Before Electronic Distractions

It began with the invention of the light bulb. Thomas Edison's usage of Benjamin Franklin's electrofying discovery accelerated electronic technology. Historians tracted this post-industrial revolution period as one of the most progressive since the discovery of fire and the engineering of the pulley. These electrical advancements birthed the invention of LEDs, automobiles, transistors, radios, motion pictures (movies), television, cargo airplanes, computers, space ships, etc. happened within a 50-year period.

What hasn't been tracted is the decline in social interaction. The Sony Walkman, which was a portable cassette music player exclusively listened through a singular set of earphones. Since then, DVD and MP3 players have dominated the market for small electronics.

With the reduction in carpools, increased gas and taxi prices, driving solo in automobiles designed for 5 passengers is seen as normal. To further promote isolationism, many ride public transportation to save money but are plugged into electronic devices. Texting to people that are not present while ignoring those who are has become acceptable. Many cannot identify the people they sit next to during a 30-minute ride on mass transportation. Why? Passengers are too busy interacting with an inanimate device that provides entertainment for the short attention span generation.

So what was our culture before the electronic distractions? People read the newspaper and books, which sparked 'conversation'. Children learned in schools without the potential of interference of cellphones. What is the purpose of a smartphone if the user is not smart enough to know there is a time and place for everything... especially if this type of interaction is during a company staff meeting. The thin line between distraction and disrespect has often been breached with the anytime usage of PDAs and touch phone apps. It is time to have a balance with our neglected social and addictive electronic interactions.

(composed using Opera Mini 6 on a boostmobile web-enabled cellphone while taking a mass transit bus. LOL.)