I have had an iPhone for ten years. TEN YEARS. I have had an iPhone through all the formative years of my life. Today I decided I wanted to know what it was like to get lost driving and find my way back home by relying only on road signs. I decided it was time I learned how to make eye contact with strangers rather than look down at my phone while walking past. Today I bought a flip phone, and I hope you do too.

I'm 16 years old and seriously considering getting a flip phone, I just want to be present in life, I'm tired of living in the digital world, and I feel like this change will help me be more present

Kind of reminds me of Ray Bradbury's short story "The Pedestrian". It's a story about a man taking a nightly stroll, but gets arrested because he's the only one doing so. Everyone else is sitting indoors distracted by technology, instead of taking in the world around them organically.

"you may never even learn what it means to be fully human, if you continue to choose the world that WANTS to be, over the world that IS."

I've NEVER had a smartphone and I'm still alive, my flip phone is more than good enough.

Upgraded to a flip phone from an iPhone 12 yesterday. My daily screentime ranged from 4-10 hours daily and I didn't feel like I was living my own life. Yeah, I'm giving up conveniences like being able to instantly find directions or boarding a plane with a mobile ticket, but how difficult is it really to spend a few more minutes printing directions or a boarding pass out? I'm glad it's gone. I look forward to being present and diving deeper into the things I'm ACTUALLY interested in.

i quit my smartphone 5 years ago and went back to the old-style Nokia and my camera. i have never missed it. i didn't want my child to see my face permanently stuck to a phone - that was the trigger for me and it has been bliss. i'm of an age where i remember pre-internet times and i feel more like my old self again. never been much of a techy-modern-day-life fan anyway, so was not hard for me.

This speech is gold. I am 21 and just starting to understand this truth.

I got myself a flip phone and a little MP3 player, and I have never felt so free in such a long time. I feel like I did back in the 90's and early 2000's. Run from a smart phone and don't give them to kids

To anybody curious about how to get started doing this, many people start by only using social media on a computer/laptop instead of on their phone. The idea behind it is that it forces you to take more direct choice to go on social media than opening your phone and clicking any app in a few seconds. At least for me, I was shocked with how much self control I gained over social media websites when all I had to do differently was physically walk across the room and type in the website and log in : )

I'm old enough to remember what my life was like before I bought my 1st "smartphone". Much better!

"I flip, therefore I am". Damn, what a way to end it! I have mad respect for this guy. I have been trying to get off social media and reduce my smartphone usage for quite some time but I always end up getting hooked back onto it. After seeing this, I am seriously considering getting a flip-phone.

I just ordered my flip phone! And I am so happy to have made this decision

Got my flip phone coming in the mail. I am a software development student and I find it so interesting that its software developers that use smartphones the least

17 years young here. Just started using a flip phone. First day today. Lets go!

Incredibly sharp analysis of one of the biggest cultural problems of our time. Thank you. More people need to see this.

His story about his family is the sad truth. If you're reading this know that to look into another's eyes and love and cherish one another is all there is in this life.

I am 18 years old and I just decided to go 30 days without social media and I even bought myself a flip phone to help with any temptations I may face. Mental health is now mainly based on social media and at a young age I struggled with that. I want to see if I notice an improvement after a month.

It's almost a Slam/Rap monologue. Amazing.

I'm 26, I watched the boom of social media and I've realised how much it change my mind... I miss being in the moment, not thinking about sharing a photo or checking notifications. That's why I decided to acquire a Nokia 2720 flip phone and I couldn't be happier :) in the words of Mark Manson : "sometimes to feel on, you need to feel a little off"

"it's left to me to determine my experiences worth"

1. Defend the imagination at all costs (how can YOU create when you are constantly consume other's creations?) 2. Make reality the default setting (reality isn't so bad) 3. Live life at a natural pace (take control) 4. Get your dopamine in the raw (in-person not online/over the phone) 5. Stop the conjuring of false spectacles (enjoy the moment; don't base the value of the moment by how good the photos are and how many likes they get).

I found this gem three years after it was set out in the open.

You are not alone, many young people are switching to feature phones, thank you for your presentation and yes I am a flip phone user and I am also a computer engineer of 30 years.

You sir are a poet, a visionary, and a philosopher. You are a talented public speaker! Thanks for sharing your idea

I’m 27 I got active in social media around 12 years old. Then the advancement off social media boomed kind of instantly from that point Me being in a social media breakaway truly appreciates this video. I have to get back in touch with reality and back interactive with my family. This feels like a breath of fresh air! 💨

Amen. I have always had a flip phone and refuse to get rid of it for the same reasons expounded in this presentation. My thoughts exactly. It is a odd phenomena that people really do tend to actually get angry and frustrated with me that i do not have a smart phone. I actually had a co-worked who looked at my flip phone and said " I do not see how your wife can put up with you." What, a flip phone is grounds for divorce? Insane! I will never ever have a "smart phone."

Im assuming he wrote his own speech, he's an amazing writer tbh

The fact that a Ted video on this topic has this little attention is suspicious.

One of the best talks on this topic I've ever watched. Time to go get my flip phone.

This is pure gold! I wish everyone would watch this

I needed this validation in my life. Sharing because so many people think I'm crazy.

For work now, I fight to keep personal life & work life separate. Ie I keep two cell phones & computers & refuse to forward work to personal life. When work time is over, I turn it off.

Watched this on my smartphone at 1.5x speed with headphones on ignoring my family. Guess I got a ways to go

Hands down the best TED Talk I've ever seen. Thank You David. You have changed the way I look at life.

What a great speech! It is eloquently written and delivered in such a captivating and well-paced manner. Have hope Mr Amadio, for I too am on the path of obtaining the sacred flip.

It truly is amazing that this video lesson has come up in my feed because the last month and a half I had been weighing the pros and cons of getting a flip phone for being on my phone and staring at it daily it's taken away from the things I need to do in my responsibility so after watching this and reading the comments I know decided that tomorrow I will upgrade for my smartphone to a flip phone and I thank you all for that

Well done! If anyone here is tempted to make the switch, do it! Stand strong through the adjustment period. You will be glad you did. Went back to a flip phone almost 4 years ago. No regrets. I have a deactivated smartphone that I tether to the flip hotspot every so often, but I don't use social media on it. Mostly just the browser and navigation. The perspective he shares about the 2 way mirror is so real.

This video deserves a lot of views. I found myself coming back to this video everytime I got stuck in the virtual world for too long, unable to get anything done. His grasp on English vocabulary to convey complex ideas with a touch of humor amazes me. If this is the quality of life one can lead without a smartphone then I am all up for it.

I love my flip phone. Always had one. I love that when I open my phone, I can start speaking to the person that called. Same with closing it. Watching the zombies around me addicted to their phones 24/7, including my daughter, convinced me never to get one. If I need the internet, I use my computer. I write directions down and put the number in my phone should I get lost. Not a big deal.

"Something is very wrong here." Yes indeed I can feel it and see it everywhere I go. Great talk David!

Best speech i ever saw on KZfaq 👏👏

This has me convinced to opt for a flip phone over a dopamine-dealing smartphone :) Still, I'm going to use high dopamine devices at home. Here's to authentic connections out in the world!

My flip phone arrived yesterday. I’m tired of the addiction.

this is the greatest TED talk of all time

Truely underrarted talk. this is the best talk on smartphones on the internet in my opinion.

"I flip, therefore I am"

The iPhone was released in 2007. 14 years later, 97% of Americans age 18-49 own a smartphone, with the average person spending over 5 hours a day on their device (Statista). In exchange for convenience and accessibility, we've traded away our time, money, attention, focus, privacy, mental health, and social lives - if not completely, to diminished versions of their former selves. Technological progress is rapidly becoming the myth of our time.

I started out with a flip phone when cell service first became available, and I'm still very happily using a flip phone. And when I take a walk I get to see the trees and flowers and birds and clouds that look like elephants and beautiful sunsets that nobody else seems to even notice anymore. It's so sad.

Just ordered my flip phone - coming in a few days, can't wait!

My subconscious often tells me the reason I am always out of touch with reality is because I am always in touch (online). And this Ted talk is a validation to switch my smartphone with a basic one. 1990s kid here and grew up with the basic feature phones. We often have the " why do we feel happier and better when we were just holding feature phones back then " conversations. Just sharing my thoughts. :)

I find it telling that this was clear to Amadio before the pandemic iced the social isolation cake. Yet some things never change: I used to make the same points about addiction to television, and to this day, if I am trying to compete with a TV to have a conversation with someone, I center myself in their line of sight. Of course, that's hard to do with a hand-held device. By the way, I got my first flip phone in late 2014 and have no intention to "upgrade."

It's always fun to watch "anti internet" talk on the internet. But I agree the issue exists and becomes more severe year by year.

Thank you! I am constantly trying to explain this to people when they give me static for not answering them.

It's so easy to get trapped by tech these days. Thank you for this talk David!

im 18 and sick of my phone and the internet and im switching to a flip phone soon, because i want to get to know myself and the world around me and im excited to suffer from boredom and fuel my creativity.

The benefits of this idea is immerse. Even if you can't fully change to a flip phone, just try to use your smartphone without mobile data(use it on wifi, when there is). I find this really helpfull. If your work/study don't need internet, applying this manfifesto will help

Honestly this has been the best ted talk ive ever seen, really gives you an idea of where were heading and how you want to partake and live your life. Cant thank this man enough for this video, also really well written, amazing.

In those days cell calls & texts were expensive, so you took care not to do too much.

Bravo! I moved to a Nokia 8000 recently and have never looked back. I do still have an iPad which I use an hour a day in the evening but other than that I’m smartphone/social media free! I’ve found I’m so much more productive now and I noticed so many things I used to miss in the past!

20-something flip phone user here. I cannot recommend it enough.

I'm happy to see that although I do have a smartphone I treat it like a flip phone most of the time, and if I do get glued to it, it's because I'm very bored and I'm trying to distract myself with something and I don't have anything else available to distract myself with and/or my thoughts at the moment aren't very engaging or interesting, but I usually end up being bored either way because it kind of feels like when you open the fridge many times in a row to see if there is finally food there but it's still the same as before 😂 Also it feels really nice to actually look out the window or read a book or something that's non phone related when you're commuting home or to school/work (in case you use transports or that you're not the driver) for example, even when I have mobile data available, it still feels better to just do anything else than just being connected all the time

computer time is computer time. when you're always on your pocket computer, you miss the present moment. I love my flip phone!

everyone should watch this talk

David, you absolute legend. Sharing, because it needs to be heard!

I have watched this video at least 8 times now. It inspires me every time. I just got my dream job and also teach at university now. Hopefully I will be where the professor in this video is today. My smart phone is going out of the window. I had already downgraded my "normal" smart phone to a feature phone with whatsapp to a miniature smartphone and now I am switching to a flip phone. Let us all be honest with ourselves: we are addicted and it needs to change.

I like this man:) His presentation is persuasive, intelligent, and beautifully thought out especially as he finishes with the 5th tenant of the manifesto. Having resisted successfully the temptation (so far) to buy into smart-phone technology (bite the apple), I'm thankful for companies like Kyocera for their 4G compatible flip phone neatly stashed away in my front jeans pocket.

Just got mine (Sunbeam Orchid F1). I never wanted one, but the military essentially required me to get one back in 2012 and the rest is history. Now, I'm going back to the flip!

He's a great story teller and so glad to hear he's a teacher.

I came across an artist recently who had a few pieces on exactly how much society has changed in the last 30 years. It was really quite scary.

Your integrity is everything. Off to order a flip phone!

I just bought a flip phone yesterday. I got fed up with wasting too much time on my phone. Will try to reduce my usage by using a flip phone.

You encapsulated my thoughts and feelings so eloquently.

I've been seeing alot of nostalgic videos about many people pining for the 80s and 90s going to the mall to hang out with friends if we reverse consumer consumption we could very well get some, not all of those days back or some form of facetime social interaction unplug our future for our future!

Great Speech and a wonderful topic that should be getting more recognition.

ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! Well done! One of the BEST I've ever heard! I want to be in your CLASS!!!!

I’ve been slowly getting my life situated to where I could exist without a smart phone - banking, bills, etc. I’m finally there! I’ll be ordering my flip phone from Verizon next week.

Yes this talk has many things to repeat. "The constant culture of distraction" spot on.

This is really good, worth sharing. Well done David.

Another great talk, with a really important message.

Not a day goes by that I think about when I had a flip phone with the worst reception and it was the most freeing time of my life.

Got laughed at a lot for having a brick phone, but I never regretted it. One friend felt bad and gave me an old iPhone a year ago, but it's really brought me down... I want my life back. Dumping the smart today.

This is fantastic. Really well described and defined. I will be sharing this for people to enjoy,

Very well said. I'm a senior, who bought an Apple I phone. I threw it in my junk drawer with my old Rubics cube. BECAUSE I can't figure the damn thing out. A flip phone makes sense because it's a "PHONE".

I love this. I'm sharing right away. We need more of this type of understanding and personal education to be able to do better in the coming years.

Absolutely brilliant thinking here, a lot of thinking to do. Will be passing this on

This is a fantastic talk. I hope the last part is true: that we'll become less dependent on the internet and on our phones.

this is beautifully said. I can't wait to make the switch and see how much my brain changes, returns to its original form. I'm sick of being chained, influenced, obsessed. I've always considered myself a more quiet, reserved person and now I'm wondering if it's because I've always used my devices as a social crutch.

if you sit back and observe in public almost every single person has a phone in there hand scrolling 24/7 in the gym everywhere its weird

the fact that this video only has 13k views says a lot

I’m 23 and only have instagram, reddit and Pinterest. I rarely, even barely go on any of them. I probably use Pinterest. Don’t have the apps on my phone, only on the computer. I remember the days before iPhones came out. Was just cellphones. I’ve contemplated buying a Nokia n93, and using my iPhone as a way to track my phone data and play games on. I didn’t get an iPhone till I was 15. Had a cellphone for two years of high school when everyone had iPhones. Kind of wish I stayed with it. Still have it lying around somewhere.

I was thinking on buying a new nokia flip... This vdo made that thought into a plan...

Brilliant! Thank you!!!!

This deserves more views

I have said this since cellphones became readily available to everyone in the mid nineties,

Great talk

Pure gold

This is a great presentation. Thanks for it.

Incredible talk 👏🏼👏🏼

Wise words…I feel every part of it in my life..