It used to be that young mothers coo-cooed at their babies as they pushed them along or tucked their blankets in or squeezed their little cheeks as those small children carefully observed their mothers' expressions, learning things faster than at any other time in their coming lives, appreciating the immeasurable value of eye contact.
It used to be that workmates talked to each other on their breaks - perhaps joking or solving work problems together or talking about family, sport or popular films or simply the weather.
It used to be that people kept moving on public staircases or when simply walking down the street and when people crossed those streets they put safety first, looking this way and that, paying heed.
It used to be that elected representatives in political chambers paid attention to what was being said in the here and now, perhaps responding with questions or points of their own, fully engaged.
It used to be that in restaurants, couples conversed between courses, confiding in each other and perhaps making remarks about the service or other diners. And it was the same in pubs - it was the socialising that mattered most.
It used to be that people read books and magazines and letters they had received in the post and sought pub quiz answers in their heads
But now - what are people doing instead?
They are looking down at their smartphones.
Never up, always down.
Americans spend 30-35 hours on their Smartphone.
ReplyDeleteAn American lady on YouTube switches off the colour for the last hour.
Colour provides the dopamine hit.
AJP Taylor said Len Deighton was one of the few people he knew who really
liked machines and devices.
Deighton was the first novelist in the world to write a novel (Bomber) on a
computer. He hired a crane and had the huge IBM computer winched up to
the first floor study of his flat in Elephant & Castle in London. 1966.
A Smartphone has more vastly gigabytes and memory than the computer
inside the first Apollo spacecraft. 1969.
I've never had a Smartphone but I appreciate my cordless landline telephone.
My father was an engineer. He always said people conceived and built machines.
machines. Washing machines, fridges, vacuum cleaners were an aid to women.
It's maddening to witness but difficult not to succumb to unless, like you, not a drop will ever pass our lips.
ReplyDeleteI guess you hanker for the good old days.
It took a long time for you to get to the point. You said what many people are thinking.
ReplyDeleteApart from the rest which is all true, I never knew a single mother who coo-cooed at her baby. We talked to them with real words and real smiles.
ReplyDeleteOf course I realise that your meaning is that mothers back then paid attention to their babies.
ReplyDelete1984 got it right, just the size of the screen differs.
ReplyDeleteSad isn't it? I read yesterday that reading will become obsolete because of the smart phone. But I have enough faith in the human race talking to each other.
ReplyDeleteMy incoming blog sidebar has not been updating. It appeared you had not blogged for 6 days. I thought I'd done something wrong but it seems to be a general blogger problem. If I don't comment for a while that's why. Hopefully Blogger will sort it out for us. I am afraid to fiddle too much in case I lose everything!
ReplyDeleteThere's a reason they call them cell phones; you're imprisoned by them.
ReplyDeleteYou have said, what most of us think every time we leave the house.
ReplyDeleteI have a smart phone and like it. Life, for me, is easier with a smart phone and an Apple Watch. Is it going to rain in the next few hours? Check the app on the watch. Need to pay something, Apple Watch will do that, no need to dig out the credit card. listen to music? Synced to the car and I can play what I want. I also take photos with in. But you won’t find me outside walking along looking down at my phone.
ReplyDeleteAin't that the truth.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the heck are they all looking at on those pesky phones? I have a phone.... very useful tool providing all sorts of useful info, couldn't live without it now.... but I'd rather live a screen-free day that stare at the bloomin' thing all day.
ReplyDeleteI don't do this. I'm always sad to see this happening when I am out and about.
ReplyDeleteWhat a striking and slightly wistful poem, that repeated "it used to be" sets exactly the right melancholic tone. It really made me think about how many small, human moments we're missing out on these days because of our phones.
ReplyDeleteGreetz from Sicily!
https://canalsandcitrus.blogspot.com
There is an element of the stereotypical senior citizen muttering "These kids today!" in your post -- but I agree that people are overly absorbed in their phones, and many times in places where they shouldn't be. People walking while looking down at their phone make me NUTS.
ReplyDeleteI was just at our local library today and I happened to glance over at the section where they used to have newspapers and magazines. Only a few newspapers now, no magazines. Almost everyone there was on their computers as the library has free Wi-Fi. Didn't see a single person reading. I have a fond memory of being on a train from Eastbourne to London in 1985 reading "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole" and laughing out loud. Several looked at me and when they saw what I was reading, they smiled at me knowingly! I miss that.
ReplyDelete