Are Smartphones making us stupider?

When you wake up in the morning, do you first communicate with your partner or do you reach for your phone, or other device, to see what’s happening in the world? When out walking, how often have you had to dodge an inattentive pedestrian, with their attention firmly focused on their phone? Do you worry that your willpower has diminished and is no longer what it once was? Do you read as many books as you once read? Has your ability to concentrate slipped over recent years? Are you even able to read as many books as in the past? Has society’s ability to concentrate on key problems deteriorated so that it now prefers to focus on trivialities? Has public debate become more rancorous and partisan?

The prevalence of adverse answers to these questions may be the subtle consequence of the growing influence of social media in our lives. Johann Hari, a British-Swiss writer, has written a book titled Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention, which argues the case against social media.
Whereas other books considering humans’ dealings with technology tend to focus on personal responsibility, Hari examines the ecosystem that created the problem and finds it largely responsible.

The root of the problem is that social media companies do not maximise their profits by satisfying us. When we’re looking at our screens, these companies make money; when we’re not, they don’t. They can keep us stuck to our screens by stimulating us to stay online for as long as possible. An air of calm meditation is less likely to sustain our attention than an unending feeling of irritation and dissatisfaction.

This decline in concentration may appear to be a minor, first-world problem. But a study by Professor Michael Posner at the University of Oregon found that, if you are focusing on something and get distracted, it will take you 23 minutes on average to return to the same level of focus. When attention breaks down, problem-solving breaks down with it.

In one study, 136 students took a test; some had their phones turned off, while others received occasional text messages. Those who received messages scored about 20 per cent lower than those who didn’t.

Is it just a coincidence that reduced levels of underlying productivity growth across the western world started about 15 years ago, just as smartphones were taking off? At a societal level, this can lead to increased political polarisation. When Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil in 2019, his supporters chanted “Facebook! Facebook! WhatsApp! WhatsApp!” at his inauguration, by way of thanks.

There is no easy solution to this problem. There are steps that we can take as individuals: change the notification settings on your phone so your apps aren’t bugging you every few minutes.
Ultimately, however, a collective political reaction is required similar to the one that successfully combated atmospheric ozone levels.

Adapted from an article in the Sunday Times, 05 February 2023