I decided to call all phones a "Dumbphone", except for GrapheneOS.
Ever since Steve Jobs came up with an iPhone in 2007, every tech companies started to follow the trend by offering devices that are similar - but a little different due to its namings and brands. And eventually people started to call these devices as smartphones. A device that is smart enough to perform multiple tasks at once. And I believed that it was appropriate to call it a smartphone. It surely seemed to be smart, by having all kinds of functions and features available in a single device.
But now what? After I stepped into the privacy community and finally changed my phone to GrapheneOS, I have reached a point; or a perspective in which most phones out in the market are no longer smart. "Huh? What the hack are u talking about? Are you saying that smartphones are losing their functionalities??" No, of course not. Phones - or what we usually call as smartphones are of course evolving everyday. Companies have been updating their operating system and the hardware year by years, and not only the companies, but the market created by two big tech has been shipping all kinds of apps to their users. And I believe this will never stop. Apps and operating systems will become more and more convenient in order to provide a smarter environment to their users. But it seems like not much people understand what is behind the definition of smart technology. Smartphones, smart cars, smart cities, etc., the more smarter the environment becomes, the more people loses control of their life and personality. Face recognition, surveillance cameras all over the place, and the upcoming artificial intelligence collecting every single data of oneself... this is not the future, but what it is happening right now. People are losing control over their data more than ever before. And unfortunately, most would choose to benefit from the convenience brought by smarter technologies, rather than fighting for their privacy. I know its a little extreme scenario, but these circumstances just makes me wonder if this world is heading to 2084. In short, people are becoming dumb due to their "smart"phones.
Back to the point where I excepted GrapheneOS from rest of the dumbphones, I believe a phone should be only called a smartphone when it meets a balance between convenience and privacy.
- Minimalism; no BS, no bloatware, no fancy features
- Convenience; multiple and different tasks can be done simultaneously, no repetitive action required, easy and simple control over the device, advanced technology supporting the owner
- Privacy; full control of the system and network, encrypted data, an ownership of the device, security at maximum, and trust for the developers
So this is why I decided to treat GrapheneOS as the only true smartphone. Privacy is what makes us human. Not only the hardware space, but also in the software area.