How to Keep Reading Books in a Phone Obsessed Culture

At some point, babies born in the United States and perhaps around the world will be born with their head slightly forward and their eyes cast down. To say we are a smartphone-obsessed culture is to not only state the obvious but to underestimate the transformation we are experiencing.

Consider:

• 80% of smartphone users look at their phones within 15 minutes of waking up in the morning. In another survey, 46% said they checked their phones before they get out of bed.
• 79% of adult users have their phone with them 22 hours a day.
• Surveys vary widely, but some show as many as 75% of users look at their phones on the toilet.

In a disturbing article in Business Insider, several researchers weigh in on the harmful effects too much phone use can have on our brains and emotional state. One of the more obvious effects is the development of an addictive phone checking habit because of the variably timed “rewards” we receive for social media posts and pics such as likes, comments, and shares (something researchers call a “variable ratio schedule”).

So does this smartphone obsession spell doom for bibliophiles as our attention span shifts to what can be absorbed in a few seconds on a 2x4 inch screen? Of course not. However, you may be…