Us And Our iPhones

            I can still remember sitting in the store wishing that the salesperson would hurry up on his computer and that overwhelming sense of excitement as he finally placed the long awaited item in my hand and I walked out the door: on this day over 3 years ago I acquired my first iPhone, the 3GS, and have owned one ever since.  Now, I have the iPhone 4 and it has become a very significant part of my life because I use it for a communication device, clock, music, games, and more.  The bad part about this is that it can consume you if you are not careful.  I constantly become absorbed in it and no longer pay attention to what is going on around me.  Even though it connects me to the world in so many ways it also disconnects me from it as well.  I have found that we begin to swap physical face time, not the app, for relationships and friendships developed through or Facebook and meaningful conversations for desensitized texts

Each day as I am riding my bike or walking to my class, I look around and see the majority of people on their iPhones, listening to music, texting, or on some social media site, and not paying attention to those around them.  And then I realize that I am doing the same.  I don’t interact with my fellow students possibly missing out on real friendships with them for empty friendships on Facebook or Twitter.  The iPhone was designed for easier access to our social media sites and connections with friends but I feel as if we have all taken this too far.  How often do we walk right past someone without even knowing what that person was wearing or if they were smiling or crying because we are too absorbed into our iPhones? I know I do it all the time.  I will sit and play games on my phone instead of having a conversation with the person sitting less than two feet away from me.  For all I know, that conversation could have meant the world to that person or they are going through a tough time and just need someone to talk to.

I have noticed that we, myself included, are giving up these real conversations with a person who is physically present to have empty conversations with someone who is probably miles away at the time.  We miss out on making new connections and relationships just to text a friend about nothing or to scroll through endless newsfeeds of nothing.  For all I know, that man sitting next to me could be a new bro or the girl standing a few feet away could be my future wife.  These examples are extreme what-ifs, of course, but prove my point none the less and could quite possibly be true. Even with our own friends we usually share our problems over a text or Facebook message, where feelings and emotions are lost, instead of meeting in person and actually, dare I say it, talking about what’s going on.  I understand in some cases that might not always be possible and that is the only way the conversation can happen, but we do it all the time despite being able to make it happen in person.  Once again, I know that the iPhone was created to make all of this easier and more convenient for you and me, but we have reached the point where we are taking it too far.  You can’t make the same connection with a person through Facebook or a text as you can by hanging out with them in real life.  Or at least I think so.

I think it’s time we started focusing less on our iPhones and more on the people around us.  Take time to notice them: what they are wearing, how they are feeling, how their day has been, etc.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPhone and think that it is an amazing device, but once we begin focusing on that instead of our fellow students, I think it may be time for a change.  Maybe we all need to go a day without using our iPhones and see what is going on around us that we don’t normally notice.  Maybe start reaching out to people in person instead of sending them a friend request.  I personally think it would brighten everyone’s day if we were less absorbed into the technological world and more focused on those around us.