There was a time when our phones played a far quieter role in our lives; being connected meant chatting with a few close friends rather than keeping up with hundreds of updates by the minute. In an interesting turn of events, TikTok, the platform known for its quick content and constant trends, is now reflecting on a quieter digital era, and creators are calling for the return of BlackBerries, a symbol of simpler times and less demanding screens.
Back to Basics: Fewer Features, More Focus
In the days of early smartphones, phones felt like tools, not obligations. With BBM and a couple of apps, we were reachable without being overwhelmed. We could make plans, share a moment, and then move on with our day without the weight of constantly being seen or performing. Something was refreshing about how limited they were and how those limitations actually gave us more room to live.
The Hidden Cost of Constant Access
Today, we're surrounded by endless content and countless ways to interact, but that access comes with consequences. It's no longer just about keeping in touch; it's about keeping up. Quiet moments are rare, and the instinct to scroll often feels automatic, even when we're not looking for anything in particular. As screens became more capable, our ability to disconnect quietly began to slip away.
From Brainrot to Content Overload
Some of the topics these creators touched on, which are truly worth considering, include brainrot, content overload, and overstimulation. Our brains have reached a state of being constantly alert, triggered, and on edge, as the average person checks their phone 144 times a day, which translates to once every 10 minutes, in addition to consuming multiple types of content across short periods. This short-term consumption can include seeing sad news, weddings of distant relatives and friends, news of war and the world ending, and celebrity gossip, all of which cause the brain to lose focus, making us more frustrated and making our attention spans questionable.
Rediscovering Simplicity, One Old Phone at a Time
Across social media, people are dusting off their old BlackBerrys, Nokias, and flip phones, wondering what it would feel like to use them again, not as a trend, but as a step back from the noise. These devices offered connection without overload, conversation without comparison, and presence without pressure. And in a time where we're all stretched thin by information, that kind of simplicity suddenly feels like something worth revisiting.
