Anybody who knows my husband will not be surprised to read that he harbors strong feelings concerning matters technological. He’s fervent in his anti-copyright stance, fully committed to open-source programming, and a proud member of Sweden’s Pirate Party. Our home is a no-Microsoft, no-Apple zone (apart from Lydia’s personal devices–a parent’s convictions hold minimal sway over an adolescent’s eagerness to follow the herd). Our computers are Linux machines on which our kids play Minetest rather than Minecraft and, apart from two ill-fated ventures to the darkside of Sony Ericsson, our mobile phones have always been Nokias.

I have loved my Nokia phones, particularly the 808 Pureview that I bought at its release two years ago and recently replaced with a new one of the same model. The camera is every bit as amazing as the ads claimed, and it’s a good performer all the way around. A couple of months ago, however, I found myself increasingly annoyed by the fact that, being neither an iPhone nor an Android, my beloved 808 does not allow me access to the wonders of Instagram and the like. I can be something of a herd animal myself, and I hated missing out on the mainstream delights of social media on the go.

In July, unable to bear the exclusion any longer, I gave in to peer pressure and bought a cheap Samsung Android. My Nokia is still my main phone, from which I do all my calling and texting, as well as the bulk of my picture-taking, but the Samsung lets me participate to a much larger degree on Instagram (we do have a USB-Android stick that I could use from my desktop, but that, of course, took the “insta” right out of Instagram). It also gives me good access to Facebook and Twitter when I’m not at home, and I’ve even been known to send a snap now and then to my two Snapchat friends.

So, all things considered, I’m satisfied with my foray into tech-conformity, even if my husband finds it a little ridiculous. If forced to choose only one of the phones, I’d stick with the Nokia–no question–but it’s nice to have more options now. Feel free, if you’d like, to follow me wherever you can find me (I’m beverlyrevelry everywhere), and I’ll be happy to return the favor. When playing conformist, after all, one can never have too many fellow travelers.