Our Smartphones Are Manipulating Us
Through notifications, alerts, and subtle cues, our devices constantly demand our attention while collecting vast amounts of personal data. This behavior builds a sense of connection that keeps us returning to them again and again.
Daily screen time continues to rise worldwide, particularly among young people. This growing dependence has led to policy responses, such as phone bans in schools across Canada, the United States, and other countries.
The pull of our devices is strengthened by social media, video streaming, gaming, and the use of AI chatbots. Yet, to fully understand this influence, we must focus on the devices themselves rather than just the content.
“As I argue in my newly published book, Needy Media: How Tech Gets Personal, our phones – and more recently, our watches – have become animated beings in our lives.”
These technologies form emotional bonds with us by recognizing our presence and reacting to our physical cues. Loaded with complex sensors and features, smartphones engage our senses and instincts in subtle but powerful ways. Visual signals, vibration patterns, motion and sound detection—all combine to make the phone feel aware and responsive.
“The emotional cues designed into these objects and interfaces imply that they need our attention, while in actuality, the devices are soaking up our data.”
Individually, these functions might seem harmless. Collectively, they turn the device into an intimate companion—an ever-present, sensitive, and seemingly knowing entity that quietly manipulates how we spend our time and attention.
Author’s Summary
Modern smartphones skillfully mimic emotional connection, drawing users in while harvesting personal data through constant sensory engagement.