I know what you are thinking, but Sarah Mclachlan surprisingly has nothing to do with it. I have included a link to it. Click the blue word. Red. See what I did there? Anyway, that commercial is really sad isn't it? I'm sure you're asking, "What's so sad about it Justin? That guy seems to have a very interesting life!" At first glance, I would say the same thing since he is at all those interesting places. But is he really experiencing anything? He seems to be pretty preoccupied with his phone. There he is at the bean in Chicago and then at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. And other places! (to be honest those were the only two I could really identify quickly) But the other places look fun and interesting too! He only looks up long enough from his phone to subliminally persuade you to buy something with his soul sucking eyes. What they didn't show you is him having to ask his friends to repeat what they said, him running into a glass door at the Apple store, or him getting hit by a car trying to cross the street.
OBEY.
So what the heck is wrong with us?
Why can't we sit in a room with other people without being connected to something or someone else outside of that room? Undivided attention is in short supply these days. It seems that we as a society have reached a point where if you aren't doing more than one thing at a time, you are wasting time. So instead of doing one thing really well, like having a conversation and listening intently to someone, we do a lot of crappy things, like have four conversations and getting in useless fights or wasting time with misinformation because something wasn't communicated correctly. In the end you are wasting time anyways.
I don't mean to be that guy who asks a "remember when things were different" question but...
Remember the days when the phone and internet were separate? Literally though, you had to get off the phone to use the internet. That actually forced you to do one thing at a time, in fact it forced your whole family to do one thing at a time, you know back when families did things together. Now the phone and the internet go hand and hand, but really who uses a phone to make phone calls anyways? I will be the first to tell you, I love the internet. It's truly changed the way we do everything for better and for worse. But it really needs to be used as a tool for gathering information rather than a substitute for your brain. It is ultra convenient to have a smart phone, that way when ever you want to check how closely associated some one is with Kevin Bacon you can! But all the while some one might be trying to talk to you, or you might be on fire, how are you supposed to know? One strange thing about the internet that I will be referencing often is that as soon as I hit publish on this post, it's there on the internet to stay. Some one might be reading this in the year 2312. I really don't want to exclude those readers by using the words like "smart phone" or "Sarah Mclachlan" so I should explain some things. A smart phone, ironically enough, is something from our time that has made us dumber and more reliant on our technology. Which obviously you guys know leads to the Machine Uprising of 2257. Sarah Mclachlan is just someone who makes you feel bad about yourself, that's all.
"It could be worse, I could be the guy from the AT & T commercial"
I'm not against smart phones, the only reason I don't own one is because I can't afford it. I just don't think people are using them correctly. I think it's great if you skype with a loved one out of state; continue to do this as it is an obvious benefit of our technology. I also think there is a time to just sit and surf the the web on your smart phone. The secretary of state is a great example. I don't want to talk to you there because you are either sweaty or angry, so I don't mind if you unplug from society. But there are many more inappropriate ways to use your device. I think it's wrong that you text your mom to bring you food from the next room. You should probably reevaluate your life.
There are obvious benefits and downfalls to our technology today, and just like anything else that is fun, do it in moderation. So while you are hanging out with your friends this week, put down your smart phone and... I don't know, what do you do without a smart phone?
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