Mark Malkoff has made a name for himself thanks to his willingness to undertake public “challenges“, and his latest stunt is the perfect one for our technology-obsessed society. Malkoff has partnered with US Cellular, which has challenged him to go an entire week without using his smartphone.
20 years ago, this challenge would’ve been no sweat, but in our modern age of constant smartphone consumption, it seems Herculean. To accompany the challenge, US Cellular revealed a short study claiming that 76% of respondents would rather live without chocolate than their phones, while 62% would give up TV and 20% would quit eating food.
“I can’t imagine life without my mobile phone for a week. It’s going to feel so like 1988 (minus the parachute pants). I know I will miss out on sweet text messages from my wife, I will probably get lost around the city, and will hopefully not be late to any meetings or else I won’t be able to alert anyone,” said Malkoff. “No doubt I’ll appreciate my mobile phone even more when this is over, and I’ll be even more thankful for daily texts and photos from friends and family as Valentine’s Day rolls around.”
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Of course, Malkoff can’t be expected to keep this technology fast going by himself, which is why he had his wife hide his phone in their cat’s litter box. Of course, after seeing this video, Malkoff now knows where his phone is. Move it, quick!
Malkoff being Malkoff, he also uses to opportunity to pull off some public stunts, such as subway car pull-ups. If I were him, I would probably just read a book, but if that’s what helps him cope with his beloved smartphone, I understand.
