Existence of smartphones....

well, with this new coming of age, i guess everyone is slowly, or may i retract and say rapidly moving towards the smartphones usage. i remember reading someone's FB stats saying that "never have i realized choosing a fruit would be difficult" in which referring to Apple (iPhone) and Blackberry. 

how much have these smartphones change people's lives? seriously, i guess to a totally whole different level. before this people have to take out their laptop, or go back home to check out work emails, now hell no, standing in a train? pffbt... take out your smartphone on your holiday and you'd find out that something's wrong at work. wondering what's your FB account is like? notifications and all that shit? pffbt... take out your smartphone and you'd find out who tagged you on the latest uncool photo u have probably when you were sleeping and unintentionally grabbing your package. 

yes, literally, we are living in the world of technology, and i may have once mentioned in one of my blog entries, that one day technology will definitely rule the world, and hopefully not without us (damn you Arnold!). Either way, we're bridging gaps that has always seem to be difficult and all. but along the way, most of us dont realize the non existing gaps that we've now created. what gaps you say? those gaps that may actually matter much more than your stupid smartphones. 

go to a dinner, or chill out session with your 4 of your friends and all. sit down, order drinks, catch up for the first few minutes, and suddenly one person would take out their smartphone to check out something that just probably vibrated the orgasm out of them. next thing you know, now we're down to 3 friends. then you start catching up and all that, a person points out like "did you check out the news on Glee this morning?" then that person starts opening the clip to show everyone. now while searching for that clip, we're down to 2 converses who coincidentally these two friends probably has the least to talk about within the 4. however, there is a catch, which is , somehow they talk great in chat mode, so, in the end both of them takes out their smartphones and chat away with each other catching up despite sitting close to each other a fist punch's length and by the time the first person who was checking out their phone is done with their thing, s/he looks up and find that no one seems to pay attention to the person. which eventually, slowly diminishes these group of people's relationship with each other. yeay smartphones. 

now don't deny it, this actually happened to most of us. once i changed into my smartphone, i started to get into it too and to be honest, i am not proud of it not even one bit. back then when everyone was quiet, and just checking out smses, someone would eventually strike up something intelligent and started the ball rolling again. then when the heated argument ends. small gap, then someone else would get the ball rolling and so on and so forth.

we are destroying actual social life and culturing intangible social living. no wonder researches estimated sometime in the near future, that there will be a majority of unattractive people as they are consumed in this intangible world of theirs. 

now i was talking in the Relationship: Friends view. how about those Relationship: Family view? some people already dont talk much to their parents, wives, kids and family much due to over commitment to work. then "hello smartphones". going to an event with your family and then instead of sitting down with your in laws listening (or trying listen), or your even your own family talking, you'd be taking out your smartphone and mingling with it instead. where's the courtesy in that? i may have done it too... to be honest, it's an ethic we should not adapt at all. so what if the phone buzzes a bit? look at it, dont delve in to it. what's 1 hour with the people who matters instead of those who really dont? 

we are slowly digging a big hole and creating a huge gap that wasnt even there in the first place! even if there already was a gap, we're making it worse! there should definitely be an ethics when it comes to smartphones. and who are the ones to start it? we are. otherwise, things will come around in the future, and our kids will do that to us. ignoring us in their own world looking all fat and ugly and not even sure what does a stapler, a cat or a real life chicken look like. 

well, let's start, embedding this culture within us, the importance of being a forward yet strong family and cultural values and not have our people totally westernized and ignoring what matters. a community, a close group of chill out buddies, and most of all, your family. 

Here's so far the ones i've come up with

Phone ethics my point of view

1. set your phone on silent during meal hours unless alone. 

2. dont mingle with your phone unless its really important (like telling the group of people you're otw, but you're actually just tying your shoe and about 45 minutes away instead of the 5 you mentioned)

3. working hours... silent your phone! (hate those phones that ring during meetings)

4. when you're out on date night with your other half, definitely not check out your phone in front of them. glancing is ok. god knows suddenly there's something really urgent (like your dad sending you a pic of his old religious notes only to find out 20 yrs later that his then 8 yr-old son drew a robot on it, *not guilty!*)

5. those stupid idiot who tweet/update their facebook stats like every 2 minutes, and worse of all mentioning where they are, are only inviting stalkers tracking their every single movement. you know who you are....

6. if necessary, download an icebreaker app where people go 'That is so cool!' and then when intended reaction is received, immediately keep your smartphone out of reach and start with something basic like 'ya, funny shit kan? so what were you guys up to during the weekend?'

7. let's go for 7, just because i can. let's see... ah yes... when you're on a holiday, a weekend, or a break, do NOT spoil that recharging moment with those emails or calling work. it'll spoil every single moment of it. then it'll unintentionally destroy the mood of your family whom you know would definitely be there for you no matter what whereas a smartphone wont. 

laters yall.