My ability to interact with government services largely depends on access to the Internet. Various services are exclusively online, including the ability to file records of and pay taxes for my business.
So yes, in 2024, my ability to interact with the society around me largely depends on my phone, which does indeed make it precious.
I remember getting similar disdain from people who thought laptops were a overpriced passing fad and that I was a fool for not sitting at my desktop computer too.
Then the trend changed, and laptops became more prevalent than desktops for personal use.
The trend has long since changed again, and phones have become way more prevalent than laptops for personal use.
It’s just Apple that continues to pretend that the iPhone (and iPad) aren’t full computers, despite having specs that prove otherwise.
Some of us like to embrace change. Some people like to stay with what they know. Neither is wrong, as long as you’re happy with your choices.
So yes, in 2024, my ability to interact with the society around me largely depends on my phone, which does indeed make it precious.