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Former influencer says it's time to throw out your smartphone

WBUR
Published November 10, 2026 at 12:04 PM EST
The cover of "You Don't Need a Smartphone" and author August Lamm. (Courtesy of Penguin Random House and Andy Henley)
Courtesy of Penguin Random House and Andy Henley
The cover of "You Don't Need a Smartphone" and author August Lamm. (Courtesy of Penguin Random House and Andy Henley)

August Lamm used to have 200,000 Instagram followers. These days, she carries a flashlight, waits for weather reports on the radio, and requests that people contact her on her landline or by letter.

Though she admits it’s a more complicated to way to live, she says it’s also made her think more creatively and profoundly, and taught her to enjoy time with her own thoughts, inside of filling every waking hour with podcasts, social media, and cell-phone conversations with friends.

She founded the Center for Archaic Networks dedicated to the study and revival of human networks pre-dating social media. She also the author of “You Don’t Need a Smartphone” and recently started a retreat center in upstate New York for weeklong sessions on giving up technology.

Lamm joins host Robin Young discusses the whys and hows of getting rid of your technology.

Book excerpt: ‘You Don’t Need a Smartphone’

By August Lamm

Excerpted from “You Don’t Need a Smartphone: A Practical Guide to Downgrading Your Phone and Upgrading Your Life” by August Lamm. Copyright © 2026 by Vintage Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR
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Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

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The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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