Smart Phones = Mankind’s Downfall…

I bet you thought the downfall of mankind would be mass riots due to Global Warming and food shortages, or perhaps the ever popular Nuclear Holocaust?  Oh contraire mi amigo, it’s that little device you worship and can’t go without checking every five minutes – your Smart Phone.

a good example of what I’m getting at.  28 million views…

I think we can all agree the internet ROCKS!  Whether it’s FaceBook, Twitter, Blogs, Web Sites, E-mails, or Texts, the net is a wondrous source of information and entertainment.  But like so many things in this ole world, the internet has a double edge, and this ‘other’ edge is cutting deeply into the flesh of human connection. The perpetrator of this bloody travesty is the ubiquitous Smart-Phone.  Its ease of use and hand held convenience, has created a nation of Smart-Phone-Junkies – just like you.

Everywhere I go, I see people out with friends and family ignoring each other in lieu of some inane text, e-mail, or FaceBook post flashing on their Smart Phones.  I was at a Giants game this past summer, hanging out in the left-field mezzanine as I waited in line for my Giants Dog, when I noticed a young father with his son of three or four approach one of those cool twisty slides near the Coke bottle.  Hand in hand he asked Dad if he could climb up the formidable beast.  Dad nodded yes and he began the slow treacherous climb to the top.  Then he slid down ‘wheeeeee’ to the bottom!  What a moment to share with Dad!!  But when he arrived at the bottom, Dad was engrossed with his Smart-Phone, not seeing or acknowledging his little boy’s feat.  And I thought to myself, the only text that should have distracted him was “Launch The Missiles Now!”, because that’s a timing thing; either way, he missed a fabulous moment that he won’t get back.  I live by a park and habitually witness mothers and fathers pushing baby strollers in route, faces glued to their Smart-Phones, completely ignoring their children.  Then I go by the park and witness the same phenomenon, eyes burning into their phones, oblivious, while their children play unnoticed.  WTF??

Are these people bad parents?  I have no idea.  But what I do know, is that they’re missing precious moments of teaching and sharing that are essential to a child’s growth.

And for what?  Some stupid ass text?  Angry Birds?  An e-mail from Aunt Sarah?

It’s not only ridiculous, it’s harmful.  I venture the opinion, that the young men who commit these (all too common) mass shootings, have been abetted in their disenfranchisement by the societal neglect and isolation incurred by Smart Phone abuse.   Young people need human interaction to thrive, even if it’s with strangers.  If we’re not physically looking at or sharing human nuance with each other, there’s no communion of spirit.  Which must have rung hallow in hearts of these young men.

How about the rest of us?  I go to music fests like ‘Burning Man’ and ‘Symbiosis’, and one of the most refreshing aspects of these venues is the absence of Smart Phones.  People actually acknowledge, relate, and yes .. talk to each other! Researchers tell us that the vast majority of human communication is non-verbal, and at these fests one is pleasantly reacquainted with this fact.  I don’t think I need to elaborate on the omnipresence of Smart Phones.  Just go to any bar, restaurant, coffee shop, or public event, and you’ll witness people ignoring each other, the speaker, or the music; opting instead for the endorphin high they get from a text or e-mail, that could easily be retrieved at a later ‘more appropriate’ time – get a clue folks. And just like the little boy and his father above, we’re missing moments of interaction that are essential to the human experience.  And please, no argument of your Smart Phone enhancing the experience, it’s resolutely distracting and down right rude!  Share your thoughts after the event in conversation and write of it in private.

So why do we do it?  Why does a junkie crave heroine?  It’s the endorphins Baby.  Every time you get a text, e-mail, or Face Book post, you get a little ego/endorphin rush.  And just like the heroine addict, you gotta have that next fix, because now you’re addicted to that rush of imagined importance.  When your Digital Master calls, you must submit to the calling, because if you don’t, the calling might stop!  Oh Heavens!  And frankly, there ain’t nothin’ wrong that if you limit the time devoted, and do it in private, away from children, spouses, and friends.  Knock yourself out.

What can be done about it?  To start, admit you’re addicted (because you are) and realize that the world will keep turning and your friends won’t abandon you if you regulate your Smart Phone use.  Tell everybody you will return all their texts and e-mails, just not right away – they’ll get used to it.  Schedule electronic free outings with yourself, family, and friends; these can be very short at first, then lengthen as you slowly morph back into your humanness.  Have a Smart Phone basket near your front door, where your guests can turn off their phones, deposit them, then pick up their Master when they leave.  A trick that’s gaining popularity when dinning out, is to stack all the phones together and the first person to grab their phone during the course of the meal, picks up the tab.  Goggle ‘Smart Phone Health Affects’ it will blow your mind!  Read what the experts have to say  about Smart-Phone abuse, the studies are in and they’re conclusive – folks, we have a real crises.  Find your own way to regulate and moderate your Smart Phone use; by doing so, you’ll become more focused, more fit, with better concentration, and more relaxed to boot.  Become the Master of your Master.

The irony of the Smart Phone, is that this technology was supposed to bring us together, yet the opposite appears to be true.  With the ever present bombardment of information flashing across those little screens, distracting and interrupting the flow of normal human interaction, it’s clearly endangering our health and worst of all – tearing us apart.

– Mota Bota