Hey fellow tech addicts! So recently I watched this video on YouTube called "Look Up", you may have seen it (it has over 45 million views!). If you have a couple minutes, I recommend you watching this video because I feel that it ties in with our summer theme swimmingly. The video is about a man that is usually too engrossed in his phone. He shuts off his phone for once to get directions from a stranger. The video follows the man through his life as he ends up getting married and growing old with the "stranger" a.k.a. His true love. I don't want to give away the plot twist at the end but this video has such a profound meaning, I had to share it. Of course I'm not saying that the chances of you looking away from your phone for a minute and meeting your true love are high, but it does make you wonder how much you're missing. I personally believe that we folks are all becoming introverts (to a certain extent) as the internet evolves more and more to include the participation of people. Just think about all those hours spent on social media....do you remember what was going on around you?
Comment below what you think :)
Anvita,
ReplyDeleteI watched the video and I can honestly tell you it touched me. I do believe that our technology is separating us from our real lives. There are many things that we do today that actually required some face-to-face socialization years ago and it makes me sad to think that we're replacing this with makeshift conversations on the internet.
Also my favorite part of the video was when the guy said, "I have 422 friends, yet I am lonely. I speak to all of them everyday, yet none of them really know me." I guess I'm just intrigued by the concept of have so many friends and none at the same time.
This is one of the situation where technology wins the war against us. If we are getting separated from loved ones and friends because of technology, we are doing something wrong. If technology ever has this much power over us, then will technology be negative to society. The way social medias are transforming, it's definitely going in the wrong direction. Facebook started off as a website for friends to add real life friends and chat with them when they can't see each other face to face, but the epidemic spread and now it's for random people and strangers to add you just to chat. Since these are people that you barely know, the conversations you have with them doesn't mean as much to you. If you find yourself trapped in technology, you should set aside one day of your life without using any technology. Your day would be more calm and peaceful due to less concentration on your problems and other's problems over the internet.
Deleteoh good gravy, you used the word "swimmingly." i love that.
ReplyDeleteI was waiting for someone to notice that ;)
DeleteI remember being shown that video during Chemistry by Mr. Ducar one day at the end of the school year. It was irrelevant to the subject of Chemistry (unless you want to get very philosophical), of course, but the message of the video was still very relevant to the life of a high school teenager such as myself.
ReplyDeleteI understand that the purpose of the video was to show people how much technology, such as the Internet, and social networks, such as Facebook, can distance them from face-to-face socialization with their friends and family (and even potential soul mates, in the video); however, I remember finding it amusing that the video likely went viral through individuals sharing the video to their "friends" on social networks, such as Facebook. Of course, some of the video's views do come from people showing the video to their friends in person as another method of socializing. I now find it just as amusing how I was lead back to Look Up through this blog, a subtle form of social networking.
All in all, after re-watching the video today (and its fantastic love story, Disney should look into that for a new movie) and looking at it after having read Postman's book, it felt just as meaningful as the first time I watched it three months ago.
I would totally watch that Disney movie!
DeleteI saw this a few months back, and I can honestly say that its spoke to me in a deep level. We really are becoming more "unsocial" in our attempts to become "social" and it’s depressing because physical interactions is much more benefitting but we’re slowly turning away from it because of “social media”. I also watched the video that Michelle talked about, and overall, they make me want to not have a phone. Or at least a smart phone because it has offers so many features that serves as distractions for the most part, although sometimes I guess it does have good uses as well. Anyway, our society should really learn how to find balance between their cellphone usage and interacting with actual people; otherwise, were going to hit a point of no return, and it’s scary to think of how drastic its affect could be in the future generations. Anyone else miss playing tag in the streets or frolicking in the park?
ReplyDeleteI also saw this video a few months ago and it really did make me think and left me in awe. It made me realize that we are more focused on our electronics and what is happening behind a screen is more important than what is happening in the moment. It is so sad to see people looking at their phones instead of having a conversation with their friends and family. We have wasted so much of our time on such insignificant things. After i finished watching the video i tried convincing myself that I wouldn't use my phone as much, but i failed miserably. I also found it ironic that the video was being published/shared on the social media, but realistically no one would have paid attention to it in the first place if it weren't, which just proves the point that we are more focused on the internet, even further.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this video a couple of times, but it still amazes me every time I watch it. People are getting so attached to their phones, and they don't even realize the things happening around them. In the video, the guy says "this media we call social, is anything but" which is so true. While we are all on twitter and Facebook, we think we are being social, but are we really? We all want to believe that we are being social, but in reality, we are not. Also, he talks about those times when we are in public and automatically turn to our phones because we do not want to socialize. I relate to that in a way because there are times while I am out and I feel so awkward that I turn to my phone. Our phones are like a security blanket that we can keep in our pockets, but there is soon going to be a time where we just need to be brave and stop relying on it.
ReplyDeleteI like how you referred to our phones as "security blankets" because really there's no other explanation. We live in a time and age where smart phones are seen as saviours. And the worst part is that we don't find that abnormal.
DeleteI agree with you when you said that social media is anything but social, Amy. Many times people either in real life or on the internet claim that they are introverts when in reality, they are only saying that because they would much rather talk to a person online rather than in person. I am still struggling to believe if talking to you online is the same as walking over to your house to talk to you. Is communication strengthened through technology as it is in person or has technology weakened conversation? The struggle is real in finding out the answer.
DeleteI watched the video right now and it left me speechless. Every word he said was on point and nothing could have described it better. My favorite part was when he said "look up from your phone, shut down the display. Take in your surroundings, and make the most of today". It's true. I know that I don't always pay attention to my surroundings like I should because I'm always on my phone. There are so many other things I could do with my time rather than being on my phone and wasting my time. We only have so many days to enjoy life, why waste it on something that means nothing?
ReplyDelete