I have noticed a bit of air play recently about a certain celebrity who has chosen not to use his mobile phone.
The man tells his rapt interviewers that he prefers not to use his device, nor does he read facebook or engage in social media, electing instead to just use the occasional email as a contact point.
The man has generated quite a bit of interest. Imagine, a young celebrity choosing human contact instead of electronic communication. The concept seems revolutionary. This person, already revered for his musical ability, has had his platform raised as a true individual, a man happy to walk his own path.
Now I am no celebrity, but by coincidence his sentiments are my sentiments.
Only last week a friend told me that when you don't carry your mobile around with you, it is more like a landline. This she said in frustration after messaging me that she would come over to my place 15 minutes early and then didn't come when I didn't respond to the message I didn't see.
She is also the friend who sent her birthday party invitations by email and, given the fact that I was on holidays (therefore leaving my phone and computer at home), I missed the invitation and the party.
I rarely use my phone, only read emails when I have to and think twitter is about birdlife. This is not something I readily admit, having tested these waters with my family who roll their eyes at my ineptitude. There is no celebrity status for me. My lack is all about not keeping up (possibly because I am older than 50 and also own hardly any clothes with pockets).
Well if a celebrity can shout it out proudly, so can I. Like him, I like to speak face to face. I write things in my diary, which is book with paper pages. If I am with someone and the phone rings, I give my attention instead to the person I am with.
If I’m on holidays, I am out of touch. No one needs to know what I am thinking, what I am eating and where I am every minute of every day. I don't think people really care about the cute antics of my cat.
And if a celebrity wants to share this novelty and gain some notoriety in the process, that’s good enough for me.