Why I don’t own a smart phone (rant)

I despise living in a world where attention has become a commodity and -me- has become more important than we.

 

I work in New York City. Everyday I get up early, take the 8:16 train to work, take a subway downtown, then come back home around 9-9:30pm. My day is long and my time is precious. There is nothing more aggravating, more infuriating, more frustrating than rushing to catch the train only to be blocked by someone who is texting.

 

The train rolls away, the person’s head remains tucked to his chin, and my blood boils because now I will be late.

 

Our attention span has dwindled to dangerously low levels and I fear for what’s happening to our society. One night, a man was glued to his phone, earbuds plugged into his ears and he started getting off the train with a group of people behind him. He looks up, realizes he’s getting off at the wrong spot, and then turns around against the wave of people to try to get back on the train.

 

He wasn’t distracted because he was talking to a friend; wasn’t distracted because he was sleeping; wasn’t distracted because it was his first time riding the train.

 

No, he was distracted because he WOULDN’T PUT HIS F–NG PHONE DOWN!

 

The virtual world that we hold at our fingertips has become more important than the real world surrounding our bodies.

 

Am I the only one that see’s something wrong with that? I feel like I am.

 

I can’t help but feel disappointed when friends go out to eat or a couple goes out on a date and no words are exchanged between them. Instead their thumbs are thumping away at an LCD screen rather than engaging each other in conversation.

 

HELLO? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? Is it necessary to look up random facts or to watch the latest viral video while someone is sitting across from you trying to talk to you? That reply to your friend saying, “lol, that was pretty funny,” can wait.

 

It’s offensive, inconsiderate, and destructive to what makes human beings social creatures.

 

The human race is going to wither and die not from us blowing each other up, but from our batteries running out.

This is why I have a dumb phone. Can my phone connect to the internet? Theoretically, yes but it’s practically useless. Can my phone text? Yes, but in tiny bite sized chunks.

 

You know what I use my phone for? TO CALL. I’m not browsing videos, I’m not downloading apps, I’m not telling the world I’m down by the beach or at work. No, I’m living the life that’s in front of me.

 

Because I don’t use a smartphone I am dependent on the only thing that matters when I’m navigating the real world. My brain. If I get lost, guess what? I have to ask for directions or figure out where the hell I’m going. No GPS, no smartphone to tell me where to go, it’s me and the signs on the road.

 

Why would you do it the hard way? You ask. Why not make my life easier and jump on the smartphone wagon? I’ll tell you why.

 

We no longer know how to THINK because our brains have moved from our heads down to our phones.

 

We no longer know how to SPEAK because if the person doesn’t use a smiley face, thumbs up, or sad face emoticon, we don’t know if they’re joking or serious.

 

We no longer know how to LISTEN because we’re busy texting, browsing, downloading, watching when we should be experiencing life.

 

What will you do when the batteries run out? Nothing, because your brain will cease to exist.

 

Thought, language, and feelings have become a series of ones and zeroes. Smartphones and the internet have designed us to become so self absorbed that we’ll text and drive without thinking that maybe we could get someone KILLED. We’re so busy posting photos and status updates that we lose sight of the little moments in life that cannot be replayed.

 

I don’t post my FB status updates, twitter updates, or check my e-mail while I’m out in the real world. That’s strictly for downtime when I’m on a PC but people don’t seem to know when to disconnect. Instead of taking a few hours to take a break from work, employees or bosses are constantly on their phones makings moves and deals without realizing that it’s killing their quality of life. Is it weird that I want to experience the reality before me and not the fake one that’s online?

 

It’s not like I’m completely against tech. I probably spend more time online than most people due to my job and my books but at least it’s only on designated PC time. Once it’s time to go out to eat, go to the beach, visit a new place, the phone stays where it belongs. In my pocket.

 

If you are one of these people that are constantly checking your phone when you’re out with friends or going to dinner.

 

Do yourself a favor. Turn it off and ask them to turn it off too. I assure you that they will be more interesting than that new meme that was posted on facebook, reddit, twitter, pinterest, blah blah blah. If not, get new friends.

 

Also . . . data plans are f-ing expensive!

Anyone else agree? Feel free to comment below, tweet me, or comment on facebook.

(Real quick, important news. You totally need to read the Shadow Hunter series by K.S. Marsden. I’m still working on a review for the books because there’s a lot of ground to cover but I’m just going to state that I highly recommend it.)

 

Also, Cindy’s having a birthday party on August 9th. If you want a chance to win a signed copy of the book, make sure to register on facebook. Link here: Win a copy of The Silver Ninja 2.0 when it’s released!

Wilmar Luna

Wilmar Luna

Couldn't be a superhero in real life so he decided to write his own. When he's not creating empowered female characters he can be found watching films, reading books, and playing lots of video games. Buy his books here: https://www.thesilverninja.com/purchase/