There has been one specific topic of conversation that has been in my mind all week. After an incident involving a collision with a woman on the street that was too preoccupied with her cellphone to acknowledge my existence, I wondered: How has our society changed with the release of the smartphone? Surely, during the beginning of the Information Age, there must have been an observable shift in the way humans interact and go about every day. Since the release of the iPhone in 2007, the world has transformed into a more, and at the same time, less informed version of itself than 10 years ago.
From a news standpoint, the smartphone has eliminated hours and hours of crowding around televisions to hear the headlines of the days. This goes for news on every level. Everything from cover stories on the Wall Street Journal to the local news can be directly read in the palm of your hand. Though I may be late on the realization, in this last week I have had time to reflect on the topic and couldn’t help but find it astonishing.
From my bed early in the morning, I can read about first-hand accounts of the violence occurring in the Middle East. If I could go back 10 years and see how the people of 2006 received their news, I’d describe it as something close to barbaric, being constrained to reading news on television and personal computers. Even the more traditional ways, such as physical newspapers, were (and still are) used. However, there is something about using that palm-sized PC that makes everything seem normal to me now.
The communication aspect of the smartphone has also brought our society closer together in general. At any location and at any time, a user with a smartphone can update their location and current activity for the world to see. This has allowed people to follow the lives of their loved ones, or even strangers, closely. As disturbing as this may sound, I can’t help but find it absolutely eye-opening. With apps like Facebook and Twitter, finding relatives with whom we’ve lost contact, catching up on the news, and reading the latest reviews can be done anytime and anywhere. This has allowed users to integrate the smartphone into everyday life and every moment of the day in general. By having the smartphone as a close and necessary accessory to every aspect of the day, the phone simply becomes an extension of the user.
The social aspect of the smartphone has become an interesting topic to focus on recently, too. There are two sides to the argument: one, smartphones are the ultimate social tool as they connect people from all over the world. Two, a multitude of people are glued to their screens and are unable to carry out a conversation with a living person in front of them. Though it is true that many people abuse the smartphone by overusing it in the worst of times, the smartphone brings social life to a whole new level. As a society, we have shifted towards looking at our screens to meet new people and create plans. Without the need for a letter or even a call, planners can create invitations and guest lists straight from their phones. This has streamlined event planning, both personal and professional, and has created a very impersonal method of invitation.
The result of this kind of behavior is left for anyone to decide. Dating has also taken on a new edge with apps like Tinder that have drastically reduced the amount of time that it usually took to find possible romantic partners. No longer will anyone need to go out and meet new people in person. I personally find that sad, but awe-inspiring at the same time. In one decade, a standard for meeting new people and being social is thrown out the window and replaced by the smartphone.
The smartphone has defined a generation, and set a course to a much more connected world.
