Having grown up in the '90s, I can say fairly confidently that technology has had a profound effect on life today. I remember my first tentative forays into the internet when I was around 15. I remember computers in school still being a novelty rather than a ubiquitous presence and mobile phones being an interesting novelty which drew a lot of attention.
Given what we take for granted these days it's strange to think that if you told my younger self that in a few years I would have a device that held all the music I could ever want to own with space left over and it would be small enough to cut coke with, I would probably have told you to go and sit down in a quiet room somewhere and compose yourself. Laptops? They were the stuff of films (on VHS mind). Watch the Bond films and it's astounding to see how many of the then ground-breaking gadgets have now become household items, even from the more recent films.
Undoubtedly a lot of this technological development is useful but by no means all of it and certainly not without a darker side. (At this point I will say, if you're expecting a paranoid rant about governments listening into our phone-calls then feel free to look elsewhere. This is strictly mundane).
Let's start with personal music devices. Good idea in theory but do they really need to be played quite so loudly. Apart from it doing lasting and serious damage to the listener's ears, it's profoundly antisocial. It's kind of the individuals to try and share their music but really; thanks but no thanks. The even more irritating trend nowadays is for the "music" to be played without the aid of headphones meaning nobody has any respite from whichever "musician" is chewing the microphone. And before you ask, no I'm not one of the people that does anything; I'm far too British and it's not worth the abuse.
A particular bugbear of mine however is smartphones. Mobile phones have been pretty much ubiquitous since the late '90s however, smartphones seem to bring out the absolute worst in phone-related antisocial behaviour. Let's start with loud conversations on public transport. Are they really necessary? Really? Or does it just make you feel important when you're talking on your phone on the train? If you really need to let someone know you're on your way, why not call them from your original point of departure. And as for calling just for a chat... it's nice that your new boy/girlfriend is the best thing since sliced bread and is an animal between the sheets but I'd rather not hear about it thanks very much. How about sending a text? But if you do, please turn it on to vibrate. Nobody needs to hear your ringtone.
All this is just a precursor to my main problem with smartphones which is that people give them a disproportionate sense of priority. There are some people I know (who are otherwise polite, sensible, mature individuals) who will not hesitate to reach for their smartphone the second it makes it's presence felt be it call, text, email, twitter, etc. They pay no heed to their surroundings or the appropriateness of doing so, the phone MUST be acknowledged. What's even worse is that once the original message has been dealt with (for delaying a reply is of course impossible) they think nothing of checking their other messages; possibly facebook too... and then updating twitter. All the while, the person with them is sitting around like a gooseberry waiting for them to finish. Naturally, whatever conversation has been going on is effectively over. What's even worse is the smartphone sitting next to the cutlery in a restaurant and the constant "discreet" checking of it throughout the meal. To me this is the height of rudeness. People have made an effort to meet, go somewhere and do something. Please, PLEASE have the courtesy to give them your full attention. This sentiment is often countered with a plaintive, "but it might be important." Yes. Indeed it might be, but chances are it's probably not. And even if it is, what are the odds of you being able to do anything meaningful about it instantly? Fairly slim I would guess. And if it really is THAT important, they can leave a message or call back.
The phrase, "I have an app for that" reliably makes my heart sink. In my view it sums up the whole mentality that smartphones have created which is killing off common sense and general knowledge. I will state at this point that my general knowledge is distinctly average in terms of both volume and content however there is enough there to make interesting conversation and be able to debate a point. However such debate is slaughtered when, as soon as a question is posed, a smartphone is produced to give a definitive answer. Further more, this instant availability of information means a lot of people I know immediately forget what they have found out rather than making the effort to remember it. This, in my opinion, is not only desperately sad but also could have devastating consequences for long term cognitive health (pretty much every study going shows that using one's brain and intellectual capacity helps ward off conditions such as Alzheimer's and promotes general well being later in life).
As for common sense, it's illustrated rather neatly by a little story about two people: let's call them JR (a dashingly handsome and witty chap) and JRGF (the other half of the aforementioned). One day they both departed from the same dwelling in the same city for the day. JRGF merrily strolled out in a tshirt because her app told her the weather was going to be good that day; JR however looked out the window, saw that the clouds were looking a bit threatening and decided to take an umbrella. JRGF got soaked, JR however stayed nice and dry. That's one example, I'm sure anyone reading this will have their own. It just seems people are losing the ability to observe and deduce for themselves and instead MUST be told by an app (GPS is guilty of this for drivers too, so much so that the UK driving test has now had a section added whereby the individuals being tested must prove their ability to read a map, navigate using road-signs and observe the road to work out which lane etc they should be in).
Lastly, I genuinely believe smartphones have played a part in reducing people's attention span and patience and indirectly waste a lot of time. For some reason, ever time there is a slight lull in activity, some people see that as a cue to pull out the smartphone and start playing some inane game or similar activity. Apart from being deeply antisocial it means that activity is unlikely to start until whatever game etc has been finished. So what? you say. Well let me give you examples. Two people are heading out, one is ready to go so starts playing a game rather than waiting patiently for the 30 seconds it takes the other to put their shoes on. The other person is now ready but has to wait for a minute or so while the game is finished. Sound familiar? How about another one: finishing touches are being put on a meal however, instead of putting out some cutlery or organising drinks, a smartphone is produced leaving the person plating up to also set the table, sort drinks then still wait for the game to be finished before starting to eat. What really angers me is the unbelievable arrogance that it's perfectly acceptable to waste other people's time but having to be unoccupied ones self for a short period is unthinkable.
I will leave you with a couple of parting observations: one an ex-girlfriend who was a huge fan of films. When we initially got together, she would barely hold my hand when watching a film so she could concentrate on it (a little far but just about fair enough). Fast forward about 18 months and a smartphone was procured. A few weeks later she complained about watching a foreign language film with subtitles because it meant she could use her smartphone at the same time.
Secondly, there was an article about how to passively-aggressively tackle smartphone addicts in a national newspaper recently. I read the comments section and was thoroughly amused by one person who said, "I looked into getting a smartphone but I was worried I would break it if I turned it off!" Very astute!
If I sound bitter, it's probably because I am. I know I'm fairly old fashioned in my outlook on life (some may say my views are a bit of an anachronism) and perhaps life and etiquette have moved on to make the behaviour above perfectly socially acceptable; however I still think there is a place for face to face interaction. While this is so, I still think it rude to interrupt such interaction on a whim.
JR
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