsibility to protect people from the harm their algorithms and all the malicious and addictive content is causing to them, minors and adults alike. I am glad that I live in the EU, it is at least trying to protect its people.
I can’t praise Fairphone enough for allowing users to own their devices, e.g. to repair them themselves AND allowing users to install alternative operating systems! This is the way to go and gives us at least the possibility to make our devices safer and escape the big companies grasp. I also love the initiative to encourage people to seek European alternatives to their apps.
Fairphone is on the right track as it offers a stock Android experience without bloatware. At least you need to make the effort to download all your harmful apps by yourself!
Perhaps FP could lead the way by more strongly promoting software solutions that encourage users to use their smartphones in a more healthy way. I dream of the day when I can buy a European (Fair)phone in local store that runs on an open operating system and has apps made in Europe or apps that at least adhere to European laws and regulations. Maybe the restless times we are experiencing now will provide the push to help us get there.
Perhaps FP could lead the way by more strongly promoting software solutions that encourage users to use their smartphones in a more healthy way.
This might be the key to this discussion.
We need software that is non adversarial to the user.
Specially in terms of privacy, data ownership, configuration and well-being.
Random example
Maybe a good case study is Instagram and similar apps.
We all know the privacy and well-being concerns associated with them, but they are also adversarial in terms of configuration and basic usage.
One thing that comes to mind is how Instagram doesn’t really allow the user to deactivate recommended posts (they turn it back on after 30 days).
Also the “reels” media format itself is terrible, you cant pause or do anything to it.
I strongly dislike the “reels” paradigm with their abrupt change of subject, video and strident sounds/music.
Danger! Danger! Technology is never ever a solution to societal problems.
Asking technology to solve them is actually just an attempt to elude ones responsibility.
This includes all pet grievances one could have (including but not limited to parents abdicating their responsibilities of educating their kids, any flavor of so-called “character weakness” (we all have some), and so on).
In all those cases technology is not a solution, it’s just a convenient way to avoid doing anything: “I don’t need to make any effort myself, all-powerful technology will solve this for me, and if it doesn’t, well, it’s not my fault”.
Our problems need to be solved by ourselves, there is no wiggling out of our personal responsibility, definitely not by delegating to some magical higher power. Technology is a tool, we are the ones wielding it for good or evil.
While this is not entirely false, it is very shortsighted.
We are not in full control of ourselfs. We are easily manipulated. We live in such an complex world, that we lost the path.
So yes, we should take back responsibility and control of our actions, but we have to realise, that this is limited.
And since we live here and know, some help and regulation is required.
I agree that technology is a mere tool. It enhances the best and worst in us. That is why suggested that Fairphone could perhaps encourage people to use their phones in a more healthy way via some software solutions. Helping people to steer themselves or become more aware of their behaviour patterns, addicion etc. is not a bad thing, in my opinion. In the end, we are of course responsible of our lives.
I still think that Tik tok, Meta, Google etc. should be restricted, some of their actions are downright malicious and they have too much power and influence over masses.
That sounds dangerously like resignation… And in this case technology won’t help you because technology, like any tool, is always only as efficient as the person wielding it.
Help might indeed be necessary, but unfortunately most people try to wiggle out of it altogether: “It looks hard, I’d like someone/something to do it in my stead”.
People should try to get a grip on their lives, and for that they can request some assistance.
Unfortunately I see too many people failing to take responsibility for their lives, delegating to technology things they should be handling themselves.
No, this is not resignation, this is just wisdom.
And while you are right, that there are people out there, which raise their hands and deny responsibility, it does not weaken my point. Both is true.
This is plain wrong. An x-ray can be used by anyone, the wrong mail can (and mostly will) be sent by someone stupid. A phone can limit your usage, if you cannot stop using it on your own.
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