Emotional Facebook Video Shares

I was scrolling through my Facebook timeline and a friend of mine shared this video.

I really liked the message it was sending; technology is wonderful, but it shouldn’t be everything.  People are spending more time in front of screen with headphones in seclusion than ever before. I understand what the man is talking about. For example when he brings up that having a group chat is not the same as hanging out with friends, we are secluding ourselves from life. While we believe we are submerged in this mass social media with constant flow of attention and socialization, we technically aren’t. We’re in our beds in pajamas with headphones on a Saturday night when we should be at a bar having a beer and meeting new people.

I agree with him, do you?

2 Replies to “Emotional Facebook Video Shares”

  1. Ellie,

    Thanks for sharing this video and your thoughts, I really enjoyed them! I definitely agree that the author’s argument about people being robotically absorbed in technology is valid, and that people could certainly do without compulsively checking their various sites, feeds, and inboxes constantly. One person responded in the comments section of the video that this is debate is similar to the dispute about owning firearms; do guns cause violence, or do people misusing guns cause violence? In the case of technology, I think it depends. Is a person using an iPhone to get directions, and then pocketing it when they reach their location in order to connect with other people? Is a person listening to music to pass the time while running on the treadmill, an activity during which they are unlikely (or in my case unable – I suck at running) to communicate with others anyway? Or, from the opposite perspective, is a user abusing the technology in a social setting like a restaurant, when they really should be connecting with those around them? And yet, I see single people coming in to eat at the restaurant I work at all the time, and some of them – if not all of them – will bring a laptop or tablet, and either be doing work or reading while eating their dinners. I don’t consider their actions rude, because it would be even weirder if instead of engaging in an activity by themselves, they watched me as I walked around, or forced me to stand at their table and make small talk for a large amount of time when I’m busy. I believe it’s all about the context.

    Honestly, I could get behind this video all the way up until the guy abandoned his phone at the door when he left to go wherever he was going. In our day and age, I think it’s somewhat irresponsible, if not dangerous, to purposely leave behind a device that could be useful, especially in an emergency. God forbid something happened to one of my family members, I would want to be notified right away. Or, what would happen if I realized someone was having a heart attack, and I was the only other person nearby? Without a cell phone, the chances of me finding a pay phone are pretty slim nowadays, so my only other option would be to leave the person and find someone else who has a phone on them, which may be simple if others are around, but what if they aren’t? Or what if these “others” left their phones at home for some peace and quiet too?

    I guess my point is, if someone has a phone on their person at all times, it doesn’t mean they need to be using it at all times. But the technology offered to us, when used in the right situations, can be incredibly beneficial or even life saving. To throw it away or leave it behind just because someone might otherwise be tempted to indulge in using their device, in my opinion, is stupid. If a person’s reason for neglecting to bring their phone somewhere is because they can’t look up from it for five seconds, then I’d say the phone isn’t the problem, it’s the person’s inability to stop abusing the phone. Then again, I’m sitting here in my room, antisocially replying to your post, while I could be spending time with the people I love. So maybe I’m just a big hypocrite!

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