In America today, the majority of adults own some variant of cellphone—an overwhelming 98%. Of those, 91% own smartphones in particular. The online world is no longer relegated to a family computer, stationed solely at home. Now it sits at our very fingertips, a constant reminder of the world past our eyes—and few can resist the ever-so enticing sight.
Much like the prevalence of smartphones, it should come as no surprise that the internet itself was first cemented as a cornerstone of the ‘digital age.’ In fact, the birth of the internet laid the groundwork for the behavior we now see in smartphone use. The communities built on early social media, forums and other platforms gave users the ability to chat from anywhere, anytime: and with their newly developed anonymity, as anyone.
At first, these qualities were what made the internet so special. There were no barriers on the internet. For the first time in history, the seconds it took to send a message was all that separated users that were miles away in the real world. For those who might struggle socially, it became the easiest and seemingly most fulfilling method to find like-minded people. And for those who weren’t, every existing relationship could grow stronger with messages just a click away. It’s difficult to imagine any harm from a device that enabled this unique kind of closeness—but the age of smartphones proves without a doubt that there can always be too much of a good thing.
In a 2015 study, Pew Research discovered 82% of adults believed that, on occasion, phone use during social gatherings hurt conversation. These small devices hold endless activities within them, drawing attention away from the world right in front of our faces. Using a smartphone during a conversation may feel natural, but compared to an uninterrupted interaction, it’s night and day. Split attention now stands in the way of true connection. Instead of deepening a conversation and finding its true value beyond small talk, smartphones provide an easy outlet for boredom that could have once been solved with meaningful connection. Instant gratification is hard to beat, and as such, users continue to be sucked into smartphones even without noticing. The digital world is inescapable, our conversations are only one victim.
With smartphones, and mobile devices in general, boredom is no longer relevant. From as young as a few months, children are hooked on the internet, growing up with expectations of its constant stimuli before they even understand the world around them. The dull moments of life are the gift of time, valuable moments that give people the chance to simply enjoy their own company. Humans are wired to ease boredom, but today, the fleeting moments that once bred imagination, innovation and self-reflection are now nothing more than a free minute to scroll through TikTok. This lack of self-reflection is just as corrosive as the face-to-face disinterest described earlier. It erodes who we are, it prevents the natural growth that makes humanity so precious. A stagnant person will give stagnant conversation. Change and growth, however small, is what gives people the knowledge that makes a great communicator. Without the time to do so, socializing will only grow harder.
The digital age is changing more quickly than most understand. AI, for example, is slowly reshaping the ways we communicate with each other and to ourselves. Each new technology, to varying degrees, has done the same. In the world we live in today, simply abandoning the digital world is infeasible. But understanding it is nothing short of vital.
