Hello Tron... Text Me Into The Future!

Hello Tron...Text Me Into The Future

 “Now we're e-mailing and tweeting and texting so much, a phone call comes as a fresh surprise. I get text messages on my cell phone all day long, and it warbles to alert me that someone has sent me a message on Facebook or a reply or direct message on Twitter, but it rarely ever rings.” (Susan Orwell)

Walk into Starbucks and stand in line.  As you stand there waiting for your Latte, you happen to glance up from your iPhone and casually look around you.  Though nothing is out of place you take note that the 13 people scattered throughout the café, sitting or standing while drinking and waiting to order are all jacked in.  They might be on their smartphones, tablets or laptops, but almost no one is simply reading a book or newspaper, nor do you see people socializing by verbally chatting with each other; instead you hear the furiously erratic sounds of fingers going tap… tap… tap… as messages are sent via text, emails are replied to, and phone calls are answered via blue tooth devices.  This is our present and our future.  As we look to the future we realize this is the science fiction future writers only imagined in novels and movies of the early 20^th century.  It is through this looking glass humanity needs to learn its lessons and not lose its’ humanity, while continuing to evolve with ever changing technology helping to provide mankind with an appetite for a more advanced, intellectual society.

“Anything that you can become obsessed with, and you do so much that you doesn’t do the things you need to do with family, friends, school, job - that can be an addiction. And texting absolutely can qualify.” (Dale Archer)

In July of 1982 the motion picture industry released the Disney movie, Tron to the public, never realizing what seemed to be a dystopian science fiction film, truly was predicting a future 30 years from its production.  The basis of the film introduced the audience to the concept of hackers, while bringing the internet and World Wide Web into a more mainstream atmosphere.  Here the audience watched as Kevin Flynn took on the Master Control Program, aka MCP and interacted with other entities within the virtual reality world in order to survive. 

Kevin Flynn: Look, just so I can tell my friends what this dream is about, okay? Where am I?
Ram: You're a... guest of the Master Control Program.
Kevin Flynn: Oh, great.
Ram: They're going to make you play video games.
Kevin Flynn: No sweat. I play video games better than anybody.

Not only was Disney’s Tron a cutting edge masterpiece due to its computer animated features throughout the film, but the topics discussed, such as the character being “sucked” inside the mainframe of a computer system to become a part of the internet and have to “fight” on a more gladiator style for his life, is similar to how people in today’s society react and communicate via applications provided by the various technology services through one’s smart phone providers.  Many “users” face similar challenges in today’s society with apps and virtual worlds such as Linden Labs’ Second Life, World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy, Farmville and Angry Birds.  Not to mention all the various social media apps that include YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat and Gizmo of which people consistently post throughout the day  with pictures and conversations taking over their daily lives. 

Ed Dillinger: Encom isn't the business you started in your garage anymore. We're billing accounts in thirty different countries; new defense systems; we have one of the most sophisticated pieces of equipment in existence.
Dr. Walter Gibbs: Oh, I know all that. Sometimes I wish I were back in my garage.
Ed Dillinger: That can be arranged, Walter.
Dr. Walter Gibbs: That was uncalled for! You know, you can remove men like Alan and me from the system, but we helped create it! And our spirit remains in every program we design for this computer!
Ed Dillinger: Walter, it's getting late. I've got better things to do than to have religious discussions with you. Don't worry about ENCOM anymore; it's out of your hands now.
(Disney’s Tron, 1982)

If people are reaching out and socializing with one another via smartphones, is this not a good thing?  Not necessarily.  While an article published by Alex Hern in August of 2015’s edition of The Guardian Stated “Two thirds of adults now have a smartphone, up from 39% in 2012, and the amount of time we spend using them to go online has risen to one hour and 54 minutes per day.”(The Guardian, August 2016) Hern interviewed Jane Rumble, director of Ofcom about the “landmark shift” in smartphone usage and how it was affecting not only adults but the younger generations.  Rumble correlated that the “younger age groups were driving the change.  Those aged 16 to 24 are much more likely, as well as 25 to 34, to say their smartphone is the most important device to get online, whereas for older age groups, they are much more likely to be sticking with their laptops.” (The Guardian, August 2016)

          Rumble continues to validate her documentation with correlation between the technology of smartphones and the various age groups by explaining that the older generations, which includes 55 to 64 as rising genre of adults owning smartphones.  Unfortunately what this article does not discuss is the downside of the rising percentages of adults in all age groups socializing via smartphones, and the possible isolation and social anxiety that comes with the over usage and dependency on these devices.

          David Zaro, a student of psychology, recently posted on his blog, Applied Social Psychology, about the effects of using a smartphone and how doing so can amplify social anxiety.  He explained at the beginning of his article, Social Media May Cause Social Anxiety, the following: “According to the Social Anxiety Institute, social anxiety is the fear of social situations and the interaction with other people that can automatically bring on feelings of self-consciousness, judgment, evaluation, and inferiority (Richards, 2012). Typical signs of social anxiety are feeling tense or uptight when interacting with acquaintances, blushing during conversations with strangers, feeling dread or terror about having to speak to others and avoiding social gatherings.  (Schneider,Gruman,Coutts, 2012, p88)” 

          Zaro would then further his explanation by going more in-depth with his own experience: “Every day I notice simple tasks of calling someone on the phone, asking for directions, or just staying in touch with friends is being silenced by the use of texting, Google maps and Facebook. This lack of human communication and social interaction is diminishing common social skills that used to be found in daily human interaction.”  

          It is due to Zaro’s unique perspective and personal experience within his community, we are able to justify the dangers and ideas of isolation due to usage of smartphones.  Zaro goes into depth about this personal experience when he talks about what it was like to “replace” social outings with friends with smartphone gatherings on social media apps.  “ Just through my own personal observations I have witnessed email replacing phone calls, texting replacing emails and social media starting to replace the "get together" with friends and family members. Instead of going out for a few drinks with co-workers, we have fallen victim to meeting up on social gaming sites like Farmville to swap some chickens instead of verbal communication.” (David Zaro, 2012)

          While Zaro speaks to us of what he experienced, remember Anxiety, even Social Anxiety is a real issue.  Many people will excuse this idea saying they just don’t feel like going out today, and automatically reach for their phone, tablet or laptop.  I will admit I am and have been guilty of this myself.  Don’t look for an app to solve this for you.  Talk to someone.  Therapy, especially group therapy is a positive way to help one not only relearn how to overcome social anxiety, but to once more learn how to feel comfortable in the physical presence of others. 

          Unfortunately, Social Anxiety is not the only danger we as a wide-scale community face with the ever growing use of smartphones.  One of the largest impacts and dangers with smartphones is the concept of “Texting While Driving,” or as it has been described “Distracted While Driving.”  Many NYS citizens do not realize that New York was the first state to adopt DUI laws back in 1910.  This history is vital to NY as the safety of the people who live within this state is dependent upon safe driving.  Now we have a new threat that is growing amongst us, with young and older drivers, with the cell phones distracting drivers from focusing their attention on the traffic in front of them.  It has become popular to “snap a selfie” or record yourself “singing karaoke” in order to post on social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube.com; but what happens when one is snapping that picture, or responding to a text message only to miss that the car / truck in front of them has stopped quickly, thereby hit their brakes, causing the person who is now distracted to slam into the stopped car? 

          “Everybody is continuously connected to everybody else on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Reddit, e-mailing, texting, faster and faster, with the flood of information jeopardizing meaning. Everybody's talking at once in a hypnotic, hyper din: the cocktail party from hell.” (Maureen Dowd)

          According to the article posted on handsfreeinfo.com New York: Cell Phones, Texting, “Ticketing for cell phone use by New York drivers continues to decrease, but texting & driving citations are hitting a peak. Texting tickets “have dramatically increased each year since 2011,” according to the governor’s office. In 2015, there were a combined 216,748 distracted driving tickets handed out, down from 242,000 the year before.”  (Updated May, 2016)

          The website further details the current Distracted Driving Laws and the Fines associated with them for New York State:

Current distracted driving laws

·         Drivers must use hands-free devices while talking on cell phones.

·         Text messaging and related uses of handheld electronic devices banned.

·         Taxi cab drivers in New York City banned from using cell phones.

·         Television screens not allowed within view of drivers.

New York State distracted driving fines:

·         First offense: $50 to $200.

·         Second offense (within 18 months): $50 to $250.

·         Third offense (within 18 months): $50 to $450.

·         Five demerit points for all violations (effective 2015)

“If you've been driving for a little while and nothing's happened to you yet - and you've been texting and driving - you think, 'Oh nothing's going to happen.' But all it takes is an accident happening with one of your friends or God forbid, something happening to you, to really give you a wake-up call.” (Victoria Justice)

In the end we need to be more aware and conscious of the world around us.  It is wise to remember technology is a tool, one that is of great use to our future and our children’s future.  It will help us evolve, but like anything it can become an addiction.  One that is harmful and destructive to society as a whole.  The choice is ours on how we use these tools.  Put your cell phone down, turn it off for an hour or two and go outside.  Look around you and remember what it felt like to simply enjoy playing in the leaves of autumn.  Feel the rain as it splashes down on your face.  Fall backwards into the snow and make snow angels or get into a snowball fight for fun.  Better yet, I dare you to walk up to someone in Starbucks and say “Hello, my name is…” You can do this.  So many of us do this all the time on Facebook.

References:

1.     Hern, Alex. “Smartphone Now Most Popular Way to Browse Internet – Ofcom Report.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 5 Aug. 2015, www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/06/smartphones-most-popular-way-to-browse-internet-ofcom.

2.     By mid-October, the number of tickets written since the summer crackdown began July 4 hit almost 28,000. “New York: Cell Phone Laws, Texting.” Hands Free Info, 2 May 2016, handsfreeinfo.com/new-york-cell-phone-laws-legislation/.

3.     “History of DUI Laws.” History of DUI Laws, www.liquorlaws.net/duilaws.html.

4.     Zaro, David. “Social Media May Cause Social Anxiety.” Applied Social Psychology (ASP), Penn State University, 6 June 2012, www.personal.psu.edu/bfr3/blogs/asp/2012/06/social-media-may-cause-social-anxiety.html.