There have been numerous articles and essays written about the negative impact of smart phones and our addiction to them. Whether that be for work or play our day to day, hour to hour, and minute to minute consumption of information and entertainment is at an all time high with the no end in site.
Not until I recently, accidentally left my phone at home did I truly see the weight of this problem. When I got a block from my apartment, I realized I left my phone. As I thought to myself, I didn’t need it nor did I want it. So, I spent the next few hours roaming the streets of NYC without it. In a lot of ways it was freeing but I also couldn’t fight the urge to go looking for my phone every few minutes.
As I walked the city with my camera, I couldn’t help but notice so many people were zonked by their phones. It some cases people were sitting or standing in place but so many more people were walking down busy sidewalks and even across busy streets, which is scary. As I stated in my Instagram post, “Since I’m making “social commentary” about phone usage, I’ve decided to white out everyone’s face as an artist element to show the impact the phone has on us all and also not to shame innocent people”. I hope these photos illustrate the power these devices have over us. I also hope these photos help us to have a healthier relationship to all of our devices. There’s so much magic waiting for us as soon as we get out of our phones. I never would’ve have this idea if I was glued to my phone that day.
I’ll spare you the “mansplaining” about phone usage, screen time and loss of socialization. We’re all adults and can govern ourselves. However, this is a relatively new phenomenon that has dangerously, creeped into our daily routines without really understanding its longterm impact. I’ll leave you with this, PLEASE don’t drive and use your phone. It could save lives.