Did smartphones break the world as we knew it?

Key Points

• The analysis highlights that the decline in fertility rates coincides with the widespread use of smartphones, indicating a potential correlation.
• Key societal changes, including backsliding of democracy and rise of populist politics, have been observed since 2015, linked to smartphone accessibility.
• The conjecture proposes that the spread of smartphones may be a common cause of various political and social shifts seen in recent years.
• Exploration of historical parallels emphasizes how similar information revolutions have influenced societal structures and governance.