Smartphones are increasingly becoming home

Have you noticed that too? Many users ignore direct contact persons on their smartphones!

The smartphone has become a second home for many users. This is the conclusion reached by anthropologists at University College London (UCL). Accordingly, mobile devices have become home places for people to which they have developed an emotional connection like their houses or apartments. The scientists documented cell phone use in nine countries around the world for more than a year.

Home in your pocket

“The smartphone is perhaps the first object to challenge the home itself (and possibly the workplace) in terms of the amount of time we spend inside while awake,” the study says. The UCL researchers describe this effect with the term “transport home” and explain: “We are always at home with our smartphone. We have become human snails that carry our home in our pockets.” This is linked to the tendency to ignore friends and family in favor of the device.

“The smartphone is no longer just a device that we use, it is the place where we live,” explains study leader Daniel Miller. “The downside of this for human relationships is that at any point, whether during a meal, a meeting or some other shared activity, a person we are with can simply disappear after going home to their smartphone. “

Risk of “death of proximity”

This phenomenon has led to the “death of closeness” when it comes to personal interactions. “This behavior and the frustration, disappointment or even offense it can cause is what we call the 'death of closeness'. “We learn to live with the danger that even when we are physically together, we can be alone socially, emotionally or professionally,” explains Miller.

The researchers see chat apps, which they call the “heart of the smartphone,” as the main cause of this change. For many users, a single app is the most important thing on their smartphone - whether “LINE” in Japan, “WeChat” in China or “WhatsApp” in Brazil. “These apps are the platforms where siblings come together to care for aging parents, proud parents send endless photos of their babies, and migrants reconnect with families. They are the means by which they can be grandparents even if they live in another country.”

Consequences of smartphone use

The focus of the study was on older adults “who see themselves as neither young nor older.” The researchers further describe that the smartphone home is not a place of refuge, as social media and work communication have the potential to demand constant communication.

However, Miller also warns against an overly negative view: “The smartphone helps us develop and restore a variety of helpful behaviors, from restoring extended families to creating new spaces for healthcare and political debate. Only by looking at the very different uses and contexts can we fully understand the consequences of smartphones on the lives of people around the world.”

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Link to the “Aging with Smartphones” study: http://uclpress.co.uk/products/171346

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