Is It Worth It?
Series of advertisements by Shiyang He showcasing the effects technology has on our personal relationships.
HOW IS THIS ANY WORSE THAN READING A BOOK OR A NEWSPAPER IN THE SAME SITUATIONS? DID PEOPLE MAKE CARTOONS WITH GIANT BOOKS BETWEEN PEOPLE WHEN THE PRINTING PRESS WAS INVENTED? (Who am I kidding, they probably did…)
No one is in the habit of pulling a book or a newspaper out of their pocket and idly pretending to read it every time an interaction gets the slightest bit tedious or awkward
(an action which only serves to worsen said state of affairs, essentially representing a prisoner’s dilemma defection)
The only reason I never do that is because most books don’t fit in my back-pocket (and blessed are the books that do). And really, that is not what this image set shows. It shows people using a phone in situations that one could be reasonably expect a person to read a book/newspaper and not get criticized for it.
Like, honestly, this is a communication problem, not a smartphone problem. My girlfriend knows I’m still paying attention while doodling on my phone. She also knows she can tell me to stop when she thinks I do need my full attention. If your relationship with someone is so crappy that you can’t tell them to put their phone away, why are you talking to them in the first place?
Maybe cell phones would take up more of our time if they were 1.7 meters tall and capable of phasing through solid matter.