We’re All Too Connected: How Mobile Phones Have Rewired Our Personal Lives and Workplaces

Once upon a time, the phone was something that rang on the kitchen wall. Today, it’s the first thing we touch in the morning, the last thing we check before bed at night, and it is the device that demands our attention thousands of times in between.

We’ve become more connected than ever, but at what cost?

Mobile phones have brought incredible convenience, instant communication, and immeasurable opportunities. Yet in the process, they have quietly reshaped our personal lives, our relationships, and the way we work – often in ways we have never agreed to.

Right now, everyone is talking about “Work-Life Balance”. We are all discussing that we need that space and genuine time to unwind and relax – so why are so many of us feeling more connected than ever but still craving that space?

One reason would be the disappearing line between work and life. Thanks to mobile phones, work no longer stays at work. You can have emails, and call notifications even on your “days off” which as you know means you are never truly disconnected. Lunch breaks turn into meeting catchups and on your holidays you are still monitoring your inbox as those emails never stop coming in.

Remote work has amplified this further. Your phone becomes the office, and the office becomes everywhere and for many of us the result is a constant, low-level hum of stress and obligation which creates a sense that you’re always “on standby.”

I agree that phones have made communication way easier, but they have also made it a lot harder to escape the digital leash.

I think the “Erosion of Presence” is a classic in this age. We have all seen this: sitting at a table with friends for dinner, and each of us are silently scrolling!!!! Or parents at the park half-watching their kids while half-checking notifications. When are we actually present in the now?

Mobile phones have made it possible to connect with anyone at any time, but ironically, they often take us away from the people right beside us.

Although I like to think I can multitask, our brains are actually not wired that way, and I feel that real conversations lose depth, and moments become half-lived. Instead of living in the now we are too busy documenting the experiences rather than living them.

Another trap we all fall into at work is not responding immediately! Before mobile phones, not responding immediately was normal, now though, it is often seen as rude, worrying, or even unprofessional. I am sure you have all felt that pressure to respond to texts and notifications asap. It’s a relentless sense of responsibility which means you never really get to turnoff or recharge.

Question: When was the last time you waited in line without picking up your phone. Or sat in a waiting room without scrolling? I actually believe we have forgotten how to be bored and when we are bored this is where the magic happens – creativity, reflection and insight. As you are all aware phones give us constant stimulation, games, news, messages, videos leaving little space for our minds to wander, but being alone with our thoughts has become a lost art, and yet I feel it is essential for emotional wellbeing.

I must say though that it is not all doom and gloom. Mobile phones have also reunited families across countries, they have enabled emergency help instantly, and they have given us access to knowledge in seconds, as well as helped us mange our days at work on the run.

The challenge is how we use them, and how we let them use us. In many ways being connected used to be a luxury, but now, it’s an expectation. We now take this for granted. Mobile phones changed our world faster than we could ever have expected.

In my humble opinion we need to set boundaries with work after hours, put phones aside during meals or conversations and definitely turn off non-essential notifications.

Connection should enhance our lives, not consume them. If we use technology with intention, instead of reflex, we can reclaim our focus, our relationships, and our peace.

 

Alicia Sumich
Group Manager – Business Development