Doing It All
We all know it and we’ve all felt it: Phones are not only addictive, but a necessity.
Designed to be eye-catching, trigger a serotonin response, and serve as a vital tool for socialization, cellphones are a necessary evil and have become an integral part of our society. At any given moment, they enable us to work from anywhere, stay in contact with friends and family, and have access to entertainment with the tap of our thumbs. Without cellphones, we wouldn’t have 24/7 access to Internet-born conveniences like ride-share apps, grocery delivery services, breaking news, or the latest silly cat videos.
Not only that, but according to Amanda Ruggeri, a journalist from BBC, cellphones have changed the way our brains work, making us even more dependent by pruning away unused neural pathways and laying the foundation for new ones. Not unsurprisingly, many of those neural pathways lead to greater cellphone attachment. “The more useful our phones become, the more we use them,” Ruggeri says,”[and] the more we use them, the more we feel an urge to check our phone even when we don't have to.”
Via u/AndreyPopov
While we use our phones for emailing, texting, calling, and other social connectivity, we also use them to pay bills, shop online, and play mobile games. According to a recent study, adults in the US check their phones, on average, 344 times a day. Based on my calculations, that’s basically once every two minutes. Cellphones are truly a do-it-all multi-tool, an extra limb for our backflipping, overstimulated brains, and because of that, they’ve become nearly impossible to put down.
It’s hard to live in the modern world and remain autonomous from our cellular devices because society’s dependence on continued connectivity is paramount. Nevertheless, phone users can experience soul-cleansing peace when they finally do put their devices away. Without the 24/7 utility of humanity’s favorite multi-tool, suddenly they’re forced to reconcile with the natural neural pathways without the distracting noise, focusing on the present, living in the moment, and at times, maybe even getting a little bored. It’s in those quieter moments that the brain flourishes, allowing itself to wander without the guiding hand of advertisers, social media followers, pending assignments, or emails from clients.
After researching the effects of phone use and the developing brain, pediatrician Michael Rich, MD says, “Boredom is the space in which creativity and imagination happen.” Rich says that it’s important for young people especially to have balanced experiences to enrich their brain, both on and offline. It’s hard to snap out of the fog of doomscrolling and break the phone hypnosis, but it’s essential for their brain’s development to experience the world away from handheld devices, embracing the solitude of one’s own thoughts.
While the solitude of silence is intimidating, it can help detangle the mess of thoughts, emotions, and to-do lists that are otherwise bouncing around in our heads.
Phantom Limb
With brains constantly buzzing with thoughts like an angry beehive, there is something romantic about silencing the chaos. Recently, Gen Z has been experimenting with intentional isolation from their devices by following a trend called “Solo Table Theory.” Cosplaying as their pre-mobile ancestors, young people are testing out what it feels like to exist in public without company, without music, and most importantly, without phones. Amidst the hustle and bustle of a coffee-craving public, Gen Z is deliberately seeking uncomfortable solitude without their phone as a crutch.
Via u/lizclay
To older generations who spent most of their life without a cellphone, this probably seems like the dumbest trend ever. However, for young people, “Solo Table Theory” presents an opportunity (perhaps, their first since childhood) to be completely alone with their thoughts, ruminating in the discomfort of self-consciousness without their usual distractions.
Because of their prolonged exposure to constant connectivity, Gen Z’s generation has begun to put immense value on independence. Rebecca Cohen, a cultural blogger comments on this phenomenon saying that Gen Z is seeking solitude because they’re burnt out from constant noise, codependent behaviors, and emotional dependence. As a result, Gen Z is reclaiming their autonomy and seeking public isolation as an exercise. In the same way that older generations nostalgify their unplugged past, younger generations are now logging off and reclaiming their own version of an analog existence.
According to Forbes Technology Council, there are a number of reasons why reducing phone use and turning off your mobile devices is good for you. Powering off reduces stress, lessens aggressive blue light exposure, fosters creativity, helps combat insomnia, promotes face-to-face social interaction, and can help maintain a good work-life balance. While we need our phones to be functioning adults in society, we don’t need to be constantly looking at them or patting our pockets to ensure they’re with us at all times. Despite a lifetime glued to their phones, Gen Z has made abundantly clear that nobody needs to be on their phone all the time; it’s healthier to come up for air once and a while.
Via u/Yacobochuk
Psyched About Solitude
“Solo Table Theory” may seem like another silly TikTok trend, but it’s shining a light on an entire generation’s relationship with technology. Ironically, in order to document their offline experience, they need to record themselves with their phones, but we can’t expect Gen Z to go cold turkey overnight. After a lifetime of exposure to notification blips, online networking, and continuous pressure to post on social media, it’s no wonder this trend is taking youths by storm. Gen Z was just waiting for an excuse to turn their phones off without guilt, and the “Solo Table Theory” provides the perfect justification under the guise of self-exploration, scientific rationale, and a twinge of nostalgia.
Young people may never understand what it would be like to live without cellphones, but while sipping on a flat white at a coffee shop, they can cosplay an unplugged life, watching the world shift around them in electronic-free bliss.