‘Tis the season to be phone free #Falalalalala #la #la #la.
Fone Free Feb, as it is officially and more phonetically known, is happening now and, in an effort to jump on this particular charity campaign train, we spoke with one of the FFF ambassadors, your mate Andrew Denton:
The focus this year is ‘Taking back Dinnertime.’ Participants are encouraged to host a meal for friends and/or family wherein all invitees switch off their phones to “participate in lively conversation, without a connected device in sight.”
K I D D I N G.
Whilst it’s not quite officially in the DSM yet, excessive use of cellular technology shares certain characteristics with addictive disorders and, of course, does comes with its own very IRL dangers. (Texting and driving et cetera).
We discussed the anxiety, that feeling of stress and insecurity you feel in the absence of your chosen device. Nomophobia as it is known – so named for “no-mobile-phone-phobia” – is tied in with fear of social isolation and for our generation, is pretty much all we’ve known 
.
Andrew happily acknowledged all of the positives that new technologies can bring and our two cents worth: Tinder, Snapchat, FB, twitter, and the rest of that gang of apps supposedly designed to bring people and their genitals together, definitely add to the lives of 21st Centurians.
And, of course, all of this is not completely new to human existence. Back in the day there were concerns that catching the train would lessen the amount of social interaction typically found on a stagecoach ride; a sentiment which echoes the ‘kids nowadays always have their heads stuck in phones’ ~unchill vibes~ espoused by some.
Full interview COMING SOON to our YouTube channel.
