Good morning. I’m Samantha Edwards, The Globe’s online culture reporter. When I started to worry about my relationship with my iPhone, I started to use a flip phone to gain some perspective on smartphone addiction. More on that, plus a look at escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war, and GST relief bill updates. But first:
Today’s headlines
- Trudeau’s willingness to cut a trade deal with U.S. alone was a betrayal, Mexico’s lead negotiator says
- Israel, Hezbollah accuse each other of violating ceasefire, highlighting fragility of deal
- Supreme Court fast-tracks the review of a case that could jeopardize Kenneth Law’s prosecution on murder charges
A note from The Globe and Mail’s North Pole Bureau
Christmas is less than a month away, but more than one million children who mail letters to Santa Claus every year through Canada Post might not receive a response in time for the holidays, because of the continuing postal workers' strike.
We have partnered with the post office in Santa’s Village to develop a workaround for parents. Families can download and customize a letter from Mr. Claus and put it in an envelope addressed to their child. To get your kids a reply before the holidays, jingle all the way to our guide.
Illustration by Jess Suttner
Technology
Life on the flip side
Earlier this year, I started worrying about my relationship with my iPhone. Had I become too dependent on this addictive little machine? So, I tried a social experiment: I quit my smartphone and instead used a basic flip phone for two weeks to see if my life radically improved.
The background
In Canada and around the world, there’s been an increasing backlash against smartphones and social media. School boards are suing social-media companies, arguing the apps rewire the way kids think, behave and learn.
This week, Australia passed a world-first law that bans TikTok, Instagram and other apps for children under 16. Research shows a correlation between smartphone addiction and increased anxiety and depression, yet the average Canadian clocks 3.2 hours a day.
Would we all be happier, more productive and more social without smartphones?
The experiment
For the two-week experiment, I used a TCL Flip, a basic $89 flip phone with no keyboard, no emojis and no app store. On the first day, I realized how many apps I use before I even get to work: an app to book a desk at the office, to order coffee and to check when the streetcar is coming. (I had to text a TTC phone number posted at the stop to find out the streetcar’s ETA.)
I experienced many small inconveniences throughout the two weeks, like having to print off a boarding pass for a flight, asking for a paper menu if the restaurant still used QR codes, or checking Google Maps before I left the house.
But for me, the biggest problem was communicating with long-distance friends and family, relationships that I nurture in group text messages and social-media DMs. With only T9 to text, sending long missives was excruciating, and impromptu phone calls just isn’t the way my friends and I chat anymore. (Oftentimes, I’d call someone and instead of picking up, they’d text me after: “Did you mean to call me?”) Until they were gone, I hadn’t understood the degree to which texts and DMs were a glue for my relationships.
Me and my new flip phone. (And why yes, I did take this using Photobooth)The Globe and Mail
The aftermath
I’d love to say the experiment was revelatory and I’m now a flip phone convert. But, dear reader, I’m back on my iPhone.
We’ve remade our worlds around smartphones, and the individual benefits I gained from the flip phone life, such as getting better sleep and reading more books, just didn’t seem worth the costs of giving up my digital life, and more importantly, the relationships that are nourished in digital spaces. I have kept up a few good habits though: I’m now monitoring my screen time on addictive apps like TikTok and trying to leave my phone outside of the bedroom.
They’re small steps. But it takes time to rewire your brain.
The Shot
Russia could hit ‘decision-making centres’ in Kyiv
A local resident stands in a shop during a partial blackout in Lviv after Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP/Getty Images
Russia may use its new Oreshnik hypersonic missiles to attack “decision-making centres” in Kyiv in response to Ukraine’s firing of Western missiles. President Vladimir Putin said an overnight attack on Ukraine was also a response to use of U.S. ATACMS ballistic missiles.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: The Conservatives and Bloc Québécois have voted against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s planned sales tax holiday, dismissing the policy as a gimmick
Abroad: Romania’s top court ordered a recount of votes in the first round of the presidential election, and the country’s top security body warned Romania was a key target for hostile actions from Russia
Documents show: Projections show Ottawa could reap a $9-billion boost to its bottom line over the next four years, thanks to a growing surplus in the pension fund for public servants.
Documents served: Canada’s competition watchdog is suing Google for alleged anti-competitive behaviour in the online advertising market