This essay was written
in response to an article based on the following video by Charlene deGuzman
entitled “I Forgot My Phone.” You can view
the video below and read the article at Disruptions:
More Connected, Yet More Alone.
Nick Bilton’s article, Disruptions: More Connected, Yet More Alone,
from the September 1, 2013, New York Times’ blog “BITS,” although humorous, may
have drawn the wrong conclusion. The
article is an analysis of a humorous, yet cynical, video about how technology
has actually disconnected us. It's a
leap to assume that because millions of people watched the video, they are
somehow contemplating a change in behavior.
To the contrary, most likely those watching saw themselves in one or
more roles portrayed. They are alright
with viewing their life through a smart-phone.
For some, it’s the only life they have ever known. The video actually shows the culmination of a
world obsessed with technology. Despite
Nick Bilton’s assertion that this may be a moment of epiphany, it is unlikely
there will be a revolt. The real issue
is much deeper than our technology. Our
technology only enables our society to become more self-centered; thus less
caring for one another.
There has always been
some form of technology, designed to bring the world closer, which has instead
separated us. Mr. Bilton’s example of a
few concert promoters and their performers urging fans not to be distracted,
but instead enjoy the show, is the same urging of decades ago. While I agree that the point is to enjoy the
show, there have always been people who would rather view it through a
lens. Before the smart-phone, it was
digital and video cameras that separated the people from the performers. The convenience of smart-phones has only
enabled more people to partake in this separation. It is this evolution of technology that has
facilitated the acceptance of estrangement of our fellow man.
Furthermore, Mr.
Bilton’s comparison to technology that predates the smart-phone exemplifies the
progression of this separation. The
introduction of the television was a technological milestone, which like the
smart-phone, promised to bring us together.
On the surface, the television was viewed much like the technology that
proceeded it. Families would gather
together around the radio after dinner.
The facts regarding the impact of the television that Mr. Bilton cited
are inconsistent with the reality of the impact. While it is true that most families at first
shunned watching television during dinner, it eventually became
commonplace. Interaction between family
members via conversation gave way to a one-way conversation with the boob
tube. In its infancy, the television was
not as widely available as the smart-phone is today; however, it had a similar
effect. Even though a few sounded the
warning bell early in television’s existence, there was no revolution. The sets remained on. The same will continue to be true for the
smart-phone.
There is more than the
technology of smart-phones separating us from one another. We live in a world full of lonely people who
have not developed the skills to relate to others. Hiding in the isolation of the small screen
of a smart-phone is safe. It’s easier
than becoming vulnerable and speaking kind words to one another. Our society loves the warm fuzzy feeling that
technology brings more than we love each other.
The revelation that leads to a revolt against technology, such as
smart-phones, will take more than a clever video. It will take a return to the core values that
caused families to care for one another and for their neighbors. Our own selfishness has allowed this invasion
of technology to make us numb to its effects.
There will be no revolution against the smart-phone until we love our
neighbors more than ourselves.
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