A Photographer Is Chronicling The “Death Of Conversation” Due To Smartphones
“We are emotional beings and need human-to-human contact to feel good.”
This project is the work of Babycakes Romero, a London-based photographer.
“It was something I kept seeing over and over again as well as experiencing first hand.”
“I saw that smartphones were becoming a barrier to communication in person. I saw how people used it as a social prop to hide their awkwardness, to fill the silence, but as I continued to observe and document this modern phenomenon I felt that the devices were actually causing the awkwardness and the silence.”
“It is a form of rejection and lowers the self-worth of the person superseded for a device. I feel it also highlights a growing sense of self-absorption in people as they would rather focus on their world in their phone rather than speak to the person they are with.”
I don’t have a problem with portable tech specifically, because our devices facilitate our lives, but I believe it is making people seriously dull…
I started to photograph people in company on their phones as there was a certain symmetry to them and it appealed on a visual level, but as I continued I noticed an inherent sadness to the proceedings.
Before mobile phones were invented, people would have had no choice but to interact. However, that is no longer necessary as we can all now “pretend” we are doing something “important” on our devices rather than think of something to say. This is killing conversation. I believe it’s increasing social pain.
Most people used to use cigarettes as a social prop. Admittedly, they’re bad for your health, but at least they didn’t turn people into ‘plugged in’ bores. Together we must be strong and release ourselves from the shackles of smartphones and bring face-to-face chat back!
More info: babycakesromero.com