I'm possibly about to offend a lot of people. In fact, I've been debating whether or not to post this Blog at all and, after considering it for a very long time, I think it's time to speak. It may actually make a difference to someone, read on to the end and perhaps you'll understand where I'm coming from...
Technology is awesome. I'm a big fan of instant communications and the easy access of information. I love my iPhone. I love being able to see what my family in Australia have been doing (and how quickly and beautifully the children are growing!) from photographs and the occasional video they post online. That is the positive beauty of the internet summed up for me. I think it's great.
But it seems to me that some people, every now and then, are missing out. For some years now at weddings, I've noticed that, where the bride and groom (or bride and bride, or groom and groom) would previously walk back down the aisle to a sea of their loved ones' beaming, congratulating faces and heartfelt handshakes, they now walk out rather bemused to a mass of mobile phones and digital cameras, not knowing which direction to look in.
That's fine. Moments like that should be recorded. But not at the expense of missing them! While you're staring at the back of a 2inch screen, you're missing their first magical, smiling moments as a married couple... which is surely what you are there to see! When something only happens once, surely it's best to experience it properly, and in person. Especially when someone else is already there specifically and purely to record it for later (i.e. me!!)
It isn't just at weddings either, I'm seeing this phenomenon everywhere. I watched a clip of Stonehenge at the Solstice on a DVD recently, and of the revellers there to witness this beautiful and spiritual event, half of them 'witnessed' the moment of sunrise via the crummy little screen on their smartphone.
People pay a lot of money, hundreds of pounds sometimes, to see their favourite bands live. And half of the crowd are holding up their mobiles, shakily filming the "experience" to presumably share a grainy, muffled clip on Facebook later. Why not just watch the gig on TV if you're not going to immerse and enjoy the live experience!?
This week, someone had posted a video of the monitor during their baby scan on another social networking site. I appreciate what a big moment that is and I'm sure friends and family will enjoy seeing the marvel and be glad that they could share it. But take a moment. Who is that scan MOST meaningful to? The parents! Who, instead of enjoying this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime emotional journey, were busy holding up their phones instead of being there, in the moment, absorbing the raw beauty of that completely unique event.
I saw a fantastic t-shirt worn by a videographer recently. It said "Put Down Your Phones... We've Got It Covered!" And I really must stress that the point of this particular Blog post is not to reprimand people for sharing elements of their life or for posting family videos, no no, that should be encouraged! It's just to plant a thought, that next time you go for the smartphone when something incredible is happening, consider whether the loss of this moment would be bigger to the internet community, or to you personally.
Enjoy those moments and live them, embrace them, and every now and again... put down your phones!
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