Mobile
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
In defense of smartphones: the stay-at-home parent's perspective
Posted By Corbie Hill on Tue, Sep 24, 2013 at 2:58 PM
Well, it's that time again - we're having a big hate on smartphones. First, it was that viral "I Forgot my Phone" video. Now it's Louis C.K. giving voice on Conan to a major millennial concern; apparently our phones have turned us into isolated islands of Facebooking and Tweeting, and apparently we're incapable of setting them down and simply "being human" (by his definition, humanity is judged by our ability to suffer existential crises in quiet moments). Judging by massive FB shares and retweets, it seems people are rushing to their smartphones to agree.
Sigh. Not gonna touch that last bit of irony, but I'm still here to call bullshit.
The central premise of this argument - that a piece of popular technology can alter human nature and even damage our social framework - seems fundamentally flawed. And to suggest such a sea change came about within the past five years or so seems fairly short-sighted. Anecdotal, pathos-begging proofs lace the glowing generalizations of inspirational short films and the snarkasm of superstar comedians; like horoscopes, these bits of wisdom and semi-logic are broad enough for the modern American to apply down to his or her own experience. What ensues is massive numbers of innocent people feeling guilty about their smartphones for - honestly - no good reason.
But I'm not going to feel bad about my iPhone, my busy Twitter feed, or any of that jazz. And I'm not going to take the predictable Luddite tack of thinking convenience or new technology are inherently bad. That's just lazy thinking.
Sigh. Not gonna touch that last bit of irony, but I'm still here to call bullshit.
The central premise of this argument - that a piece of popular technology can alter human nature and even damage our social framework - seems fundamentally flawed. And to suggest such a sea change came about within the past five years or so seems fairly short-sighted. Anecdotal, pathos-begging proofs lace the glowing generalizations of inspirational short films and the snarkasm of superstar comedians; like horoscopes, these bits of wisdom and semi-logic are broad enough for the modern American to apply down to his or her own experience. What ensues is massive numbers of innocent people feeling guilty about their smartphones for - honestly - no good reason.
But I'm not going to feel bad about my iPhone, my busy Twitter feed, or any of that jazz. And I'm not going to take the predictable Luddite tack of thinking convenience or new technology are inherently bad. That's just lazy thinking.
