In Defense of Being on the Phone All the Damn Time
Methink some of us doth protest too much
Ever notice that the outcry to minimize our smart device obsession, especially when targeted at younger generations, doesn’t seem to have that positive tone of helpfulness that usually accompanies actual help? What I see is more of a desire to spank and shame those phone-obsessed Gen Z, Y, and X’ers who seem destined to walk right off a cliff while staring at their devices.
Consider how easy it is to criticize someone who is staring at a device. Take that parent in the stands at a youth sporting event, for example. How dare they look down at their phone while their kid is out on the field? What a lousy parent!
Well, maybe their phones are doing more than you realize. With a smartphone, that parent can help faraway loved ones track a game’s progress, and even watch or listen to it with automated announcers, as if the game were on TV. (Yes, there’s an app for that… it’s called GameChanger.) Or maybe they’re logging balls, strikes, and other key stats on the Bullpen app, a great way to get into the minutiae of the game for progress tracking and goal setting. Or maybe they’re…
