Is all this time spent using a smartphone really such a destructive element in our lives? Do we really need to ‚look up‘?

The film has received mixed responses in the media, being dismissed as „sentimental nonsense“ and „tone-deaf spoken-word verse“ and the author has since backpedaled from his rhymed cristicism of social media’s „illusion“, „delusion“ and „confusion“.

To clarify, I think social media is a great thing! It just needs to be used in moderation. Use it, but don’t let it dictate your life.

— Gary Turk (@Gary_Turk) 10. Mai 2014

Dis-connected?

The amount of time spent using a smartphone is steadily rising. The latest studies estimate two hours and forty minutes of every smartphone user’s day is spent looking at their device, with the typical users checking their phone 150 times a day.

It has been shown that excessively looking at other women’s selfies can have a negative psychological impact on women. But there is little evidence to show that the smartphone and social media themselves are socially destructive.

The Look Up video also picks up on a common debate about the apparent over-use of smartphones on trains

„I can’t stand to hear the silence of a busy commuter train / When no one wants to talk for the fear of looking insane.“

In a recent talk on smartphone use at the Berlin re:publica 2014, researcher Kate Miltner explained that public places were no more alive with conversation before smartphones than they are today. If anything, smartphones have increased the potential for social interaction by allowing users to interact remotely.

A study co-authored by Miltner has proven that mobile phones do not have a negative impact on our relationships.

Contrary to popular belief, […] failing to adhere to injunctive (i.e., societal) norms regarding mobile phone usage does not impact relational quality. Rather, results indicate that perceived adherence to participants‘ own internal standards —by both the participant, and the participant’s relational partner— and perceived similarity between partners were more influential.

„How many of you had a partner leave you because you texted at the dinner table?“ Miltner asked the re:publica attendees. No one raised their hand.

Regardless of the evidence, the video’s simplistic approach to the social media debate has struck a chord with the web’s concerned digital citizens. Nearly a quarter of a million have rated the video positively, while only 7,379 gave it a thumbs down.

„We’ve become a generation Smart Phones & Dumb People!“, one viewer has posted.

Technoparanoia, self-loathing and smartphones go hand in hand it would seem. Even if smartphones don’t have a negative impact on us, this video proves that a significant amount of people think it does.

Feature image: A man uses a smartphone. via Shutterstock / copyright: file404