The Phubbing Problem

In today’s world, cell phones have essentially become extensions of our physical bodies; I truly mean that some people (maybe most) cannot actually survive without them. Don’t get me wrong: I utilize my phone extensively. I use it for communication, shopping lists, calendars, camera, news, weather, gaming, et cetera. But at the same time, I recognize that this is just a device; nothing more than a convenient tool for my everyday life (much like shoes). The problem is how many times do we let this actually interfere with our life and our interactions. This leads us to the phenomenon known as “phubbing.”

It was actually my stepmom that introduced me to the term and the concept: using a phone to intentionally or unintentionally snub someone. When she used the term to describe me one day, I began to really look at how much this actually occurs. We may not even be aware that we are indeed snubbing people we are with by shielding our faces and words behind a small (debatable given today’s screen sizes) screen. So I started by monitoring my own behavior before examining others; realistically, who wants to listen to a hypocrite?

I was actually pretty amazed by how much I noticed it during my interactions (direct and indirect) with others. So the real challenge is to think about your own behavior and maybe you will realize that you are indeed “phubbing” others. When you are with a friend or even a group of friends, how often do you look at your phone? I understand that checking our phone is important in today’s day and age; you never know when an emergency will occur and that immediate contact is essential. But do we really need to check Facebook or Twitter or even play games while we are with people that can give us the same news or entertainment that the phone provides. Facebook is a great way to stay connected to people that we cannot physically be with at the time, but what is the point of looking at it when we are already with people?

I see it happening so much more than just meetings with friends. What about a family get-together? Do we really need to check social media, play games, or watch videos when we could be actually interacting with those we love? Are we that incapable of communicating personally now that we can communicate digitally? It even occurs on dates, regardless of whether it is a first one or the five hundredth one with our significant other. Have we completely run out of things to talk about or have we just lost the ability to really connect with someone without the safety of a backlit screen and the time to craft our message perfectly? 

It is almost sad to see that this is the behavior and actions that we have become to accept as acceptable and normal in today’s world. How much are we missing out on because of our moth-like addiction to the bright light. Is this really progressing society? Is this really the way human interaction will be in the future or have we just stopped caring about how people perceive us personally because our online persona is “on fleek”?