You will have heard a lot about people going into a public space and finding “everyone” is on their phones. As if, somehow, everyone doing the same thing is bad.
You will have heard cries of “no one was reading a book”, or “no one had a newspaper”, and let’s not forget the old favourite: “listening to music without headphones”. It’s terrible! We are forgetting how to talk to each other!
Putting aside the fact that if someone started any kind of conversation on the London Underground - or, God forbid, standing at a urinal in the gents - we would all (correctly) assume they were, at the very least, massive weirdos. That would be an acceptable excuse for “just holding it in” or for getting off at the next stop to wait for the next service.
What is this really all about? Why are people so worried that everyone is always on their phones? Is it really concern for them, or - and I think we know the answer to this one - is that just what certain people are dressing it up as, as they seek to exercise “control” over others?
The first thing to consider is what “on the phone” really means. It’s certainly not calls. Remember the days when, rather than calling a person, we called a property and asked whoever answered if the person we actually wanted was there - and, if not, whether we could enlist them in a (usually fruitless) search?
Just think of the power! “Is he in the garage?” “Is he down the garden?” “Have you checked the kitchen?” This is why kids weren’t overweight: “I’ll check” followed by a sprint. At a moment’s notice as well - no warming up back in the day.
So no, it’s not calls. So what are people doing?
Well, as you might not have heard, there have been an amazing number of studies on this. For example, PWC found that phone use was 87.8% for communication, 59.7% for photos, 58.2% for entertainment, and 43.8% for education/work.
Did you spot it? That’s significantly more than 100%, so at this stage you should be asking, “How come?”
The answer is that this survey shows who is using their phone for what. It’s quite possible for the same person to use their phone for communication, photos, entertainment, and work.
Honestly, this does make me wonder how 12.2% of people have avoided using their phone for “communication”. I mean… that’s a secret they should share.
Now let’s look at reading. Goodreads reported that 37% of people read ebooks, while another US/UK consumer survey put it at 43%. Could it be that 4 in 10 of the people being observed are reading books?
So what about newspapers? Those figures are even higher. GMA reported that 86% of adults get news via a digital device (phone, tablet, or computer) at least occasionally. That’s a lot, right?
Now look at games - staggering, that’s as high as 2 in 3 people. Watching TV (or films) is as high as 4 in 5.
So what does this mean? The main takeaway is that “on your phone” doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone.
Why does this matter? Because people use “on their phone” as a catch-all criticism. But it’s basically a device that lets you communicate with family and friends, read the latest news, watch any TV programme ever made, or play both the latest and classic games.
Put that way, why would you not want to be on it? What are you doing that isn’t one of those things? Juggling? Dancing? Eating a pizza?
But what else does it allow you to do? Be private.
If I’m reading a paper, people can see I’m reading a paper. If I’m reading a book, people can see I’m reading a book. If I’m talking to someone in public, anyone can listen in.
Would it be better if people reading books on their phones held up a sign saying “I’m reading a book”? Does that solve the issue?
No. It doesn’t.
Because it’s not about what the person is doing - it’s about trust.
If someone is talking in a language I don’t understand, do I trust them not to be talking about me? If they’re reading a book, am I certain it’s not something to do with me?
On a phone, you can’t be. They could, in their own private little bubble, be doing anything.
Am I happy with that? Really happy?
Me? Yes.
It’s their world. It’s their bubble. If they want to do something that doesn’t affect anyone else (or me), do I really want to interfere? No. That’s a boundary I would be very uncomfortable crossing.
It smacks of “goodthink” and the like.
Some people, though, like to wrap it up as “people on their phones”. That’s something bad. Something to oppose.
Really, it’s just their insecurities dancing in public.
Nothing more.
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