The Gradual Dehumanization of Society By The Means of

Cellphones

The mind is its own place, and in it self/Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell
of Heav'n.- John Milton, Paradise Lost
Have you ever talked to someone face-to-face while
simultaneously glancing at your phone to either scroll through your
newsfeed or send a quick text? I would imagine, at some point, we all
have. One could assert that The Industrial Revolution during the midlate 19th century sparked ingenuity resulting in myriad technological
advances, which did impact social interactions. Although, there has
been a major paradigm shift, in particular, with regard to how
technology, with a focus on cellphones, has led to alerting the way we
communicate and has affected our ability to establish meaningful
human connections. Presently, 92% of adults in America own a
cellphone, which includes 67% of that population owning a
smartphone. (Pew, Rainie) The portability and convenience of
smartphones have not only made them easily accessible, but also has
led to our increased dependence on them. One cannot deny the
historical significance and permeability of cellphones, although the use
and implications of cellphones during social exchanges has
dramatically changed over time. It seems increasingly evident that
people would rather text than talk. The Pew Research Center reported
that 55% of those who exchange over 50 text messages daily prefer to

text than talk. (Pew, Smith) The implications of decreased

conversations with people have changed the social norms and
etiquette of social exchanges. It has even been found that people text
at funerals. (TED, Sherry Turkle) Is there a space or setting which
exists anymore that has not been claimed by phone usage? The ability
to converse humanizes us, and utilizes our natural ability to empathize,
be comfortable in solitude, and allows us to embrace spontaneity and
risk. Three implications of this paradigm shift include the loss of
empathy, lack of solitude, and loss of spontaneity and risk taking.
The first mobile telephone call was placed on April 3, 1973 by a
Motorola executive named Martin Cooper. In the following years,
cellular networks (1G, 2G, 3G, 4G) were established throughout the
world to handle the bandwidth capabilities of the networks due to
phone call usage. Prior to handheld phones, telephones were
restricted to fixed locations. But now and a simple text can
communicate ones change of plans. Instead of todays youth staying
up late to read comic books under their covers with flashlights, people
of all ages remain awake at night on their phones. (The Mobile
Connection, Ling) We live on a planet with over 7 million people, and 6
million of those people have access to mobile phones, while there are
only 4.5 million people who have access to working toilets. (TIME,
Wang) Undeniably, cell phones are omnipresent in society today,

although they have socially altered the way we approach and conduct
conversations.
One main difference between humans and technological devices
is the fact that humans have the capacity to empathize. Empathy
enables people to put themselves in the position of others and
comprehend complex life matters. (TED, Sherry Turkle) Children
between the ages of 8-18 spend over 7 hours a day, seven days a
week, using media outside of school, while those between the ages of
12-17 claim to use texting as their primary means of communication.
(Computers in Human Behavior, Uhls) This excess exposure to phone
screens has decreased the ability for children to recognize nonverbal
cues. One middle school dean reported that, twelve-year-olds play on
the playground like 8-year olds. The way they exclude one another is
the way 8-year-olds would play. They dont seem able to put
themselves in the place of other children. (Sheryl Turkle NYT) At this
same school, a 7th grader excluded one of her classmates from a school
event, and when this student was questioned, she did not seem to
realize or read social cues that the student she excluded was upset. In
fact, the dean reported that her response seemed robotic. (Sheryl
Turkle NYT) The period of adolescence is when children and young
adults form a sense of who they are, and their essence becomes less
malleable as time wears on. The loss of empathy, in particular among

youth, has stunted their social development. Ones ability to empathize

has a direct correlation to a persons capability to embrace solitude.
Solitude allows time for self-reflection and a chance for inner
dialogue with oneself. Even in social settings, where there is a slight
pause or a brief moment of silence in a conversation, people reach for
their phones. Often this is referred to as the rule of three, in which
people deem it socially acceptable if they turn to their phones as long
as there are three people present who are attentively listening. (Sherry
Turkle NYT) When this attention volley ensues, it assures that
everyone is occupied with either a device or another person, but does
not amount to a conversation that has depth. In fact, research has
shown that any amount of time where ones attention is not occupied in
some capacity leads to great discomfort and uneasiness.
Timothy D. Wilson, a psychologist at the University of Virginia,
conducted a study that aimed to test college students capacity for
solitude. The students were told to sit in a room for anywhere from 615 minutes with the only stipulations being that they could not get up
from their chair or fall asleep. The results from the study concluded
that 67% of the male participants and 25% of the female participants
chose to receive minor electric shocks rather than be completely alone
with their thoughts. (Just Think: The Challenges of The Disengaged
Mind)

The idea of letting their minds wander without an intrusion

from mundane activities or technology did not appeal to most of the

college students. One could assert that there would be no harm if we

turn to our phones when we are by ourselves. Although if we dont
learn how to listen to and be comfortable with ourselves when we are
alone, we will not know how to listen or be comfortable when with
others. When we are in presence of others, face-to-face conversations
allows for an element of candidness. The final implication resulting
from cellphone usage is peoples discomfort with candid conversation,
which has led to the gradual loss or spontaneity and risk.
Social media platforms allow people to express their opinions to
a large audience. Although people remain weary when posting
sentiments on social media if their opinions deviate from the norm or
would cause controversy. Peoples avoidance of posting a message
that is confrontational was exemplified in a resent study. When Edward
Snowden, who worked for the NSA, leaked confidential government
surveillance information in 2013 that illuminated how the government
was monitoring the lives of Americans, most Americans stood divided
on the issue. The Pew Research Center concluded in a survey that 44%
opposed the fact that Snowden leaked the intelligence, while 49%
agreed that Snowden had done the right thing. (Pew, Spiral of Silence)
Although this difference in opinion regarding this issue did not spark
Americans to feel comfortable communicating their views through
social media platforms.

The Pew Research Center, in addition to their findings on how the

Snowden-NSA issue was received by the American public, conducted a
survey that included 1,801 adults. The results on the study brought to
light the fact that of the 14% of Americans who were unwilling to talk
in person about the issue, only 0.3% of them would agree to posting
their views on this topic on social media. (Pew, Spiral of Silence) This
statistic highlights the point that if Americans are uncomfortable
discussing a controversial issue in-person, they will be even less
inclined to express their views through social media platforms. On the
other hand, people were more likely to express their opinion if they
predicted people would agree with their views. The survey supports
this assertion due to the fact that coworkers were three times more
likely to discuss the Snowden-NSA conflict if they believed their fellow
coworkers would concur with their sentiments. (Pew, Spiral of Silence)
This avoidance of disputes when contentious issues are
discussed seem to be amplified, not minimized, by social media, which
is instantly accessible to us on smartphones. We can delete, edit, and
refine our virtual messages, which in turn have eradicated all
spontaneity from conversations. But in the moments where we
stumble in conversation with others is the time when we can discover
meaningful things about another person. (NYT, Sheryl Turkle) Although
when we avoid spontaneity and risk in conversations, we are greeted
with silence. Human beings are unique, meaning that each and every

person has a different perspective and outlook, which is a beautiful

thing. Although this is unfortunately being lost when peoples primary
modes of communication are through inanimate object. Even though
the three implications discussed seem daunting, one must not
underestimate the resiliency of the human spirit.
In 2014, a study was conducted to observe if the ability for preteens to recognize non-verbal cues, such as body language, facial
expressions, and vocal tone, at a device-free outdoor camp was
affected when an emphasis was put on face-to-face conversation. The
test group was comprised of a group 51 pre-teens from the same
public school in Southern California. (Computers in Human Behavior,
Uhls) In the place of devices, there was ample opportunities for faceto-face interaction during hikes, team building activities, and close
quarter living in cabins. At the end of the camp, the campers were able
to read social cues and correctly associate certain movements with
their corresponding emotion significantly better than the control group
which was not exposed to a device-free environment. Their capacity
and ability to empathize improved dramatically.
A persons ability to converse directly affects their ability to form
true human connections. The paradigm shift discussed, with regard to
how technology, with a focus on cellphones, has led to alerting the way
we communicate and has affected our ability to establish meaningful
human connections, has three major societal implications. This

paradigm shift has led to three major implications including: loss of

empathy, lack of solitude, and loss of spontaneity and risk taking.
These implications have affected multiple demographics of society, but
it has been found that young adolescents are particularly vulnerable.
In fact, 9% of people from the ages of 18-29 claimed it was generally
ok to use their cellphone during a church or worship services. (Pew,
Rainie) People are texting in church, at worship services, and at
funerals, which leads one to postulate whether there is any social
space or sphere that has not been claimed by technology.
It was shown that after children were exposed to a device-free
camp, they left the camp able to better identify non-verbal skills. One
must not fear solitude or regard it as an issue that needs solving, but
rather appreciate that ones imaginative capabilities are fostered and
produced during self-reflection. Social media platforms cannot replace
vocalizing your views, whether they are controversial or not, to an
audience. In order to be heard, we must not communicate silently
through messages, but convey our sentiments through audible means.
Your mind is not only where you foster your sense of self, but where
you learn how to articulate your disposition to other. Cellphones can
never replace the power of the human mind, thus it is of paramount
importance to reclaim spaces for thought and conversation in order to
ensure a fruitful and meaningful society.

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