hanif shoaei sheds a light on device addition with technology in bed series

hanif shoaei sheds a light on device addition with technology in bed series
all images courtesy of hanif shoaei

if you’ve ever scrolled through your photo albums, sent text messages or checked social media just before bed, you aren’t alone. millions of people admit to spending time on their smartphones before they go to sleep, a habit which can reportedly be detrimental to mental and physical health.

iranian photojournalist hanif shoaei comments on a tech-obsessed culture through the series ‘technology in bed’, showing a series of individuals and couples engaging with their screens at night. the evocative collection of images is captured in bedrooms and sleeping spaces, showing the subject’s face surrounded by the cool glow of their smartphone screens against an almost pitch black backdrop. the figures’ vacant stares are affixed on their devices, illuminating their blank, expressionless gaze. similar to ‘removed’ by photographer eric pickersgill, the series looks at the social and psychological impact of this activity that so many of us engage in every day.