Smartphones are objects found in one’s everyday life and utilized for various reasons. It has become one of society’s technological advances, which has significantly changed the lives of those individuals who own one, myself included. If you own a smartphone, you find yourself bringing it with you everywhere you go; whether it may be school, work, gym, or simply places where you find leisure, smartphones are the one object that you’re accompanied by. Individuals can be seen to be physically (if not emotionally) attached to their smartphones, as this has become a central form of communication between people, through the use of texting, calling, and social networking sites – which smartphones have allowed quicker and easier access to. Smartphones have shaped everyday life and broader modern life as this has become an object in which individuals rely on to cope in a world of chaos, demonstrated by Simmel (1950; cited in Inglis, 2005). It has also made way for individuals to present themselves to society (Goffman, 1956), along with making them susceptible to social alienation (Seeman, 1959).
The everyday use of smartphones has changed how individuals interact with one another; from landlines to a simple text message, communication has never been made easier. Nowadays, individuals are not obligated to stay within their local areas to maintain social relationships (Inglis, 2005). A person’s relationship is not constricted by geography and those close friends and acquaintances can all be communicated with from a distance (Inglis, 2005) through the use of smartphones. This simple, portable device, which can be bought from straight from the phone company’s retail store, various department stores and mobile network providers, can make and receive phone calls and text messages, take pictures and videos, and provide GPS for individuals to navigate their way to certain locations. However, over years, smartphones have become a gateway to easier access to social networking sites (Chopra-Gant, 2016), demonstrating how technology has rapidly evolved in the past several years. In this ever-changing modern society, according to Simmel (1950), one must learn to survive life in the metropolis, which can be overwhelming (cited in Inglis, 2005). Thus, to strive in this state of chaos, one must learn to disengage with their environment and develop certain coping strategies to deal with what’s around them and respond with a certain level of emotion towards others (Simmel 1950; cited in Inglis, 2005). Smartphones have been beneficial in allowing individuals to steer away from their surroundings and be in control of themselves by putting their heads down and ignoring unimportant aspects of the environment, which according to Simmel (1950) is another coping mechanism (cited in Inglis, 2005). This is supported by Fullwood, Quinn, Kaye and Redding (2017) who found that context led individuals to smartphone use, for instance, those who were in unfamiliar settings felt more secure when using their mobile devices. Hence, in support of Simmel’s theory, the important attachment to the smartphone has enabled individuals to manage their way through a disordered environment, allowing them to feel safe.
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Smartphone use can further be analyzed through the importance of one’s presentation of self. According to Goffman (1956), self-presentation is a social behavior to inhibit certain information of one’s self to influence the impressions made by other people. Social networking sites, which have been made easier to access by smartphones, have enabled users to present themselves in a certain way through what they post in order to show people who they are. Simmel (1998) emphasizes how all the relationships between human beings are based on the fact that each one knows some sort of information about the other (cited in Fortunati, 2005). For example, on a social networking site such as ‘Facebook’, individuals can select certain photographs to display their attractiveness and form self-descriptions that can enhance themselves in a positive manner (Mehdizadeh, 2010). Moreover, Chopra-Gant (2016, p.132) supports Goffman’s concept of ‘presentation of self’, which is expressed through digital photography as a response to the ‘existential crisis’ of one’s self in this postmodern society. Individuals attempt to reaffirm their relevance and significance of self and their experience through this medium (Chopra-Gant, 2016). This demonstrates how the smartphone has created an innate necessity for some people to portray themselves as the person they wish to be or believe other people want to see, which shows how smartphones can also create insecurities within one’s self. Another example can be seen through the application ‘Foursquare’ whereby the use of a smartphone enables individuals to share their locations with friends through checking themselves online once at a certain location (Saker, 2017). The act of checking-in and sharing location was found to be front stage behavior by users to present an aspect of their identity to an audience (Saker, 2017). Thus, the concept of presentation of self by Goffman (1956) is exhibited through the use of smartphones in conjunction with social networking sites and the need to elicit positive impressions from others in today’s society.
Social alienation is a negative implication of the increasing use of smartphones. Seeman (1959) provided a new meaning of alienation, in addition to that described by Marx, which focused on the conditions of the workers in a capitalist society. Social alienation can be defined by five characteristics: powerlessness, whereby the individual believes he cannot determine any outcome of his decisions as they are not in control of their lives; meaningless, in the sense that individuals feel that their beliefs or behaviors have no meaning; normlessness, which is the disintegration of certain norms that were once significant in society; social isolation, which is the feeling of being separated from society; and self-estrangement, whereby less emphasize is placed on the individual’s interests and desires and more demand placed by social norms or other people (Seeman, 1959). Cahir, Jayde, and Lloyd (2015) found that messaging practices in the presence of others have become a norm and that there is a lack of display of care towards other people in one’s surroundings. This demonstrates how the norm of paying full attention and not interrupting in co-present situations is gradually vanishing due to smartphones (Cahir, Jayde & Lloyd, 2015). Thus, exhibiting how characteristics of normlessness and social isolation in regards to social alienation has become prevalent in today’s society through the increase of smartphone use.
Smartphones have been the central medium of communication between people, and a great form of self-expression, it has contributed to the social alienation of individuals in society (Docu, 2018). Social networking sites, through smartphones, have created an even greater disconnection between individuals; for instance, Primack et al. (2014) tested social isolation of young adults utilizing different social media platforms, and found that those who spent more than two hours a day on social media had high social isolation rates. Additionally, through smartphones, individuals are able to instantly receive notifications in regards to their social media, where they are able to read comments, look at likes, and find comparisons between their lives and others through online posts, making themselves believe their life is not as meaningful as others as they don’t feel or look as satisfied as those in the posts (Abel, Buff, & Burr, 2016). As mentioned before, self-presentation has become an important factor on social networking sites now, in particular through the use of smartphones, which aim to form a good impression by others. Hence, smartphone use and social networking sites have greatly changed the lives of all individuals and have created negative ramifications for them, such as social alienation.
In conclusion, it is made evident that the smartphone has become a necessity in most people’s lives. It has significantly shaped our lives in both positive and negative ways. This is demonstrated through the secure attachment to the mobile decide which allows people to connect to loved ones, and be in control of themselves in their chaotic environment; the need for individuals to present themselves through social networking sites; and the social alienation that develops from having a strong connection to the smartphone. The smartphone reveals the heavy reliance on technology in the modern-day society, and in this fast-changing environment, it will only continue to add significance to the user’s everyday life.
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