The smartphone trap we built for ourselves
It’s time to end the mandatory QR code.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of things that, as recently as seven years ago, we could reliably do without a smartphone:
- Read a restaurant menu while seated inside, and pay your check.
- Enter a concert or sporting event.
- Use a parking garage or park your car on the street.
- Receive packages or retrieve purchases.
- Complete the sign-in process for work, banking, or government services.
- Attend school events or communicate with your kid’s school.
- Access health care and other kinds of appointments.
- Take public transit.
- Get a taxi.
- Get into a gym or fitness class.
I’ve been thinking about this drift toward mandatory apps and QR codes a lot lately, as a new millennial parent unhappy with my addictive tendency to mindlessly scroll near my baby. I also know that, parent or not, the research on ways that heavy smartphone use negatively affects our own well-being, attention spans, and relationships has become near-impossible to ignore. And people don’t need meta-analyses to be convinced: It’s why so many are turning to tools and hacks that aim to help us limit our phone use, or at least time spent scrolling on certain apps. It’s also why we’re seeing a wave of new clubs and social events that are proudly phone-free.
I think these “digital detoxes” are encouraging, and I’ve been researching so-called dumb phones myself.
Recommended For You
- Dopamine loops: Apps use random rewards, likes, and infinite feeds to trigger small hits of dopamine.
- Habit formation: Your brain learns to expect a reward every time your phone buzzes or lights up.
- Lower focus: Simply having your phone in the same room—even when turned off—uses up brain power and lowers your concentration.
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