On January 9th 2007 Steve Jobs introduced to the world the iPhone, a “revolutionary product”, one of those products that “every once in a while comes along and changes everything”. At that time, the majority of us probably didn’t fully comprehend the extent to which we as human beings were a part of the change.

Ten years later, with the complicity of fast mobile connectivity and social media, modern smartphones have become an essential tool for almost every aspect of our lives. Irreplaceable companions, they come with us everywhere we go, in bed, into the shower, while driving, in places of worship and in any moment in between. It is estimated that on average we check our phones 150 times per day and spend 177 minutes using them: habits that are constantly fragmenting our time and shifting our attention.

This constant interference is profoundly modifying human feelings, thoughts and behaviours. It has changed the way we interact with one another and experience our surroundings. It has reduced our ability to be fully present in our life.

One year ago, after a few failed attempts to have meaningful conversations with friends, who could not keep their eyes off their screens for more than 10 minutes and motivated by a feeling of discomfort and frustration, I started surveying the landscape for people lost inside their lit screen. During this year I travelled from New York City to Amsterdam, from Dublin to New Delhi, crossing the North of India from the Thar Desert to West Bengal. Although social and cultural factors around me were constantly changing, there was always a consistent presence: smartphones ready to alert, entertain, play, inform, connect, inspire and guide their dependent owners.

By 2020 it is expected that 6.1 billion people, 70% of the world's population, will be using smartphones. Through a collection of street photographs, in some of the most common and uncommon situations, “Always-On'' is an on-going project that seeks to create an overall picture, a document, of the current status of our techno-engaged society: a society that day after day is losing awareness around its technology usage and one that is probably experiencing its first global addiction.

Published on: The Sun - Online Edition & Magazine N519