While the concept of a “paradigm shift” was born in the physical sciences, it has a myriad of applications in the social sciences and in how we perceive our society. A paradigm is traditionally knowledge shared by all the members of a community, like commonplaces as well as factual “common knowledge”. The scientific community shares the basic principles of all its disciplines (physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry). Our broader society shares common knowledge such as language, culture, and social cues. However, Twenge’s article exposes an overwhelming generational shift that has transformed how our society views social interaction: a shift caused by the smartphone.
Over three quarters of the teen population owns an iPhone—an iPhone specifically—and it has been shown to pervade lives and destroy in-person social connections (Twenge, Jean). Certainly, this is a grand societal change, especially considering that the very first iPhone was released as recently as 2007. However, this increase in smartphones and the accompanying increase in Internet and social media usage was not the paradigm shift: it was just the cause.
The paradigm of adolescence, while it had fluctuated slightly between the Boomers and the Millennials, had always valued independence and in-person social events. In fact, these two factors basically defined adolescence for decades. This paradigm shifted, though, when the smartphone came around. Instead of seeking independence, today’s teens seek comfort and inclusion. Instead of partying, we text and Snapchat from the comfort of our own homes. Instead of exploring the physical world around us, we get stuck in a virtual world where impersonal split-second feedback replaces meaningful interaction. Smartphones have narrowed our social support systems while remaining hidden under the guise of increasing access to wider social spheres. This specific social shift is mainly due to increased social media usage. However, the root of the issue is that teens can now interact more easily than ever before, but not without sacrificing the deeper connection inherent in face-to-face interaction.
Today’s teens are a result of a paradigm shift in socialization from large-group, long-term, in-person interactions to individual, immediate, virtual interactions. Smartphones have changed us: we interact more, but it means less.
Note: This post references information provided in the article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” by Jean M. Twenge, published in The Atlantic in September 2017.
