The lost art

On assignment in China.

As one moves around the city it is clear that the phone addiction here is as bad as in Australia. Everybody appears to be constantly either talking on them or pounding away at the keyboard. In some instance people stop in mid stride in the middle of a walkway or part way up some stairs.

This behaviour of a singular focus on a device, impacts the way people interact on a personal level and one only has to visit a coffee shop to observe people, at the same table, not conversing but absorbed in their phone activities.

International research indicates major advances in inter-connectivity and enabling even very poor people to become connected, while great emphasis is placed on economic growth and opportunities created by the devices and services, constantly improving, and at lower cost.

All this is might be true but this is not a zero sum evolution. What are we losing in this mad rush to be "connected" and constantly engaged? 

Over a period of 10 years, mobile usage in the USA, increased  from 34 mil to 203 mil and similarly in other countries there has been dramatic growth, while at the same time the economies have been in a steady decline.

Without exploring any of the social media addiction and other direct impacts, one has to pose a question,-  is all this constant pounding of a little keyboard improving anything, personal or business or is this simply adding static, while disengaging from the world and one another ?

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Back on the Gold Coast, this is taking another direction as reported in the local paper.

Gold Coast to trial pavement traffic lights to keep smartphone users safe along light rail route - Click here

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