The Screen Trap: How Technology Connects and Confines Us

 Screens bring us together. Our brightly glowing desk or pocket boxes are our teachers, translators, and front-row seats to every gig, premiere, and newsroom. Thanks to these flashing, flat glass panels, no distance is too far, no news is missed, and images ranging from the cute to the spectacular fill the spare moments of our (well, at least my) days.

Yet, as any desk worker who’s ever logged their screen time knows, despite their ubiquity and utility, our relationship with screens is deeply conflicted. Do we need them? Absolutely. Do we enjoy using them? Not always. Are they good for us? That’s debatable, and with the library’s worth of books and courses offering to combat Digital Overwhelm, I wonder, is there a better way?

Every year at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES), tech companies showcase better screens with higher resolutions, improved refresh rates, and enhanced durability. The world’s largest screen manufacturer, Samsung, leads the way in the field of smart home technology with their self-described “screens everywhere” approach; and online tech magazine The Verge’s Thomas Ricker described how the new 7-inch washing machine interface will “undoubtedly provide great places to display ads. Hooray for that!”

Further innovations in MicroLED screens reduce fatigue while folding phones and dual screens offer more multitasking capabilities, enabling consumers to be busier and remain on their phones for longer. However, if a consumer still finds it, say, “all too much,” would it even be possible to opt out? Are we simply too reliant on digital tools to live our 21st-century lives to the full?

A select few have managed to drop their connections. In a technicolour world, digital minimalism is a luxury afforded to those who don’t have to book their own plane tickets. In 2015 Ed Sheeran threw away his mobile phone, citing a need for mental clarity and a desire to be more present in the moment. Since then, stars such as Michael Cera and Justin Bieber have done the same. Even Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has a “one-hour rule,” banning screens for a “slow-burn, phone-free morning to improve his energy levels and decision-making abilities all day long.” For the rest of us, turning away from screens and keeping our jobs, social connections, and modern way of life feels unrealistic. BBC journalist Sophia Epstein also pointed out in her article, "Is it possible to digital detox anymore?", that feeling the pressure to untether ourselves from our tech (and then failing to do so) can cause even more stress than being on it.

What, then, are the options for the average tired-eyed, sore-thumbed desk worker? How might they straighten up their posture and step away from the screen? And if they did, would these changes improve wellbeing? The first option is ambient technologies. Alexa and other voice-controlled devices allow users to interact with the digital world using a series of spoken commands. However, they have so far co-existed alongside screen-based technology, and with the widely-reported flop of the much-anticipated Humane phone (a voice-powered, AI-enriched wearable pin designed to replace smartphones) being described by CNET as “one of the biggest tech fails of 2024,” they have yet to replace them.

Other options include AI-enabled glasses and headsets, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated and user-friendly, but according to reviewers, also have yet to justify their $3,500 price tag. As Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge, described the latest Apple Vision Pro, it “has the best video passthrough I’ve ever seen on the sharpest VR displays any normal person will ever come across. But you’re still constantly being reminded that you’re looking at video on screens, and reality is just a lot more interesting than that.” AR doesn’t return any of the wellbeing lost to phone use. In fact, a 2023 study showed that AR leaves participants feeling more socially disconnected than before. What AR and VR goggles do add is bulk to a backpack and a pair of “face screens” that feel hefty even to the most heavily bespectacled.

If prolonged use of screens is so uncomfortable, why do we do it? Why are they so challenging to replace? One reason is that unlike AR and VR devices, which require us to put down whatever we’re doing and don some new (often quite unfashionable) headgear, screens have blended seamlessly into our lives and daily habits. They aren’t wearable and therefore don’t have to be considered in the same way as a fashion item; they are unisex and sometimes pocketable. They are a neutral, voiceless product that enables us to be more productive and reach more people before disappearing into the background. They are also not fragile enough to require high levels of maintenance; they remain operational with cracked screens and are so easy to use that a toddler can entertain themselves without supervision. They meet unforeseen needs at lightning speeds and even complement us biologically. Humans are visual animals, and as we scroll through our phones during meetings, we process images in 13 to 33 milliseconds and feel the dopamine rush shortly after. In comparison, auditory information takes longer to process, and more immersive methods just feel clunky.

So, how can we unstick ourselves from our screens and fall back in love with this physical and multisensory world of ours? To begin, it may help to consider who benefits most from our continuous engagement. As AI blends online and offline spaces further, it’s possible that the tech companies profiting from our lucrative (and freely given) attention may not want to reduce engagement with screenless products. The goal of Digital Design is more often to boost interaction rather than wellbeing, and unfortunately, some of our greatest distractions double as well-designed tools that help us through our days.

But if we cannot be free of screens, maybe we can be pickier with how and when we use them? A thriving market of products has sprung up to help limit screen time, either through locking apps during focus periods or, in the case of apps such as One Sec, asking the user to take a breath before accessing their favourite attention trap. And unless you’re Sheeran or Bezos, that might be the best option you have for now.