The rise of "dumb phones": Why privacy will become more of a social status sign than followers

Getting a "dumb phone" was the smartest decision I made. But I quickly realized what a luxury it is.

In this trend report, I will talk about the dumb phone I ordered, how to set it up and then in the paid portion of the article, I will talk about why I think dumb phones and privacy will become a desired luxury and sign of a social status than followers and accessibility.

During the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni fiasco, I was confidently on the side of truth and asking genuine questions to my 1.1+ million followers on TikTok. I still believe that my gut feeling was right, as evidence continues to come out that corroborates her lawsuit (hello, creepy 7-minute voice memo from a boss at 2 a.m.).

But standing up for a woman who dared ask for a safe workspace for her and others came at a cost. I was bashed in my comment section for three weeks straight. Other creators came for me personally and publicly. My own personal life was picked a part. But I didn’t let public opinion sway my own beliefs.

I am sad I was right. You never want someone to be a victim of sexual harassment or assault. But it seems, that is clearly what happened (in my opinion).

You can read my whole breakdown of her complaint filed on 12/21/2024 here:

People kept commenting on my videos that, “he’s not your ex”. Well, guess what? He’s not your boyfriend, either! But this whole experience had me up until 3 a.m. some nights doom scrolling and feeling like I had a target on my back for speaking up for another woman.

It would have been easier and more viral to be team Baldoni and begin parroting abuser playbook talking points like, “She wanted it!” or “She had a crush on him!” But instead, my account was constantly targeted and views torpedoed by astroturf campaigns because I was asking genuine questions and seeking answers.

I realized that reading mean comments about yourself for hours, and almost impulsively, was becoming like a form of psychological self-harm. I felt like if I could read the thousands mean comments about myself before everyone else than I could control how much pain it would inflict on me and how much judgement it would cast from others.

Something needed to change. I needed to find a way to only use my smart phone for work purposes and keep it hidden away in my house while going about life. But still have a way for those close to me to contact me in the case of emergency when I was out and about.

You know where you can’t read mean comments about yourself and DM’s from strangers? A flip phone.

I went on Amazon and began searching for a “dumb phone”. I found the cutest phone that was hot pink and Barbie-themed for just $102 (Linked here)

If you use my link here then I get a portion of the sale, so thank you so much!

This phone came with three replaceable backs, Barbie themed stickers and rhinestones and a pink phone charger. The good thing is it uses USB-C so I can use my current iPhone, laptop and camera charger to charge my new dumb phone.

I posted a TikTok of me opening the dumb phone if you are curious what the packaging and product looks like:

@cocomocoeCatch me calling a taxi from the club with my barbie flip phone ☎️

Tiktok failed to load.

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How to set your “dumb phone” up once it arrives + what you need:

Sim Card

The phone requires a sim card. I got one for $10 at Wal-Mart but you can also order it online. I used Consumer Cellular. It looks like this:

Once you insert your Consumer Cellular SIM Card, you have to go on their website and set up your new number. I got a plan that is $25/month. It came with a new phone number, 5 GB of data a month and unlimited talk and text.

I had to use their chat box feature on their website a few days later to make sure the phone was working. The first two days, it only worked when connected to my house’s wifi. But once I chat boxed them, the phone was active wherever I went.

32 GB Micro-SD

You will also want to get a 32 GB micro-memory card because this will allow you to take more photos and videos on your phone without taking up all the storage. You can not do over 32 GB on the dumb phone so don’t make the same mistake I did and get a bigger one than the phone is compatible with.

The micro-sim card will look like this (below). I also found one linked on Amazon for $8.54 (here).

I have been taking a lot of photos on my flip phone because I love how old school it looks. They are like pictures that would appear on a popular MySpace page from 2008. So if you are like me and want pictures with that aesthetic, then you will want a memory card.

Now that you have the supplies needed for your dumb phone, let’s talk about the sociological implications of the rise of dumb phones and why I think it will be a growing sign of social status in a world of chasing followers.

The rest of this trend report will be in the paid portion below. You can become a paying member of my Substack and get access to the Friday Trend Reports + the extended episodes of my ad-free, marketing podcast every Monday by subscribing for $9-a-month.