#462 wake up call

We were at an outdoor concert over the weekend and saw a young toddler taking pictures with her parents’ iPhone.  This girl could barely walk, yet she was aiming the correct side of the phone in the approximate right direction as if she was a master photographer.  She was as comfortable with the device as she was with a toy, and apparently her mom was as comfortable giving it to her. 

No longer are phones a technological treasure; they have become as ubiquitous and non-remarkable as keys.  We no longer think of phones, even iPhones, as something special.

This phenomenon is transcending continents as even those in impoverished areas of the world see phones as the pathway to freedom.  In Time magazine, Bill Clinton writes that phones actually foster equality and lift people out of poverty by giving the average person access to financial opportunity.  People in many developing countries are now using their phone to make deposits and process transactions -- without ever having a bank account.  Others in Africa are using phones to check the validity of medications; phones are used as a conduit for charitable giving from the masses and others are using phones as a way to reunite refugees.

Phones are an example of how technology was developed for one purpose, but has morphed into an everyday item that is available almost worldwide.  The toddlers of today are growing up with the expectation that we are all constantly connected through our devices and that we can capture and share it all.  Yet face to face doesn’t mean via Skype or FaceTime and sharing a photo isn’t the same as experiencing it.

While it is great for phones to provide access to those in developing nations, I hope that your device remains a tool and not the primary mechanism for how you view and share your life.  A little unplugging goes a long way toward making life real.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source:  The Case for Optimism by Bill Clinton, Time, October 1, 2012