Monday, November 16, 2009
Losing touch
As years have passed, American society has become enamored with technology; Blackberries, Ipods, Iphones, computers, TomToms, Iphone apps, etc. As a result, our society has lost touch with itself as it becomes stuck in the technological sandpit. People walk around with Ipod earbuds, with the music playing so loud that you can clearly hear the lyrics of the music, even though you are 25 feet away. The person is insulating them self from society and everyone else around them, preferring to hear their own, self-constructed reality. This attitude is common among young people and older people alike, as people begin to ignore the others around them. People become lost in their cell phones, playing games, texting, blogging, or even worse...Facebook status updating. We have begun to lose touch with each other and the things that make our society what it is. The little interactions between people are lost once people put the earbuds in or look down at their cell phone and go to their own constructed reality. Besides, once the earbuds go in, one cannot hear the snippets of conversation from those around us, which so consistently amuse us. The "Good mornings," and "Have a good day" are lost in the sound of Chris Brown screaming into some one's ear canal. Simple courtesy is shoved to the wayside: "Oh sorry, I didn't hear what you said, I had my earbud in." Here is a solution: Take out the earbuds, listen to those around you, actually interact with them, and contribute to society without insulating yourself with an Apple-constructed reality.
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This reminds me of a comment my english teacher in high school made about iPods and eadbuds in general. If you've read Fahrenheit 451, the wife in the novel is lost in her own world due to the things they keep in their ears which broadcast news, music, etc. She basically commented that although this book was written as a scary prediction of the future, this little snippet of it was visible in todays society.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very strong point that we are separating ourselves from the world when we ignore our surroundings. Today I walked into the elevator of my dorm building with another girl who lives there. Usually I'll talk to people during the elevator ride or meet new people, however this girl was listening to music. Music can be a gift and a wonderful part of life, but we should not prefer to listen to music when we have the opportunity to meet new people and grow. We need to learn how to absorb our surroundings and the voices of people who we are with, not the voices of people coming out of a machine.
ReplyDeleteYou make an extremely good point. I also notice people just zoning out on the buses, on benches at school and even during lectures in class. As my teacher said it high school, by doing so they are creating a little bubble world that blocks out everyone else. I know people love to listen to music, but if I can hear the music when I'm 25 feet away, that is WAY TOO LOUD. Your solution to the problem is one that I agree with, we should go around, and physically say hello and goodbye to each other. Saying it directly to the person, is much more meaningful then posting it on your facebook or what not.
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