Hung Up on Your Phone?

A new campaign targets the cell-addictedCan’t put your phone down? You’re not alone in this one. Today’s technology allows people to avoid real life by pulling out their portable distractions. Whether it’s at home, on your commute, or sneaking at work, cell phones have become a real addiction in today’s culture.According to Flurry, a website that tracks app usage from over 1.3 billion devices, as of March 2014 there are 176 million people addicted to their phones. That number increased almost 100 million in just one year!A YouTube video titled Look Up has gone viral reaching over 47 million views since it’s posting in April. Gary Turk, a British writer describes how technology is ruining human relationships through spoken word.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QYTurk begins the video with powerful lyrics: “This media we call social is anything but, when we open our computers and it’s our doors we shut.”He follows a story of a man and women falling in love and captures the real problem of human interaction our fortunate culture is facing. “I can’t stand to hear the silence, of a busy commuter train, when no one wants to talk through the fear of looking insane. We’re surrounded by children, who since they were born, watch us living like robots, and think it’s the norm.”With technology rapidly growing, how much worse can this problem get?Brian McCabe, a senior in college doesn’t seem too worried. “I think social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are just a fad. In years to come they might get so overused that people lose interest.” He continued, “technology will always continue to grow, but soon enough people will find other things to be obsessed with.”Engineering technologist Christian Migliorese thinks otherwise. “The future of technology is bright. More and more schooling is being geared towards computers and easier techniques for children to learn. But who knows, many years down the line, typical American schooling might not be necessary. When and if that’s the case, how are children supposed to make friends?”By the amount of attention Turk’s video has received, it seems Migliorese is not the only one concerned. “Look up” has inspired many others to make videos of similar content that are also gaining popularity.For now, the only solution is to put the phones down and look up. As Turk said, “Look up from your phone shut down that display. Stop watching this video, and live life the real way.”