HUMA280CN: The Phone-based Life: The Paradox of Constant Connection

We live in an era of constant digital connection, yet rates of anxiety and loneliness are higher than ever. This course explores the psychological and cultural consequences of moving from a "play-based" physical childhood to a "phone-based" virtual existence. Co-taught by professors from Psychology and Humanities, this class will examine the paradox that tools designed to bring us closer together have instead disrupted human development and connection. Students will use Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation as a text to examine "the phone-based life." We will use a psychological lens to analyze the effects of smartphone addiction, which has led to brain rewiring and increased mental illness among Gen Z and millennials. From a humanities perspective, we will study how phones and social media have reshaped human language and impacted our sense of community and relationships.