About smart phones

There is a thing I find overly annoying. It is people (including myself) being glued to smart phones. There are couples on romantic dates, groups of friends among fun activities, business people at meetings, you name it – all looking at those small screens. It seems that people are either not mentally present at where they are or they are living through social media. Having constant access to everyone you know and do not know is addictive.

Let's say I go for a coffee with a friend. While she is telling me about what she has been up to, I half-heartedly listen to her. Every now and then I pick up my phone to check my e-mails. I am dying to know if I got this job I applied for. After a while my friend looks annoyed, as it is obvious I am not giving her my full attention. I am being rude, and she wonders why I invited her to hang out in the first place, since I am not really interested in hearing what she has got to say. This is not necessarily true. I do want to see her, but at the same time I am curious about an important thing that is about to shape my life. Since I have the opportunity to get the news at the very minute they arrive, I cannot resist to keep checking on it.

Then I go on a hike by myself. I take several pictures of the pristine landscape, and in my head I already form a catchy Facebook status to accompany them. As I walk the paths, I register and process my surroundings through mentally sharing them on social media. It is like, I want to show off to everyone what cool things I am doing, to gather many likes as acceptance and admiration. But on the other hand, I would not send every update to all my friends individually. Through larger distribution I allow those who what to, to follow my doings. Similarly I have many friends all over the world, with whom I am not close enough to stay in constant personal touch, but I enjoy seeing their updates to keep some track of their lives.

In Finland I have got an internet plan on my smart phone and I check it too much. Often it is actually a sort of disappointment: no new messages, invitations or likes. Nothing and no one interesting has appeared. Abroad I only have access to internet at wifi areas, which makes me more relaxed. It is easier to concentrate on people and experiences, who are presently there, when my smart phone is at the hostel. It is enough to check it just a couple of times a day, and I am actually happy when I am forced to do so. Otherwise I no longer have the willpower to stay away from my smart phone.

PS. I like instant messaging, especially receiving personal photos taken by friends far away. It is neat knowing those messages are meant specifically for me. Seeing what a friend is doing and knowing that he wants to share a moment of his life with me, puts a smile on my face.