I’ve wanted to make this rant for a while because I think a lot of people feel it but don’t say it out loud: I hate phones. And yeah, it’s weird coming from me because I’m sitting here with a Samsung Z Fold 6 — a stupid expensive, super capable device I use like a mini iPad with a pen for notes and drawing. My issue isn’t “phones cost too much” or even just “privacy bad.” My issue is the slow creep toward a world where you’re basically required to carry a phone to exist in society. Phones are basically the perfect spy device: insecure network, constant tracking incentives, and you don’t even truly own the thing. I paid around $2,000 and I’m still not the admin — I can’t properly root it, I can’t fully remove the junk, and apparently Samsung/Google can just shove a pile of garbage onto my device whenever they feel like it. I woke up to a bunch of random scammy games and sponsored news apps installed out of nowhere, and that pushed me over the edge. The “pro” is convenience. Everything else is a con: control, security, mental health, and the expectation that you’re glued to it 24/7. My plan is to transition away—use messaging and services that work on a computer, rely on a bank I can physically walk into, and when my contract is up, I’m done.