Thinking J: But what if I miss something?- Mobile devices and that feeling of being connected

The other night I was out for dinner with three friends from high school. Having not seen them in weeks there was much to catch up on. The four of us sat down at the table after being seated and proceeded to bring out our mobile phones and place them next to us on the table. (I was guilty of doing this too) I then became aware that every time someone’s phone messaged, conversation would pause for them to check their phone and see who is contacting them. Not fussed about who was actually in front of them making and effort to see them, they were too concerned about what they were missing in other parts of their social/virtual life. In saying this, I myself noticed that I was doing the same thing. I received a message from another friend who was asking the most irrelevant and stupid question but I still managed to stop talking to respond to her before I could respond to the people who were making the effort to see me. Conversation went on until one of my friends decided that she wanted to post a photo of Instagram of the dinner meeting and made us pose for a photo. She then went on to post a photo of my friends and I enjoying dinner on the social networking site for the world to see. What began as a small catch up between friends then became a photo update on Instagram, where friends of friends could know what we were all doing on this particular night and who we were with. I asked myself, do people actually care what my friends and I are doing and why we are doing it? My answer was no.

Increasingly, I am noticing things like this, probably second nature to everyone else, I catch myself thinking about why we feel the need to be constantly connected.

Richardson brings up a valid point, where she discusses the mobile phone as being
“Customarily accepted almost as a body part or appendage.”(Richardson, 2007:211) I know myself that my phone is always on me, and as soon as it’s out of my sight I feel a strange sense of anxiety, asking myself what if someone needs me? What if I miss out on something?

Mobile Phone Usage Statistics Australia suggests that 83% of teenagers own a mobile phone, with numbers increasing every day with 66% of social networking on mobile devices being carried out by those under 35. (Mobile Phone Usage Statistics Australia, 2010). It becomes clear that the younger generation are utilising this technology for more than just your average phone call or text message, being always contactable and always aware of what’s happening around them. So it seems that my friends and I aren’t alone!

So next time I catch up with friends over dinner I think it’s time to break the news to them that phones need to go away. Because as much as we feel as though we need to stay connected, I am sure we will manage to eat a meal without missing out on anything worthwhile…. Maybe.

And heres a little farewell in the form of Channing Tatum
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