Our smartphones are manipulating us
Beeping alerts and endless notifications, paired with the constant collection of our data, have turned smartphones into companions that subtly control our attention. People worldwide, particularly the younger generation, are spending increasing amounts of time on their phones each day.
This growing dependence has led some governments, including those in Canada and the United States, to ban phone use in schools. Social media, gaming, streaming, and even interactions with AI chatbots all amplify this grip on our focus.
The emotional design of technology
According to the book Needy Media: How Tech Gets Personal, digital devices are evolving into lifelike entities in our daily routines. More than just tools, our phones and watches detect our presence, respond to our touch, and adapt to our behaviors, forming connections that feel deeply personal.
“Our phones – and more recently, our watches – have become animated beings in our lives.”
By appealing to our senses and emotions, these devices cultivate the illusion that they need our care and engagement, even as they continuously harvest our data.
How devices keep our attention
- Face recognition and geolocation personalize the experience and track our movements.
- Touchscreens, sound alerts, and vibrations provide tangible feedback that draws us in.
- Motion and audio sensors enhance interactivity, creating a sense of responsiveness and care.
Each of these features alone may seem harmless, but combined they transform the smartphone into a uniquely intimate presence—always ready to react, engage, and collect.
Author’s Summary
Our smartphones mimic empathy and companionship, forming emotional bonds that ensure we stay connected while they quietly record and monetize our every interaction.
More News
- IndiGo Flights Cancellation Live Updates
- Congress gridlocked on key issues as year-end deadline looms
- Après la tentative de coup d'Etat au Bénin, la menace du pouvoir kaki plus présente que jamais en Afrique
- Benin coup attempt foiled by loyalist troops, interior minister says
- Hundreds stranded after IndiGo canceled 1,000 flights in India air travel chaos
- Commuters hot under the collar as snow, ice gridlock roads across Seoul
- Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan in focus: PCB clears Big Bash NOCs for Pakistan players, but with a catch
- Heavy rain gridlocks KL traffic
- Breaking: Loyalist troops foil coup attempt in Benin
- Benin: the government declares coup attempt has been 'foiled'