Renny Gleeson: Antisocial Phone Tricks

Extra credit reflection by ANGELA W.

Original TED page w/ speaker bio, links, comments, etc:

Renny Gleeson:  Antisocial Phone Tricks

Renny Gleeson’s request to make technology something that makes people more human and not less is a simple one, but how do we do it?

People and technology these days can be very extreme. Think about it. We have house phones, cell phones, car phones, televisions, cars, computers, iPods, and much more. All of this new technology is what many of our lives revolve around everyday. Many people have accustomed to hiding behind technology. What I mean by this is, they create ‘fake identities.’ It is much easier to be a whole different person with the use of technology. Facebook can make someone seem like a whole different person. Texting can portray things much differently than in person. It is much easier to say some things over text than it is in person. This just causes a person to loose their true identity and portray a whole different one

Technology also causes people to be somewhat ‘robotic.’ People use technology as a way communication. People that do this everyday, every hour, and every minute become socially awkward and forget how to function without the use of technology.

With all the technology that we have access to, it makes people more reachable. Usually when you make a call to someone, you expect them to answer because most people have their phones with them all the time. If they do not answer, you expect them to call back in the next hour. Technology can make people obligated to communicate 24/7. Even though that is not how it is supposed to be, that is how it is becoming. We have gotten to the point that we will have our phones out when we are having a conversation with someone in person, and many of us are guilty of it. By doing this, we are pretty much saying to the person in front of us “my phone is more important than what you are saying to me.” At times, this may be true, but it should not be because having a conversation in person in much more meaningful than over text. Many business people never leave there phones at times they should be left off, like during family dinner.

Technology is making us less human. For just a few hours a day, put your phone down, turn off the TV, close your laptop, and you will find out something about the ‘real world’ that you were too busy to notice before.