In today’s society, the use of smartphones occupies a significant amount of people’s time and attention, making it an indispensable tool in daily life. Some experts even refer to it as the biggest modern parasite.
Australian National University Philosophy Associate Professor Rachael L. Brown and University of New South Wales Evolutionary Science Professor Rob Brooks wrote in an article on The Conversation website that the modern parasite is not a blood-sucking invertebrate, but rather a smartphone that is stylish in appearance, equipped with glass screens, and designed to be addictive.
Smartphones are far from benign tools, as they parasitize our time, attention, and personal information, all for the benefit of tech companies and their advertisers.
In a paper published in the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, these two scholars argue that smartphones bring unique social risks, which become more prominent from a parasitic perspective.
Biologists define parasites as species that benefit from a close relationship with another species (host), causing the host to bear the cost.
For example, head lice fully depend on human survival. They only feed on human blood and can only survive briefly once detached from a host unless they are fortunate enough to land on another person’s scalp. They offer no return for sucking people’s blood, only causing unbearable itching, which is the cost.
Regarding smartphones, they have significantly altered people’s lives. While they bring convenience, many are enslaved by them, constantly swiping screens and unable to completely detach. The costs for these individuals include sleep deprivation, emotional imbalances, and weakened interpersonal relationships.
These scholars point out that bacteria living in animal digestive systems feed on passing nutrients but also provide benefits to the host, such as boosting immune function and improving digestion. This mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship is known as mutualism.
Initially, the relationship between humans and smartphones was also a form of mutualism. The technology proved helpful in keeping people connected, navigating via maps, and finding useful information.
However, these scholars believe this relationship has evolved into a parasitic one. Such transitions are not uncommon in nature, as mutualists can evolve into parasites and vice versa.
As smartphones become almost indispensable, some of their most popular applications now serve the interests of developers and advertisers rather than the users more faithfully.
These apps are designed to steer our behavior, making us constantly swipe screens, click on ads, and remain engaged in anger. The data from our screen swiping is further exploited for their benefit, adjusting to better capture our attention.
Therefore, likening users to hosts and smartphones to parasites is at least somewhat meaningful at times.
The scholars mention an example from the Great Barrier Reef, where bluestreak cleaner wrasse establishes “cleaning stations” to provide cleaning services to larger fish. The larger fish allow the cleaner wrasse to consume their dead skin, loose scales, and parasites from their gills. This relationship is a typical mutualistic one – the larger fish lose parasites, and the cleaner wrasse gains food.
However, at times the cleaner wrasse may “cheat” by holding onto the larger fish, turning the mutualistic relationship into a parasitic one. The cleaned fish might then punish the dishonest cleaner wrasse by driving it away or preventing its return. In this scenario, these fish exhibit a crucial behavior for maintaining the mutualistic balance – regulation.
So, can we adequately regulate the exploitation from smartphones and restore a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and smartphones? The scholars point out two crucial factors – the capability to timely detect exploitation and the ability to respond (usually by ceasing to serve the parasite).
Detecting such exploitative behaviors is challenging. Tech companies that design various features and algorithms to make you pick up your phone do not advertise this behavior widely. Even if you realize such behavior, responding is more difficult than simply putting the phone down.
Many individuals already rely too much on smartphones in daily life, leading to decreased cognitive and memory abilities. Governments and businesses shift services online through apps, further deepening people’s dependence on smartphones. Once we access bank accounts or government services through phones, we are at a loss.
The scholars’ analysis indicates that personal choices alone cannot reliably guide users to transform the parasitic relationship back into a mutualistic one. In the competition between hosts and parasites, tech companies have a vast informational advantage, with our individual strength significantly weaker than them.
The social media ban for minors implemented by the Australian government is an example of collective action taken to limit the legitimate activities of these parasites. To win this battle, we need to restrict app functions that easily lead to addiction while limiting their collection and sale of our personal data.
An increasing amount of research shows that excessive smartphone use or addiction can greatly impact people’s physical and mental health, leading to issues such as depression, infertility, and delayed brain development. It is essential to find ways to break free from dependence on smartphones, such as turning off all electronic devices before bedtime.