i would say it was social media that really kicked off smartphones. The concept of being to communicate on a platform like myspace, but on a phone, and from anywhere, was truly revolutionary. It was a cyclical process, much like it is today.

Otherwise a smartphone is just a fancy flip phone, which is what people were primarily using back then anyway. Until something gave the smartphone a reason to exist, nobody needed one, i would argue it’s primarily social media that was that factor.