A friend of mine is watching the Glee Concert Movie right now. It's okay, though, he's just a kid.

Anyway, they are doing a lot of audience reaction shots and everyone has some type of video recording device pointed at the stage, or person of interest.

In one shot, "Rachel" is coming out of the audience, singing. She is walking up a narrow set of stairs and there are kids who could have reached out to touch her. The closest one to her, at the last stair step that is at audience level, was a young blonde teenager. She's holding a camera, and she's looking at "Rachel" on the screen on the back of her camera, framing the shot. Then you see the flash go off when "Rachel" is about two feet away, and then the girl lowers the camera and stares down at the photo she's just taken, as "Rachel" moves on past her, and onto the stage. She never "looked" at Rachel directly!!

See what has happened? It's no longer the event itself that matters! It's the recordings you made of the event!

I'm not saying one way is better than the other, I'm just commenting on the change.

Unique experiences and the feelings they engender 'in the moment' seem no longer to matter. What you can take and hold for yourself has been replaced by what you can film and show others. It's what you can put up on YouTube that allows you to savor the experience. Just being there is no longer enough; you have to share it or else you really didn't experience it.

Are they storing memories or avoiding reality?

Anyway, it's different...

So, does the Kid like it so far?

I asked...

He said there's too much talking, not enough singing of lame White songs...

Are they storing memories or avoiding reality?


This is a pretty bold topic to bring up on the internet. Ahem.

But, I've been watching this phenomenon coming on for years now. I say, it’s avoiding reality. It’s beyond that even … it’s sometimes completely removing people from reality. A slightly different version of it is the people who almost drive into me driving their car with their face stuffed in their devices. Or sit at the lights while everyone else has driven off, that’s irrational. It’s a touchy subject, but I’ll come out and give my opinion that it’s not healthy. It’s just hypnotism and distraction. It’s crack.

However, that’s not a popular assertion to make these days. Do what you want, but when I’m at a musical performance, I’d rather be the guy on the stage being euphoric. That’s the experience that counts for me … the moment, and being there while others do their thing too. The experience for me isn’t snap chatting what I’m up to just to brag about how cool I’m being right now. I really don’t get that, but to each his own. The main criticism I have of it is; if you hand a kid a bag of coke, what do you expect them to do with it? Babies on crack, they can’t help it. Tech companies have a fiduciary duty to promote and sell their products, and they do.

Think of it this way; it’s the first time we’ve ever invented things to sell first, without them really having a need, and then found a use for them after the fact. Shouldn’t that be a bit of a red flag?

And don’t criticize me for using my computer right now. It hasn’t warped my sense of reality. For example, I put in the time to play several real musical instruments proficiently in my life. I don’t seduce my self into thinking guitar hero is the same thing. But, I have a few friends who don’t seem to understand the difference. That worries me a little.

But like I say, do what you want with your life, it doesn't affect me ... just don't crash into me with your car please.

I am sympathetic to your views. I recently asked about chapel etiquette and was told that cell phone and tablet usage was ubiquitous in mormon chapels during Sunday meetings.

I played golf on Thursday and my friend and I were paired up with a guy who was on his phone between shots. Not between holes, but between shots!

And yes, I've been in the position where I've found myself more than half way to a destination when I realized that I'd left my cell phone at home. I HATE that feeling!

I still like life in the raw, unprocessed by an electronic device. But, yeah, I don't want to be cut off from los interwebz.

I guess it’s like everything else in life. Moderation. Mindfulness. Asking ... what am I doing?

I have a friend who texts through my conversations with me after inviting me over for a visit. He says, ‘I’m listening, I can do two things at once’. So I’ll trail off sometimes about two headed purple monsters and he’ll (after quite a few moments) look up confused and say, ‘what was that?’ I’ll say, ‘See, I didn’t think you were listening.’ ‘Oh no, I was’, he says, ‘but I just didn’t catch that last thing you said.’ Ya, I noticed.

But, it is what it is.

Psychologists recommend ‘being in the moment.’ These devices seem to offer the opposite. However, I can see why it might be happening. Sometimes our modern world seems to have become a pretty bland and un-delightful place. I can see why people might want to escape.

Anyway. My opinion is just my opinion. It is what it is.

As a fairly accomplished recreational photographer, I've struggled with that over the years. It is very difficult to be both in the moment and recording the moment. One of my favorite photographs of myself was taken by another photographer -- I had just lowered my camera to cheer on a world-class athlete who was right in front of me.

Nowadays I am less likely to photograph where I know that others of my acquaintance will do the job equally well or better.