Smartphones are, in many ways, our modern magic. In the palm of our hands, they offer a window to the world—instantly, from anywhere. With a few taps, we connect to people, ideas, and events across the globe. This was once the dream of 1960s visionaries and the lived reality of mystics across the ages: a deep sense of unity, of minds and hearts linked beyond physical boundaries. Today, technology gives us a taste of that—an almost extra-sensory connection powered not by intuition or ritual, but by circuits and satellites. Through this tiny portal, I can see and hear a loved one on the far side of the planet, their face and voice arriving in real time. News of distant events flashes to us within seconds. The boundaries blur. In a very real sense—all is one.

And yet…if this is such a marvel, why aren’t we constantly overjoyed? Why do headlines so often treat social media as a problem rather than a miracle? Why has it become, as our team explored in the online journal The Conversation, a recurring subject of caution and critique? The answer is a paradox at the heart of our digital lives: The same tools that connect us so powerfully can also drain, divide, and distort.

Our team—known as the TIMED project (Time Experience in Europe’s Digital Age)—brings together six research groups from across Europe, based in the United Kingdom, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Germany. We’re funded by our national research agencies under the umbrella of CHANSE. You can learn more about our work on our website.

In our latest qualitative interview........

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