Remember when people actually knew how to read a room? Now everyone just stares at their phone.

I was at a bus stop downtown last Tuesday and this guy was clearly having a bad day, pacing back and forth, muttering. Back in the 90s you would have made eye contact, nodded, given him space. The other 3 people at the stop just had their faces buried in their phones. Nobody noticed him at all until he started yelling. I feel like we traded awareness for convenience. Has anyone else noticed how much situational awareness has dropped since smartphones?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina_butler8d ago

Oh man, right on. I saw the same thing at the grocery store last week. A kid dropped his whole cart of stuff and nobody even looked up from their phones. It's like we're all in our own little bubbles now. That situational awareness you're talking about? Gone. People used to scan the room without even trying, like a reflex. Now the reflex is to grab your phone the second you feel bored or awkward. It's sad because you miss so much of what's actually happening around you. Don't you think we've lost a basic human skill that kept us safe?

cole_walker267d ago

I've noticed people staring at their phones even stopped at red lights now, like the world just disappears entirely.