Brent Clanfield Post #8

The most prominent piece of technology in my life, and many other's lives, is the cell phone. My phone is always in my pocket, no matter where I go. When I don't have it on me, I feel a little panicky. It sounds ridiculous, but my cell phone is very important to me. The ability to stay in contact with family and be able to reach out to anyone in case of emergency, or be contacted by someone when they are in need of my help, has made my cell phone a vital part of my life. That said, while the advantages of this technology are great, the idea that a piece of metal and glass is so important to me is also depressing. What is even worse is my attachment to it, and my tendencies.

Something I have noticed since high school is my tendency to quickly pull out my phone when any sense of awkwardness occurs. I noticed this when I would not have my phone with me and I would be walking in the hall. I would see someone else walking in the hall, and I would quickly have the urge to pull out my phone and look at it instead of making an awkward encounter with the other person I didn't know. I have noticed this tendency with other people, and it is very interesting. For some reason, our phones have become safety nets. Instead of making awkward small talk or making eye contact with anyone, we pull out are phones and scan social media.

I can't help but wonder what repercussions this may have. Will our society's social skills worsen over time? We are not forced to make those awkward encounters or talk to someone we don't want to talk to because we can easily pull out our phone and bury our face in it. It is like an ostrich burying his head in the ground when it is scared, but instead the ground we bury our faces in may or may not be giving us cancer. :/