The technology that divides us

Technology in the hand, whether that be a mobile phone (anybody actually use them as a phone any more?) or a tablet, means that nobody looks around any more.

They just look down.

They tap away, usually via social media, communicating with people somewhere else whilst ignoring those who are actually next to them.

Children are being brought up ignored by their parents.  When they quite naturally make a fuss and crave attention, the parent buys them their own mobile phone or tablet to keep them quiet.  Soon the child is just looking down and no longer looking for the humans in the same room it should be bonding with.

When people go to a concert, a play, the theatre, they don’t watch the production.  Instead they are busy tapping away to their ‘friends’ telling them they are at a concert, a play, the theatre.  They completely miss what’s going on.

Then they hold up their phone or tablet, usually so that those behind can no longer see the stage, and they video record what’s happening on it.  They even watch the show through the tiny screen of their phone/tablet, missing immersing themselves in the complete experience they are there for.  Instead they prefer to wait until later, and watch the shaky footage with distorted sound, preferably whilst avoiding actual communication with anybody who might physically be in the room.

They’ll even go for coffee, a meal, a drink with friends and all will sit there just looking down tapping away on their phones.  Yep, once again they’re being anti-social by using social media.

Why is there a whole generation that’s gone this way?  Surely it can’t just be so that there’s a never ending stream of them for the Jeremy Kyle Show?