When you’re invited somewhere, and all you need is yourself, you don’t just bring yourself anymore. You bring your actual self, and your cellphone. Cellphones have become parts of our daily lives so much, that they’ve basically become parts of our bodies. I personally don’t leave the house without my phone, unless I have to; but when I do, I feel like a part of myself is missing. As crazy as it may sound, it’s hard to imagine operating in life without my phone. I use my phone to get me from place to place (calling Lyfts and using Google directions); I use my cellphone to remind me what I have to do for homework; I use my cellphone to wake up in the morning; I use my cellphone to pay for things; I use my cellphone to get in touch with people when I need to, and this list can go on forever.
To anyone not born in this generation, it may seem like I have a crazy obsession with my cellphone. But I know that I’m not the only one who depends on their phone to help them through their everyday activities, and I noticed this while I was doing a project for my Digital Media Literacy class.
For this assignment, our professor asked us to take at least twelve pictures of random people using their cellphones. We then had to make a video with these pictures showcasing the relationship people have with their phones. By the way, one lady on the metro almost caught me taking a picture of her while she was on her phone, but luckily I was able to play it off because I can’t fight.
So anyway, as I was walking around D.C. and Howard’s campus, sneaking pictures of people, I noticed how weirdly easy it was. Nothing you do in a public place is truly private anymore. You never know who’s phone you may end up on, you could easily have your picture taken by a Howard communications student and you wouldn’t even know it.
As I was going through the photos I had of random people on my phone, I realized that my habits with my cell phone are normal. Like I said before, I use my cellphone to get me from place to place, whether it be calling Lyfts or looking up walking directions, and so was almost every other tourist walking around D.C.. Not only that, but so many people were using their phone as a pass time. Whether they be waiting for the metro, waiting for the bus, sitting on a bench, or waiting for their food to come to their table, people were always on their phones.
This project ultimately made me realize that cellphones have become companions for a lot of people. When you feel lonely, bored, or awkward, it’s easy to just take out your cellphone so it can distract you. If this is the new reality, should we draw a line and establish how much dependence on your phone is too much?
In Black and Write 