When we realize that the devices we use everyday to be more social are the exact reason we stop interacting with those around us, things can get a little confusing. In a recent project, Babycakes Romero, a London-based street photographer dedicated to documenting the world around him, captured "The Death of Conversation." In the series of street photos, smartphones become a barrier between parties meant to interact with each other.
In a recent press release Romero explains further:
I saw how people used it as a social prop, to hide their awkwardness, to fill the silence but as I continued to observe and document this modern phenomena I felt that the devices were actually causing the awkwardness and the silence. They basically allow people to withdraw rather than engage.
All social etiquette regarding the use of phones in company seems to have disappeared. The device takes precedence over the person that is present and that felt wrong. It is a form of rejection and lowers the self-worth of the person superceded for a device. I feel it also highlights a growing sense of self-absorption in people as they would rather focus on their world in their phone rather than speak to the person they are with.
When you have protection of a screen and a keyboard and you can think about your response, you become much more contrived and guarded. You choose how to present yourself rather than being exposed for what you are and it is for this reason that people are resorting more and more to computer communication. It allows them to be the best version of themselves and that is very appealing.
