iPhone? May as well be called 'I'm alone'
Posted on 16th November 2014
What happened to the classic ways of spending your time at someone else's house?
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As soon as a friend enters your house, I can guarantee that once their shoes have been taken off, they’ve set their bags down and have comfortably made themselves at home because you told them to, the first thing they’ll ask you is: “what’s your Wi-Fi password?” before you even have a chance to ask them if they wanted a beverage or a snack to eat. It’s almost inevitable that “please” will not be added on to the end of their pleading; just to show how desperate they’re feeling to connect to your internet as it’s imperative and demanding that you command to their wish. The only time “please” may be added is if they’ve asked more than once and they’re starting to get frustrated at the fact that no one has informed them of the magic combination letters, numbers and characters that will suddenly make them the happiest person in your house.
Some of you may be thinking “Oh, I don’t think this has happened to me” or “I don’t recall asking for my friend’s Wi-Fi password whenever I’ve gone to visit”. Well that’s probably because you’ve already connected to their Wi-Fi from when they typed in the password for you when you stayed round at theirs two years ago; once you’ve already connected to somebody’s internet, the requirement to constantly enter the password every time your phone connects to their internet source is not required.
So now that you’ve got what you wanted and are now currently waiting for your host to pour you a glass of orange juice, which you had to ask for them to do, as the they had gotten distracted from finding the Wi-Fi password for you, why not go on Facebook and update your status to “I’m at Anne’s House. I’m having such a fun time!” Or you could go log onto ‘Snapchat’ and take a selfie of you sitting in Anne’s chair, with her in the background, with the caption reading, “Having a blast here!” How can this be at all fun when you’ve just set foot here and you’ve barely said a word to your host? You’re slyly deceiving your Facebook followers or ‘Snapchat’ friends that yourself and Anne are clearly bonding, when, in reality, you’ve asked her to make your smartphone connect to her internet and your eyes are glued to your screen, exchanging stories about what you’re up to, with people who are also stuck on social networking sites.
Back with your orange juice, Anne decides to tell you of her day, how she struggled in one of her classes, and how she got annoyed that she failed her homework test. It wouldn’t surprise me if she next desired to nag at you about how now it’s you who’s annoying her, with your constant “hmm”, “yeah” and “oh right…” whilst you’re responding back with your small talk, not actually engaging in what Anne has to say, your Snapchat stories are constantly being updated with “Anne and I are in deep conversation!” Yes, you are in somewhat conversation when the internet is suddenly slow or your phone, and is struggling to pick up strong access to the Wi-Fi, in which causes you to complain “Anneeeeeeee… Can you sort out the internet, please, or is there anywhere else in the house where there is strong Wi-Fi? My phone is being really slow at the moment”.
What happened to the classic ways of spending your time at someone's house? Is anything so wrong with just conversing with each other? What’s suddenly changed that has made the host feel like their entertainment strategies are slacking? In answer: smart phones. If you’re really that keen to check your Facebook newsfeed, then don’t come round in the first place. If you really want to read the online version of Cosmopolitan magazine on your phone, then why not wait until you’re at your own house? If you really want to convince your audience that your Facebook status of spending time with your friend is actually true, why not just put your phone down and actually make them feel like they exist.
Sophie Shen ~ Student Voice Team
Photographs:http://www.astd.org/Publications/Blogs/Management-Blog/2014/08/Take-An-Employee-Engagement-Selfie