‘Smell is really important for social communication’: how technology is ruining our senses

Scientists say an overreliance on sight and sound is having a detrimental effect on people's wellbeing and that our devices should deliver a multisensory experience

Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothing yet." So went the first line of audible dialogue in a feature film, 1927's The Jazz Singer. It was one of the first times that mass media had conveyed the sight and sound of a scene together, and the audience was enthralled.

There have been improvements since: black and white has become colour, frame rates and resolutions have increased and sound quality has improved, but the media we consume still caters overwhelmingly, if not exclusively, to our eyes and ears.