Is your Sense of Identity Tied to your Smartphone?

In her book Alone Together Sherry Turkle writes, “To make more time would mean turning off our phones. But this is not a simple proposition since our devices are ever more closely coupled to our sense of our bodies and minds. They provide a social and psychological GPS, a navigation system for our tethered selves” (167).

Hmm, that’s a profound point. Our phones are no longer just a tool we use to get things done; they have become part of who we are. They make us feel awake, alive, and connected to the world, and therefore we must have our phones with us at all times.

But why is this so? Or to ask a question that gets closer to the heart of my issues with my phone, Why do we feel the compulsion to check and respond to messages multiple times per hour? Perhaps…

• We want to feel important, bigger than we are.
• We want to feel needed, even indispensable.
• We fear the disappointment, disapproval, or anger of others if we do not respond in a certain period of time.
• We feel irresponsible if we do not check for serious issues or emergencies, and promptly respond to the same.
• We are not content in God, and so being ceaselessly engaged and available has become integral to our sense of purpose and meaning in life.

Indeed, smart phones have become more than tools. They’ve become enmeshed with our sense of self, and we are complicit in this enmeshment. So what are we to do? I have three simple answers that I’m trying to integrate into my way of life.

(1) Put God first, and seek contentment in him above all things. As our souls are satisfied in him, other things have less and less of a pull.

(2) Turn your phone off at night and charge it in a room other than your bedroom. This has helped me tremendously since it encourages me to grab my Bible and journal first thing in the morning rather than my phone. The principle is this: “God before gadgets,” and keeping my phone off and in another room helps me to honor this principle.

(3) Designate times to check and respond to messages. I have growing to do in this respect, but I’m shooting for three times per day: mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and mid-evening.

Like Sherry Turkle, I am not anti-tech, but I’m concerned about what our relationship to gadgets is doing to us. I’m concerned about how it’s affecting our love for God, our care for self, and our love for others. The way to address the potential dangers that are here is not necessarily to get rid of our gadgets, though for some that may be necessary. Rather, it’s to reflect on the nature of our particular issues, to acknowledge that we are complicit in them, and to take control of our gadgets rather than allowing them to control us.

May the Lord help us as we reflect, plan, and act.