I take the train to work and one of the funniest spectacles each morning is seeing everyone tapping away at their little smartphones on the platform as the train pulls in. And I do mean almost everyone. What are they doing? Are they texting, playing games, checking the weather? What is the attraction of those things?
As you can guess, I'm still a flip-phone guy. It takes me 10 minutes to compose a text, which I tend to do once or twice a month. I cannot get the Internet on my phone and, although I believe it has a camera, I've never used it. It's not that I hate technology, it's that I'm indifferent to it. Sure, I have this blog and a Facebook page, but neither would exist if I didn't have my books to sell.
Yes, these little, or not so little, boxes have taken over social interaction. I find that people pull their smartphones out when they get into the elevator to avoid striking up conversations or dealing with awkward silences in enclosed spaces. Same thing walking down the street--they walk and gawk at their little screens. If they're stuck in a room with a lot of people, they whip out their phones and pretend to be busy to avoid awkward moments of non-occupation.
I guess smart phones are more than communication devices, cameras, and web-connectors. They also serve as security blankets to hide behind so that you can avoid interacting with actual people. To fill in for those blank uncomfortable moments.
Babies suck on pacifiers for the same reason.
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