It looks like smartphones really have killed the concept of "idle time."
Last year, photographer Babycakes Romero captured an array of images showing people glued to their mobile devices when they could otherwise be having a conversation, enjoying dinner or simply staring into space. The series, titled "The Death of Conversation," was published on Bored Panda and ultimately led to a TEDx Talk this Tuesday.
In the time that's passed since he first published the photo series, Romero says the smartphone problem -- as he sees it -- has only gotten worse.
"As smartphones encompass more and more of people's lives everyone is turning to them more and more as every aspect of their existence has been digitized and made accessible to them 24/7," Romero told The Huffington Post via email.
You've probably noticed something like this in your own life: You're at dinner with someone, there's a lull in the conversation, and suddenly both of you are checking your smartphones. Romero says the devices become an excuse to hide a "lost connection" between people.
"It is sad that this technology which was supposed to connect people is making them disconnect from each other in person," Romero told HuffPost.
Agree or not, his photos offer pretty striking evidence that people everywhere are hooked on their smartphones. Take a look for yourself:
