Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.
It’s no secret that our phones are consuming us. If you need the time, check your phone. If you need directions, check your phone. If you want to know the temperature outside, check your phone. If you’re bored, check your phone.
Phones are undeniably useful tools. We rely on them for everything, and frankly, most of us couldn’t live without them — but that’s exactly the problem. It’s great to always have the answer in your pocket, but phones should not run our lives. Convenience has turned into dependency.
Everywhere you go, people are glued to their phones. In waiting rooms, crossing the street, at the park — you can find people with their eyes down, thumbs scrolling. Even at a red light, people can’t resist checking their phones. It’s like we have just forgotten how to exist without constant stimulation. It’s ridiculous.
We are missing out on the life that is happening right in front of us. The beauty of the world and the wonders of living in the moment are all traded for notifications and doomscrolling. People think their phones foster connection, but they really isolate us from the real world.
Spending hours on our phones each day has become normalized. As of 2024, the average American spends five hours and 16 minutes on their phone daily. In that time, you could read a whole book, bake cookies, feed your dog and maybe even learn CPR. If we all spent time away from our phones and instead did an enriching activity, we would be better people for it.
At social events, people barely even talk anymore. Instead of laughing deeply and creating memories, people sit in the corner, scrolling through their phone. It feels impersonal when you are hanging out with someone and they look at their screen the whole time.
“We have become professional spectators. Instead of fully experiencing, talking and living, we record, text and scroll.”
Humanity is so consumed by technology that people don’t even realize how dull conversations are becoming. Many people have completely lost the ability to sit in silence and think deeply. They instead let phones think for them.
Instead of doing a reinforcing activity like reading a book, practicing art skills, mastering another language or going on a walk, people devote themself and their time to their phone. Children aren’t off the hook either; they don’t make mud pies or jump on the trampoline anymore. They just sit and rot behind a screen.
Technology has even stolen our attention spans. The past few years of research shows that the average human attention span is around 47 seconds, which is shorter than most TikToks.
And the phone addiction becomes even worse when it comes to taking photos. Sure, pictures help us remember moments, but constant documentation kills the moment itself. People can’t enjoy anything without posting it. It’s not about having the memory; it’s about showing it off.
We have become professional spectators. Instead of fully experiencing, talking and living, we record, text and scroll. Instead of phones being tools, they have become handcuffs, and people don’t even know they are trapped in them. Most also can’t recognize how much time they spend staring at a screen until the weekly screen time report tells them they’re averaging three hours a day on TikTok. When you’re scrolling, three hours feels like 30 minutes. It snatches our lives away from us.
The worst part is we can’t even blame the phones. We let this happen. People choose to spend their free time on their phone because it is the new normal. But it shouldn’t be, and it’s up to humanity to make a change.
If you find yourself on your phone when you don’t need to be, put it away. Look out the window, talk to a stranger and soak up all the beauty of the world while you can. This is the life that matters, not the life you have online.
Reach Charlotte Seymour at letters@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
