The Digital Zombie Apocalypse: How Screens Are Consuming Our Lives and Distracting Us… From Us

Introduction

What if I told you we were living in the zombie apocalypse and the virus is our screens?

Recently, I visited Maui with a group of guys. As we sat on the beach, people sat on their phones—doing exactly what they would do anywhere else. In the middle of nature’s glory, with the majesty and power of the waves before them, they remained glued to their screens.

This phenomenon isn’t limited to Maui. It happens in gyms, churches, lounges, dinner tables, highways, hospital rooms, crowded streets—even at urinals (yes, I’ve seen it). Smartphones have revolutionized communication, but they have also made us disconnected, absent from moments that matter. We miss out on real human interactions, hold up gym equipment, walk into poles, and come across as inconsiderate or disengaged. My personal favorite? The guy talking so loudly on his phone that we all become unwilling participants in his work drama. "Chip, we do not care—take it outside."

Phones: Always Connected, Yet Disconnected

Work and Hustle Culture

Our world is increasingly defined by the erosion of work-life balance. The phone, originally a tool for convenience, has become a tether to professional responsibilities. There is a quiet expectation that employees check emails for most hours of the day, turning evenings, weekends, and even vacations into extended workdays; because that is how we “get ahead”.  This is mostly because many of us are doing the work of 1.5 to 2+ people in the name of cost savings.  Administrative staff cuts, whole marketing and Human Resources teams no longer exist to boast of a robust bottom line but at a cost to those who are left…overworked.

The first thing many people do in the morning is check their phones, and it’s also the last thing they see before bed. This constant connectivity fosters stress, burnout, and an inability to truly unwind because of the beeps, vibrations and lights of phone notifications.

Social Media: The Illusion of Connection

We have never been more connected.  I remember the days of showing up at someone’s house was a game of chance.  Now we are able to video call, text and call.  Yall, we are literally the Jetsons minus the flying cars and automated showers.  Despite all of this, America is experiencing a loneliness epidemic. Social media platforms, designed to bring people together, have ironically led to greater isolation. Algorithms, in the name of engagement and downright addiction manipulate human psychology, fueling harmful behaviors:

• Extremism on both sides of the political spectrum thrives on platforms because divisive content means more engagement and more engagement means more money but the price is an increase in disdain and division for each other.  The idea that we can disagree but still respect each other is quickly becoming fleeting due to, in my opinion, people and organizations trying to get us worked up so that they make money.

• There was a time when “retouching” was all we knew when it came to unrealistic beauty standards and that was just on magazine stands.  Then we went to apps like Facetune that could make you look like a completely different person.  Now we live in a world where everyone has round eyes and the thickest eyelashes.  No seriously, I’ve taken pictures and after the touch ups were done, I asked, “who is that?”  Unrealistic beauty standards contribute to the rise of eating disorders and increased consumption of beauty products and things like shapewear.

• The use of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) by marketers to drive consumer behavior is incredulous.  With the intention of making consumers feel they are inadequate or less than because they are excluded from an experience or do not have a thing.  Ultimately leaving individuals feeling inadequate or depressed when they perceive themselves as excluded from experiences or things.  The truth of the matter is that we will miss out on some things and…that’s okay.

Unhealthy Phone Habits

The inability to disconnect from our devices has led to detrimental habits:  Many use their phones as a "security blanket" in public to avoid social interactions to seem busy but they really just have social anxiety.  We’ve normalized inconsiderate behavior in public spaces like at the gym, people unwittingly hold up equipment while endlessly scrolling through freaking Instagram.  In places of worship, where we should be focused and communing with God and each other that engagement in services is replaced by mindless browsing.  At social events like concerts, we have taken a tendency to record the concert rather than enjoy it.  I always wonder, if folks go back and watch 30+ minutes of footage they recorded with people screaming over the singing   And all of our favorite: a table full of people at dinner prioritizing their screens over meaningful conversations and shared experiences.

Television: From Passive Watching to Total Immersion

The Evolving World of Television

Remember when TV meant waiting all week for your favorite show?  The one I remember distinctly was, Buffy the Vampire Slayer…mostly because it came on while I was in church on Tuesdays and sometimes the VCR didn’t record it even tho I set it up.  Television has transformed from a scheduled, limited-selection medium into an endless content buffet accessible anywhere, anytime. While this provides unprecedented entertainment variety, it also cultivates an insatiable demand for attention-grabbing content. I’ll be honest, I’ve become victim to it so much so that I began to mix story lines and characters from different shows; highlighting the sheer volume of information we're processing.  Production companies, networks and streaming services now prioritize shock value (sex, drugs and violence) and controversy to drive ad revenue at the expense of meaningful storytelling. I mean really, When was the last time you learned something real from a show, like watching "Roots"? Or cried your eyes out like when Julia Roberts' character passed in "Steel Magnolias"?  Even the news has jumped on the bandwagon, prioritizing drama over facts, and trust me, it's not just Fox News doing it.

Reality TV: Trash or Entertainment?

I'm not even gonna dive too deep into this one, because let's face it, "reality" TV isn’t real anymore. Remember when "The Real World" on MTV felt, well, real? Or even those early seasons of "Atlanta Housewives"? Now it's all NDAs, staged drama, and "friends" throwing each other under the bus for more screen time.

Reality TV used to be this weird little side thing, but now it's everywhere. Some people think it's harmless fun, but I just can’t get into it anymore. It feels like it's pushing all the wrong things: everyone's obsessed with being rich, looking perfect, and starting drama. It glorifies toxic behavior, and that can't be good. Why? Because some people actually believe this is real life!

I've seen it firsthand. I've met people who literally walk and talk like they're a Real Housewife of whatever city, convinced cameras are rolling. And trust me, they never pick the nice characters to emulate. It's always the mean, nasty one who thinks they're throwing "fun shade." It's wild.

The Gradual Surrender: From Distraction to Disconnection

We all crave moments of escape and in our digital age, television and its streaming counterparts offer a seemingly endless answer.  How many times during a hard week have we said, “I’m not getting off my couch this weekend”?  Yet, this pursuit of momentary relief can morph into a gradual surrender of our active lives. No gym, no community, sometimes we don’t take a bath, sleep schedule is off.  What begun as occasional indulgence in a favorite show or a quick scroll through social media can transform into over consumption, and now we can’t pick up the phone without going to social media or lay down without turning on the TV.  Responsibilities are pushed aside, sleep is sacrificed (blue light), and meaningful connections with others suffer, all because we have become addicted to our screens. And what’s crazy is that the platforms that promised lower costs than cable: streaming services, now have us hooked with their endless content, only to steadily raise their prices.

Recently, I’ve seen people like KaiCent who makes a lot of money by being watched.  I observed my nephew watching people playing video games.  I couldn’t believe it; I had so many questions!  Which leads me to this: In this era defined by the endless stream of digital content, a troubling trend emerges: individuals increasingly observe life from the sidelines rather than actively participating in it. We watch reality TV stars, streamers, and influencers live out their (whack) adventures, while we remain mere consumers of their carefully curated narratives, transforming ourselves into spectators in someone else's story rather than the authors of our own. My aunt told her sister, who would rather read than go out on the town:  “why don’t you go out and live some of that stuff you reading about.”  Those are my exact sentiments. 

The growing sense of isolation that pervades our society is undeniably amplified by technology's role in constructing barriers between individuals. Social media, which promises to connect us, often traps us within echo chambers, where the only voices we hear are those that echo our own beliefs, regardless of the facts, thereby deepening the divides that fracture our communities.

The Drug and the Poison: Algorithms and Addiction

The Endless Feedback Loop

Algorithms are designed to maximize engagement, learning user behaviors and supplying an infinite stream of content tailored to individual interests. This creates an addictive cycle where users continuously scroll without realizing how much time they’ve lost.  Take tiktoc…video after video is insane, even Netflix asks, “Are you still watching?”

The Dark Side of Algorithm-Driven Consumption

Algorithmic content curation has serious consequences:

• It fuels fear, anger, and division by promoting the most emotionally charged material.

• It distorts perceptions of reality, causing people to form strong opinions on issues they’ve never personally experienced.

• It contributes to the radicalization of beliefs, leading to real-world consequences.

The Paradox of Social Media

Despite granting access to millions of people worldwide, social media algorithms can isolate users in curated bubbles. This prevents exposure to diverse perspectives and reinforces preconceived notions. A striking example: A person once mentioned their Twitter feed was flooded with videos of "Muslims killing Christians in Syria." Meanwhile, someone else had never encountered such content on their timeline. This highlights how social media doesn’t just reflect reality—it creates alternate realities for different users, shaping worldviews in vastly different ways.

Conclusion

While technology offers incredible benefits, its misuse has profound consequences. Our over-reliance on phones and digital media has eroded real-life connections, fostered harmful habits, and reshaped society in ways we are only beginning to understand. The challenge moving forward is to strike a balance—using technology as a tool rather than letting it dictate our lives.