Far from being benign tools, smartphones parasitise our time, our attention and our personal information, all in the interests of technology companies and their advertisers.
Smartphones have radically changed our lives. From navigating cities to managing chronic health diseases such as diabetes, these pocket-sized bits of tech make our lives easier. So much so that most of us are rarely without them.
Yet, despite their benefits, many of us are hostage to our phones and slaves to the endless scroll, unable to fully disconnect. Phone users are paying the price with a lack of sleep, weaker offline relationships and mood disorders.
The data on our scrolling behaviour is used to further that exploitation. Your phone cares about your personal fitness goals or desire to spend more quality time with your kids only to the extent that it uses this information to tailor itself to better capture your attention.
The Australian government’s under-age social media ban is an example of the kind of collective action required to limit what these parasites can legally do. To win the battle, we will also need restrictions on app features known to be addictive, and on the collection and sale of our personal data.
Qn: 'Useful servant, but dangerous master.' How far is this true of technology today? (JPJC WA 2025)
