Posted February 24, 2015

 

They’re as much a part of our lives now as wallets or purses. We’re tethered to them 24/7. We feel naked, lost and all alone without them.

 

Twenty or 30 years ago, I might have been talking about cigarettes. But I’m referring now, of course, to smart phones. I was never a smoker, but I certainly can empathize with the cravings they feel – especially when I leave home without my trusty phone. These days, when someone says they need a light, they're usually referring to the flashlight on your phone. They’ve changed our lives, certainly. They've altered the way we organize, the way we gather information, even the way we interact – or eschew interaction.

 

Scheduling a meeting? Check the calendar to see if you’re available. Need directions? Open the map app. Can’t remember the name of the person you just bumped into? Mobile LinkedIn probably remembers. Sheer boredom? The drama on Facebook is only a click away.

 

You could argue that, like cigarettes in bygone days, smart phones make you feel cool. You’re certainly not hip if you don’t have a smart phone on your hip. They’re a prop, really, providing hours of connectivity, study or fun – or perhaps just a way of passing the time. I’ll admit, I’m even a little OCD about constantly checking voice mails and emails on my phone, often at the least ideal times. You never know when you or your services are needed. Surely, short of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), a cure exists for “nomophobia,” or fear of being away from mobile devices.

 

Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at a textile conference with my camera aimed at the crowd and thinking I’ll get a good overall shot of a rapt audience. Hardly ever happens anymore. Usually, half the audience has their heads down checking their phones, thumbs fully engaged. (Don’t take offense, speakers – perhaps they’re taking notes on their mobile. It’s possible, right?) The first time I remember noticing an electronic distraction was around 2006, when the CEO of a textile company was asked a question during a conference at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Club. Startled, he apologized for being on his Blueberry. Me, not being in the “in crowd” yet, had no idea what he was talking about. I wondered: Were blueberries served during the break? Now, I guess we’re all “fruity,” in some respects, with our Blackberry and Apple and other brands of devices.

 

I’m grateful we have these abilities not imagined during our youth – a digital life with everything we want at our fingertips. Smart phones have made us more productive, more accessible (a blessing and a curse), more happening, man. So smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em.