Let me start off by saying it’s complicated.
I want a smart-phone, but then again I don’t.
I’ve been thinking about this lately, trying to understand why.
When I was a child, I had a small collection of crystal animals (I know this confession is embarrassing, but it is a good way to establish an intimate relationship with you, my reader). Little crystal pigs, cats, etc. These miniature statues had absolutely no use, but when placed in direct sunlight they produced a wonderful array of rainbow colored specks of light on the wall.
In other words, they were shiny pretty little things.
Now I know what you’re thinking: “This analogy stinks, smart phones are extremely useful tools!”
And I say, tools are the most subtle of traps (actually it was the Sandman who said that, but he’s not real so I can steal - I said that.)
Being 30 years old, I am done with buying expensive stuff just because it is shiny. I am not really over it, but I understand that when one’s resources are painfully limited, one can’t afford it. However, this is only the superficial aspect of these phones, there is a deeper aspect that I want to meditate on.
I am aiming at their effect on our culture, but let me set this up for you: The first time we human beings decided we need an add-on to our naturally born body, was around the 18th century. It was then that chain-watches became really popular and anyone who was someone had one. I argue that this technological fashion is different than previous fashion pertaining to clothes or other accessories. This is because the chain-watch changed fundamental elements in our society and culture.
For example, it was now possible to set a date with someone at 18:30 sharp. Before the appearance of the personal watch, two gentlemen could set a date for the late afternoon - one would arrive at 17:00, and the other at 18:00. The early bird would never have expected gent B to arrive exactly when he did, and so he will remain calm and use this opportunity to write in his journal, look at the sky, or prepare himself for the upcoming meeting. The late party, once he arrives, cannot feel guilty as no specific time was named. He arrived later because he had something important to finish at home.
Enter the chain-watch, and these two now have to set an accurate time for their meeting, as the watch no longer works in noon-afternoon-evening resolution, it has a much more precise resolution of minutes. So they do set a time. Gent A arrives at 18:30 on the dot, and has no leisure to look at the sky, because he immediately proceeds to getting annoyed with gent B, who is late. Instead of preparing for their encounter he fondles his anger like a little fluffy ball, which he readily throws at his companion when he arrives, 5 minutes late.
I think you catch my drift - this invention changed the way we view the world, our pace, and our interaction with other human beings. But I doubt that anyone in odd 1753 stopped to think if this change is an improvement or not - it was simply fashionable.
The next similar invention I can conjure up is the mobile phone. This dubious device became very common at the end of the 20th century. Note that 200 years have passed. We all removed our wrist-watches, and replaced them with this device in our pocket, who could tell us the time and do so much more. Well really, only one thing more - connect our voices with faraway ears. Once again I want to demonstrate the cultural impact using our two gentlemen, but of course by now we believe in equality and can examine a date between a gent and a lady.
So a gent sets a date with a lady at 18:30 sharp - it’s their first date and they are both nervous. They both have watches in their mobile-phones, so this accuracy is theoretically possible. But we all know life can be surprising, and naturally our gent calls the lady at 18:00, just to make sure the meeting is still on; his insecurity and past experience also tell him to prepare for disappointment. Our lady says that yes, the date is on, but she has to finish some paper, so she would call as soon as she is finished, and might be a tad late. The gent waits at home for the call and puts his life on freeze. The lady finally does call at 18:55, and the meeting takes place at 19:30. Feeling slightly disoriented and insecure due to his wait, it takes a while for the gent to warm up to his date. When he finally does, her phone rings and oh no, its her mom. Well, you see where this is going.
In comes the smart-phone, 20 years later. See how these personal add-ons come in much quicker now? We waited 200 years between the watch and the mobile-phone, but only 10% of the time for the next invention. This means the next new 3D scent producing ear-peace will be in stores in a couple of years, if things keep up at the same pace...
So what is the big change with this device? Well, obviously it is a portable connection to the Internet, but what are the effects on our culture? I don’t own a smart-phone, so I can’t speak from experience, but I can look around and guess. The first difference that pops to mind is that mobile phones allowed us to stop whatever we are doing (or interrupt whatever somebody else is doing) and clear the way for a conversation with another person. But now, the conversation doesn’t even have to be with a person. You can step away from the here and now to play a video game, to read something a stranger wrote, or ironically, to post what you are doing ‘here and now’ on a social network. This is a big change, because it provides a very easy route to alienation at the slightest sign of discomfort.
I want a smart-phone, but then again I don’t.
I’ve been thinking about this lately, trying to understand why.
When I was a child, I had a small collection of crystal animals (I know this confession is embarrassing, but it is a good way to establish an intimate relationship with you, my reader). Little crystal pigs, cats, etc. These miniature statues had absolutely no use, but when placed in direct sunlight they produced a wonderful array of rainbow colored specks of light on the wall.
In other words, they were shiny pretty little things.
Now I know what you’re thinking: “This analogy stinks, smart phones are extremely useful tools!”
And I say, tools are the most subtle of traps (actually it was the Sandman who said that, but he’s not real so I can steal - I said that.)
Being 30 years old, I am done with buying expensive stuff just because it is shiny. I am not really over it, but I understand that when one’s resources are painfully limited, one can’t afford it. However, this is only the superficial aspect of these phones, there is a deeper aspect that I want to meditate on.
I am aiming at their effect on our culture, but let me set this up for you: The first time we human beings decided we need an add-on to our naturally born body, was around the 18th century. It was then that chain-watches became really popular and anyone who was someone had one. I argue that this technological fashion is different than previous fashion pertaining to clothes or other accessories. This is because the chain-watch changed fundamental elements in our society and culture.
For example, it was now possible to set a date with someone at 18:30 sharp. Before the appearance of the personal watch, two gentlemen could set a date for the late afternoon - one would arrive at 17:00, and the other at 18:00. The early bird would never have expected gent B to arrive exactly when he did, and so he will remain calm and use this opportunity to write in his journal, look at the sky, or prepare himself for the upcoming meeting. The late party, once he arrives, cannot feel guilty as no specific time was named. He arrived later because he had something important to finish at home.
Enter the chain-watch, and these two now have to set an accurate time for their meeting, as the watch no longer works in noon-afternoon-evening resolution, it has a much more precise resolution of minutes. So they do set a time. Gent A arrives at 18:30 on the dot, and has no leisure to look at the sky, because he immediately proceeds to getting annoyed with gent B, who is late. Instead of preparing for their encounter he fondles his anger like a little fluffy ball, which he readily throws at his companion when he arrives, 5 minutes late.
I think you catch my drift - this invention changed the way we view the world, our pace, and our interaction with other human beings. But I doubt that anyone in odd 1753 stopped to think if this change is an improvement or not - it was simply fashionable.
The next similar invention I can conjure up is the mobile phone. This dubious device became very common at the end of the 20th century. Note that 200 years have passed. We all removed our wrist-watches, and replaced them with this device in our pocket, who could tell us the time and do so much more. Well really, only one thing more - connect our voices with faraway ears. Once again I want to demonstrate the cultural impact using our two gentlemen, but of course by now we believe in equality and can examine a date between a gent and a lady.
So a gent sets a date with a lady at 18:30 sharp - it’s their first date and they are both nervous. They both have watches in their mobile-phones, so this accuracy is theoretically possible. But we all know life can be surprising, and naturally our gent calls the lady at 18:00, just to make sure the meeting is still on; his insecurity and past experience also tell him to prepare for disappointment. Our lady says that yes, the date is on, but she has to finish some paper, so she would call as soon as she is finished, and might be a tad late. The gent waits at home for the call and puts his life on freeze. The lady finally does call at 18:55, and the meeting takes place at 19:30. Feeling slightly disoriented and insecure due to his wait, it takes a while for the gent to warm up to his date. When he finally does, her phone rings and oh no, its her mom. Well, you see where this is going.
In comes the smart-phone, 20 years later. See how these personal add-ons come in much quicker now? We waited 200 years between the watch and the mobile-phone, but only 10% of the time for the next invention. This means the next new 3D scent producing ear-peace will be in stores in a couple of years, if things keep up at the same pace...
So what is the big change with this device? Well, obviously it is a portable connection to the Internet, but what are the effects on our culture? I don’t own a smart-phone, so I can’t speak from experience, but I can look around and guess. The first difference that pops to mind is that mobile phones allowed us to stop whatever we are doing (or interrupt whatever somebody else is doing) and clear the way for a conversation with another person. But now, the conversation doesn’t even have to be with a person. You can step away from the here and now to play a video game, to read something a stranger wrote, or ironically, to post what you are doing ‘here and now’ on a social network. This is a big change, because it provides a very easy route to alienation at the slightest sign of discomfort.
Another important change is the elimination of the work-home boundary. Arguably this already happened in the mobile phone stage, but this is a considerable step forward (or backward), especially in High-tech culture. We can now get our work emails ALL THE TIME. I have already heard of a company whose employees unionized to deny their employers right to send them work emails during their rest time.
And speaking of conspiracy theories, I can’t help but notice that this latest addition to our pocket is being aggressively promoted and advertised to us, and more horrifyingly, to our kids, in an unprecedented intensity. Israel has a traditional music festival called the Festigal. I remember going to it with my sister 20 years ago, when the main theme was road safety, and the performers were talented Israeli artists like Ofra Haza and Yigal Bashan. In 2011, the main theme for the Festigal was iFestigal. All the songs had something to do with smart-phones, the event was sponsored by smart phone retailers, and the music was either the theme from Angry Birds, or stolen from American pop songs, with different lyrics to promote on the go social network usage. The main message is clear: “Kids, the only thing you should aspire to is to be a smart phone consumer”.
I wrote consumer and not user or owner for a reason. Since the smart phone is highly personalized, unlike the PC, it allows advertisers to find their exact target audience and send tailor made ads to each potential customer through his favorite app. You can easily become the product of a smart-phone, delivered to advertisers in a nicely packaged, market-oriented user list.
Like I wrote before, the pace of these technological advances became amazingly fast, so much so that society’s rules of etiquette have not changed fast enough to match it. We all know that it is not polite to look at your watch during a personal conversation with someone. But it seems no-one is aware of the noise pollution created by a mobile phone conversations in the bus seat next to you, or how humiliating it is to talk to your best friend about your most intimate affairs and notice his gaze slowly moving downwards to his smart-phone, to check the latest update from his facebook “friends”.
So there is no sanction against using a smart-phone at any given situation, but can you imagine declaring that you will not use one? This can actually cost you your job (depending on your trade). There is an immediate effect on status - if you don’t own a smart-phone, it must mean you are in a low social-economical position that prevents you from owning one, or maybe you just don’t understand technology. You might find yourself not invited to a meeting of friends, simply because you are not a member of the current trendy social network application. Think about how you react to a person who does not own a mobile phone - you feel as if this is a burden laid on your shoulder, as now you will actually have to think before calling him, in order for him to be at home and pick up the phone. Imagine having a relationship with a person who does not own a watch.
It seems inevitable, we will all own smart-phones sooner or later. So what can we do? Is it a black or white situation? If I own such a device, does that mean I will never again get lost in a strange neighborhood, and be forced to ask a stranger for directions? I can use the GPS app of course, but this means my interaction with my environment is cut down to almost zero. In effect we are trading the little room for adventure we currently have in our life for more control. There are now apps to tell you where to eat in a strange city, where to hook up, all based on a popularity scale, so you are guaranteed to always take the road more travelled by. We are trading the complex world around us for a simplified, more shallow artificial version inside the little screen.
The other day I saw a three year old girl with her mom in the local health services center. She was probably there to get examined by a doctor. I would expect a child at this age to be super-sensitive to her environment, and also express some kind of emotion at this break from routine - curiosity, or even anxiety. But this little girl was following her mom like a sleepwalker, noticing nothing of her environment, eyes locked on her mom’s iPhone, clasped in her little hands and playing a video clip of some annoying childrens’ show.
One of the most exciting wonders of my childhood was the magic of the automatic car-wash. I used to stay in the car while it went through the tunnel and watch the soap and giant brushes draw psychedelic paintings on the car window. This experience was somehow scary and soothing at the same time. While washing my car a few months ago in a similar car-wash, I saw a car exiting the automatic wash tunnel with a 30 year old dad and small child inside. I smiled, expecting to see the child smiling and laughing and his father enjoying their time to together. To my surprise, When the foam cleared, I saw the father had a numb and depressed expression, and his son was not staring out the window in awe, but rather into his father’s smart phone playing a computer game. He was gesturing at his dad to look at the high level he managed to get to, but the dad seemed unimpressed.
I’m not lecturing against owning a smart-phone, but If you do choose own one, try to think about how you are using it, and the effects on your life. My rule of thumb is to imagine myself doing something, then imagining myself not doing it and deciding which “me” I like best. I am aware of my own weaknesses and I don’t want to make certain easy escapes and instant stimulation's too easy, preventing me from experiencing something deeper that would allow me to find more meaning in my life.
