Day 7: Creativity & Consumption Part II

As I was stating yesterday, it is important to realize that our phones are extremely consumption oriented objects, and considering how much we use it throughout the day, I believe it can have serious consequences on our creativity. But it is also important to think about what kind of impact it can have on what we discern as important if we take into account the sheer pace at which content is delivered to us through our smartphone device.

Being involved in San Francisco politics, as well as the presidential election, a challenge that I faced regularly was figuring out what was worth putting my energy towards. Between getting my news from sites like The New York Times, the Intercept, Twitter, and Facebook, the sheer amount of stories that were coming out every day was dizzying. This really started to be a fight with where to place my energy, and I think that for something such as political news, our smartphones do not provide a focused enough platform to take in information at a pace that actually helps us stay informed. How can we fix this issue? I believe that somewhere along the way, for us to stay sharp and not overwhelmed, we are going to have to make some sacrifices.

For news, I think that smartphones are sometimes harmful in keeping us informed, and that we have to change the way we consume news. Whether this means switching to newspaper form, or just lessening our smartphone use when it comes to news—something has to change. In regards to connecting with other people (texting and calling), I personally have noticed my own habits changing. Smartphones let us effortlessly connect with people through a variety of different platforms, and this also affects the pace at which we are connecting. Prior to switching over to a flip phone, I noticed that I would be texting or communicating with dozens of people a day. And as much as I loved it, there was part of me that was extremely overwhelmed.

It was almost as if being this connected to people took away the real underlying magic of actual human connection. With a flip phone, you are seriously limited to who you speak to. Texting is a real pain, and it has very much limited who I now get into contact with. While this has had its negative sides, I realize that sometimes sacrifice is necessary when it comes to connection. At the end of the day, I think I would rather not have talked to someone for a while, and have a longer, deeper conversation than be in contact every day.