What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
For me, it’s either turn off my alarm or check to see what time it is. Second, I look up the weather forecast for the day. Then, I check my email.
All of this I can do while still in bed, thanks to my smartphone.
Nearly 70 percent of smartphone owners check their phones within an hour of getting up. It is such a commonplace practice that it would be considered unusual if you owned a smartphone and didn’t check it every morning.
In fact, it is almost unusual if someone does not own a smartphone. A 2015 Statista study found that ownership more than doubled between 2010 and 2013, increasing from 62.6 million to 144.5 million owners in the United States. This same study predicted that ownership would pass 200 million by 2017. This means that nearly two-thirds of Americans would own smartphones.
In addition, smartphones are becoming faster, sleeker and smarter with every new model. Every new data plan advertises more data at higher speeds. Countless apps are available for anything you could imagine, from games to fitness to budgets.
"Mobile phone addiction” is not an official diagnosis, but there is strong evidence of its negative effects on our ability to socialize.
Boredom is becoming obsolete. Any spare moment can be spent fiddling with our smartphones. The average person uses his smartphone 90 minutes per day. This adds up to about 24 days per year.
And it’s not just spare time. It is becoming increasingly common to use our smartphones during social situations. Sometimes it’s practical, like calling a friend who’s late or taking a picture. But just as often — if not more so — we use our smartphones in place of direct social interaction.
Lisa Merlo, director of psychotherapy at University of Florida, reported having patients who pretend to be talking on the phone or otherwise use it to avoid direct interaction in social situations.
And 58 percent of people describe themselves as “usually” or “occasionally” using their phone in social settings. Jumio's 2013 Mobile Customer Habits study found that one-third of U.S. adults admit to using their phones while on dinner dates. Even more startling, the study showed that one-fifth of U.S. adults from ages 18 to 34 admit to using their phones during sex.
Nowadays, we use our smartphones to replace real social interaction.
Instead of making phone calls, we send texts and analyze how long it takes someone to text back. We judge ourselves based on how many followers or likes we have on Instagram. People with large numbers are considered more popular, and popular is rapidly becoming “better.” The more your phone is blowing up with alerts and texts, the cooler you become.
This is flawed. It favors quantity over quality and instant gratification over real connections. Texting is convenient and social media is great for sharing what’s going on in your life, but they should never replace direct interaction.