Do We Control Our Smartphones or Do They Control Us?
I grew tired of being on my phone yesterday and just felt drained from the constant stimulation I had become accustomed to. I felt enslaved to my phone and the experience of my phone began to be accompanied with dread instead of excitement. I had to find the right Youtube video to accompany my meal. I had to respond to all my texts quickly so that I wouldn’t feel anxious about the fact that I still had unanswered messages in my inbox. I felt trapped to a device which is meant to “liberate” humanity from all of its former constraints on communication and access to information. I felt overwhelmed by all of it. I decided to put my phone on silent and go for a walk, something I haven’t done in a long time. I used to go for walks all the time but I haven’t since I got my car two years ago. I walked without any interruption and was amazed at how quickly thoughts rushed to my head and questions yearned to be answered. I hadn’t experienced this in a long time because I’m always doing something on my phone. I don’t just stop to think and ponder about my surrounding the way I used to. I instead google my questions and leave it up to someone else to answer them for me so I don’t have to do the thinking myself. Well, the first question that flashed in my head was: Why do our phones make us anxious, compulsive, and depressed? The next question to answer was: What is on our phones? My answer goes something like this:
Our phones are virtually portals to the rest of the society and the world. We have access to family and friends over text and phone calls, but we also have access to complete strangers around the world and all the information we could dream of.
I then thought about how my phone personally impacts my life. My first source of anxiety comes from having to continuously reply to texts and phone calls from my family, friends, and girlfriend all day every day. The most prevalent source of anxiety in reference to my phone is the endless potential of opportunity it offers. Instagram exists so that (I absolutely hate this phrase) I may build my brand. It’s not simply an option available to me, but I feel as if I’m not doing something I should be doing when I’m not using the platform to my benefit the way everyone else is (even though I hate the pressure of posting). Countless other apps and sites like Robinhood, letgo, ebay, and facebook marketplace allow me the buying and selling of goods which can always be leveraged to turn a profit. Indeed.com is always waiting for me to log in and apply to more jobs. My emails are always notifying me to answer them. There are always tasks in my Reminders app screaming to be attended to. I don’t have a Twitter, but I used to, and I know that there is always another tweet to post and a troll to respond to in our attempt to provide our precious, unsolicited insight into something we know nothing about.
Our phones have become synonymous with obligation and unactualized potential. Our phones are a symbol of what needs to be done and the endless possibilities available to us that are always more important than what we are doing, that make us feel guilty for not dropping everything and taking advantage of them… at least that’s how I feel. Why am I talking to my mom when I could be drawing attention to my blog? Why am I playing a video game when I could be selling the things I don’t need on Facebook Marketplace? Why am I reading fiction when I could be learning how to trade stocks and become a millionaire from my bedroom? These sound ridiculous right- well these are actually some of the thoughts I have had recently that struck me as pathologically neurotic and out of touch with the actuality of daily life.
I don’t feel good when I’m on my phone. I don’t even feel good when it’s in my pocket. I’m only a little more at ease when I have it on me but it’s on silent. I find it difficult to experience and appreciate the here and now when I’m anticipating my pocket vibrating. I can’t imagine how one can ever be fully present and attuned to a situation with their phone on them. We go to dinner and keep our phones on the table because they are more important than what is happening at the table. The very fact that they occupy table space sends the message that the phone is the number one priority at the table, not anyone or anything else. The presence of the device alone is enough to occupy enough of our attention to change the course and topic of conversation. I’ve noticed myself avoiding to add to a dialogue because I may be receiving a message soon and wouldn’t want to start a whole other topic just to interrupt it by having to answer my phone. The phone wins priority. Smartphones have instilled such a pathological sense of FOMO in us that our very idea of the present has been altered.
Every lull in conversation presents an opportunity for stimulation. Every awkward elevator ride now has an escape hatch. The present used to mean being aware of your surroundings. Lack of constant stimulation meant we had time to actually THINK for ourselves! Now we fill the time by scrolling through someone’s IG profile, reading trending hashtags, and watching yet another Youtube video. Don’t get me wrong, all of these things can be entertaining and even educational. The problem lies in the fact that we spend a significant amount of our time looking at and reading other people’s thoughts. We have lost our ability to think properly because we don’t ever have to. I believe this incessant consumption and consequential inability to formulate our own thoughts renders us vulnerable to ideology. This might even serve to explain the hyper-partisanship evident in America today.
I believe this incessant consumption and consequential inability to formulate our own thoughts renders us vulnerable to ideology. This might even serve to explain the hyper-partisanship evident in America today.
The burden of obligation and the sense of fleeting potential potential attached to our phones leaves us crippled by anxiety and confusion. The FOMO attached to the superficial portrayals of everyone’s oh-so-glamorous lifestyle leaves us depressed and questioning the merit surrounding our own lives.
Our primal brains are not equipped to handle the never-ending stream of information available to us on our devices. We simply cannot keep up with it all. There are only so many tragedies across the globe we can empathize with in the span of a week. The are only so many opposing opinions to be disputed on subreddits. Attempts to do so go against our intrinsic programming and always leave us feeling inadequate. You will never be able to stay on top of so many things at once and you should not aim to.
Our phones are extremely useful tools at our disposal for a variety of important functions. Remember though, that the key word there is “tool”. We should be in control of our phones, they should not control us. Hold on a sec… I’m getting a text.
