Our Phones Keep Getting Smarter... But Do We?

“Back when I was growing up…”, “In the good old days…”, “When I was a kid…”---
Three classic opening sentences to grandparent stories everywhere. Yes, they are annoying and usually lead to tales that you’ve heard fifty million times or just find painfully boring; however, the concept of life ‘in the good old days,’ one sans BlackBerrys and with minimal technology in general, is somewhat appealing when really thought about, at least to me.

 It seems that today it is no longer a privilege to have a smart phone, but actually a necessity. Humans can no longer function without a Blue Tooth in their ear or BlackBerry attached to them somewhere—most likely in their hand as they feverishly text, not once making eye contact with anything other their screen. Technology has taken the place of a very precious aspect of society—social interaction. “Hellos” exist only through text and directions are no longer asked but GPSed via BlackBerry. The lapse in social contact is increasing by the minute or with every ‘upgrade,’ if you will. While scanning CNET’s column “Ask Maggie,” the topic of upgrades was brought to my attention. Maggie, a tech guru, gave advice to people having 'buggy Android upgrades.’ Someone wrote in to Maggie asking if their faulty upgrade was reason enough to breech their contract and receive a service fee refund while someone else complained about their monthly bill. To me, the answer is no. We make the choice to have a smart phone and then get bent out of shape when its system of complicated and mostly useless features fails us. If we didn't thrive on  upgrades and having the smartest of all the smart phones, maybe we wouldn't have issues!
The term ‘upgrade’ truly strikes me as funny. I understand it simply refers to faster internet service, more tech-y options, cooler graphics, and sicker sound, but is the price for these “upgrades” really worth it? And seriously...are our lives truly upgraded by the newest version of 'Paper Toss'? 

It’s true…We find so much pleasure in the newest graphics for‘Bejeweled’, having our daily dose of Facebook at our fingertips, and being connected all the time. Facebook- the most notorious networking site- is slowly becoming the only way, or at least most prominent way, to network. We find satisfaction in being connected to technology but have lost much of the personal, face-to-face connection to our society, family and friends. Yes, Grandma can see the pics of you playing flip cup but wouldn’t she rather see you in person?
I do believe that the advances in technology our cool, especially the capabilities we have with just our phones. But instead of being so focused on the upgrades of our Android and freaking out about the cost, issues, and 'bugs', think of the cost these new features take on our lives. We feel that technology is merely a compliment to our quickly advancing society, but to me it is actually a substitute for what used to make the small things in life personal. I mean we no longer even do simple math to tip a waitress! Thanks to our smart phones, simple division is apparently no longer important. Attention third graders! Don’t listen in math… you’ll never need it.
It’s great that our phones are so smart, but I believe society is slowing losing site of what it means to be smart ourselves. There is satisfaction in the ease and convenience brought on by technology, but to me, more satisfaction is found when you look beyond the screen.
 
Mallory