Are Smartphones Stupid?

If you get on the subway in Beijing, Shanghai,  Shenzhen—or any city in China, really—you’ll be confronted with a sea of people;  but you’ll be hard pressed to find a pair of eyes not glued to a phone or tablet. As smartphones become increasingly ubiquitous in China—there are an estimated 700 million of them, concentrated in affluent urban areas— their users seem to be only physically present while their consciousness is projected down into their glowing screen and,  from there, out into the ether of elsewhere. This growing phenomenon of “present absence” is changing the face of in-person communication in China.

China is a country that has traditionally held the elderly in the highest esteem, always treating them with the utmost Confucian filial piety. But few grandparents are technology-friendly, meaning they are beginning to feel alienated from their children and grandchildren. Zhang Youde, a sociologist at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, says, “Most elderly, who are used to face-to-face interaction, have been left behind by the information era.” This point was powerfully illustrated by a viral story about a family dinner attended by three grandchildren— what should have undoubtedly been a happy occasion—ended in a rage. The three children were playing games and reading Weibo (微博, a Chinese app similar to Twitter) on their smartphones while their grandfather futilely attempted to engage them. The elderly man became so frustrated that he smashed a plate on the ground and stormed off to his room yelling, “You only care for your phones!”

Unfortunately, this sort of behavior isn’t limited to intergenerational communication. A few years ago, dinner at any restaurant in urbanized China was a cacophony of clinking glasses and boisterous chatter. These days, there is a whole lot more tapping and a whole lot less talking. It’s not uncommon to see a group of friends sitting around a table neither speaking nor looking at each other. They’re each in their own electronic worlds until the plates of food arrive; then they all snap pictures of the dishes to share on their social networks. This sort of behavior can result in increasingly dissociative conduct; devoting time to “virtual” friends eats into time for real friends, making the former seem more intimate than the latter. Ultimately, this leads to a lonelier and less fulfilling existence.

The smartphone’s ability to wrap users in a sort of technological cocoon in which they are insulated from the world around them can lead to significant degeneration of social skills. In the worst cases, users find themselves unable to look others in the eye, unwilling to express themselves without a technological interface, and lacking confidence without digital “likes.” But perhaps the most detrimental effect of this obsession is a growing incapacity to be alone and “in the moment.”

Of course, cell phones and smartphones are not all bad; they make it easier to keep in touch and stay informed. But it’s important to strike a balance.  If you find your need for technology interrupting the flow of your story, your ability to daydream and your desire to create something wonderful, take a step back. Life changes fast; blink – and if you’re constantly caught up in your phone – you may miss it. They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating. So stow your gadget, look up and taste the beauty of the world around you.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

If you’re interested in learning more about CSOFT’s globalization and localization solutions, visit our Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn pages or you can visit our webpage!