Are Smaller Screens Making Us More Self-Absorbed?

Source: Krystine I. Batcho

As tech has given us greater access to an increasingly complex world, we are viewing much of it through smaller windows. Mobile devices are being increasingly relied upon for news, and access to news is available to a greater number of people more frequently throughout the day. However, many people scroll quickly through headlines, and research has shown that time spent attending to news is shorter on smartphones than on other platforms.

Ironically, more exposure to news items may be associated with less impact of news content. Can photos and videos on tiny screens adequately portray the beauty of breathtaking natural landscapes, the challenge of death-defying rescues, or the reality of peoples’ lives devastated by war, violence, or natural disasters? Can 2-to-5-inch screen views fully capture the emotional nuances on a child’s face?

The impact of viewing complex realities in news reports on small screens has not yet been fully explored. It is clear, however, that there are important limitations on what is portrayed in miniature—context, relative scale, and fine details. Photos of famous paintings and sculptures are not perfect substitutes for the original masterpieces. It is reasonable to wonder what we might be missing as we experience newsworthy events on ever smaller screens.

Research suggests that news on mobile devices does not command the same degree of attention and cognitive reflection. In fact, many viewers quickly scroll through headlines without taking the time to explore a story in depth, much less reflect upon its validity, relevance, or significance. Heart rate variability and skin conductance levels have indicated lower levels of cognitive involvement with video news content when viewed on a mobile screen. Visually, we routinely infer that smaller images have been projected from objects farther away. Small images, then, can distance viewers psychologically from the content reported and result in less emotional engagement. Research has shown that viewers respond with lower levels of attention and arousal when emotional content such as violence is presented on smaller screens, suggesting less emotional reactivity when news stories are viewed on mobile devices.

The sheer volume of information now available may make us feel fully informed, but often we may be actually getting disjointed pieces of reality without an overall portrait of how the pieces fit together. The unrelenting scrolling of a newsfeed may convey a sense that there is no lasting value or meaning to events not distinguishable in relative significance. Swiping and scrolling can contribute to a feeling that time is passing by ever more rapidly. Research found that larger screens lead to greater emotional and behavioral trust, associated with a deeper sense of realism and “being there.” Smaller screens are more likely to result in analytical processing, associated with less emotional engagement and greater psychological distancing.

The confluence of psychological distancing, superficial content, and rapid shifting over daily change contributes to a feeling of being disconnected from the greater reality beyond our self and our own lives. Our lives have changed substantially since the pandemic. Social interactions have become limited by less frequent face-to-face encounters and more exchanges in virtual spaces. The combination of lifestyle changes and tiny-screen news suggests the possibility of a transformation to a more solipsistic society with greater self-absorption, preoccupation with our own needs and desires and less attention to the lives of others. Such cultural drift is reflected in popular lyrics, such as those of Taylor Swift, who is in many ways a voice for this generation. In “Anti-Hero” on her album Midnights, Swift sang: “It’s me/Hi/I’m the problem, it’s me,” and in “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” on her album The Tortured Poets Department, “So tell me everything is not about me. But what if it is?”

The potential benefits of greater self-orientation include deeper inner insights, more positive self-esteem, and enhanced self-care. Quiet meditation, calm mindfulness, and solitary walks or exercise can all be healthy forms of coping with stress and caring for oneself. But most choices involve tradeoffs. Along with benefits to the individual may come sacrificing attention to and care for others, with lower quality social interactions, fewer acts of altruism, and less awareness of the forgotten or invisible ones who have fallen through the cracks of our fast-paced busy world.

Ironically, social engagement is essential to maximizing the quality of our own lives and well-being. According to the Healthy Minds Monthly Poll by the American Psychiatric Association, early in 2024, 30% of Americans experienced feelings of loneliness at least once a week, with 30% of those aged 18 to 34 reporting that they had felt lonely every day or several times a week. The prevalence of depression in the United States has been increasing, especially among adolescents and young adults. Recent popular music lyrics reflect an attraction to sad messages and themes, especially for younger listeners. We don’t only like interacting with others, we need to belong, relate, and live beyond our self to enjoy meaningful purposeful lives. It is not a choice between our self and others—a rich life emerges from the web of their interactions.