The old-school handset, with no internet and no apps, is making a comeback as users tire of doomscrolling and constant pings, fear privacy breaches
In times of grief, some people turn to community. Others withdraw from the endless stream of WhatsApp messages and phone calls. Vishal Agnihotri is of the second kind. After losing his mother to a rare neurological condition a few months ago, he knew some things: he didn’t want to announce her death on social media, respond to exhausting family WhatsApp groups, or discard her SIM card.
Agnihotri found the solution in a Nokia 2660 flip phone with little beyond Snake and FM radio for entertainment. As the sole caregiver for his brother, who has Down Syndrome, the switch became a form of digital detox. “It really helped me take a step back from the emotional pressures around and the constant need for communication. It cut out a lot of noise, and the people who really wanted to connect with me did so via good old voice calls or SMS,” says the 37-year-old freelance business consultant from Kanpur.