…it has been three years or so since this ol’ Scots Jurassic scribbler last set foot in London… I’ve arrived for a few days break from the Middle East… and being the iconic Legend-In-My-Own-Lunchtime writer-observer that I am, I am appalled by what I see… that insidious, creeping, personal hostage-taker, Technology, has taken even deeper hold of the population… being amongst crowds of people in the street, and on the Lahndan Underground subway system, or just sitting resting in the park, all around me are totally incommunicable human beings, impervious to their surroundings and to others of our species… why?… because the majority of the ones that pass me by, and many, who actually bump into me, are engrossed in their eyes-down-while-walking stare-fixations at mobile telephones and other devices… others, I notice now, have wee, white, plastic protrusions sticking out of each ear, electronic extensions of the aforementioned devices, ostensibly to keep them in touch with whomever and whatever, but certainly not with emb’dy in their immediate vicinity… it’s often said that the loneliest place to be sometimes is in a crowd… nowadays, with the individual modern version of these self-imposed ‘isolation cells’, more and more of our fellow beings are encased in self-enclosed bubbles – isolation by technology… whatever indisputable benefits the products of Samsung, Apple, and Huawei deliver to the planet, the downside of the powerful addiction to their ‘communication’ instruments is killing the art of conversation… they are deriving many of us of the simple pleasure of merely talking to another individual… add to that the ubiquitous habit of referring to Google to ‘establish’ or ‘verify’ facts, and our ability to think independently suffers even further… in the big grocery stores, through self-packing machines, and in other places, the human interface has been removed… banks no longer encourage customers at their teller-manned branches, but channel us to operate via online transactions…
… I know, I know, I know, people will call it ‘progress’… well for me, ‘fraid I’m still ‘old school’ and am in no hurry to change… see yeez later… LUV YEEZ!
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I suppose the only good aspect to this is that on an overcrowded planet you can still feel blissfully alone in the busiest city.
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…yes, I’vv never ever had a problem with doing that when I wished to do my ‘Greta Garbo’ bit.. and ‘want to be alone!” 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Couldn’t agree more mate. Try holding a conversation with someone who has a smartphone in their hands!!!
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…like herding cats or nailing jelly to the ceiling! 🙂
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Agree
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mwaaah 🙂
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A really sad fact of modern day life as I observed while travelling on the bus last week from the oldest to the youngest all were engrossed in their phones except for moi who leaves hers @ home…They also banned from my dinner table I was a tad unpopular for that first meal but now we talk…A timely reminder to us all 🙂
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…well done, m’Lady 🙂
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Jurassic by name … When I’m in London, for devilment, I sometimes spend a chunk of time saying good-morning, afternoon, hi-there, to people. Many give me a strange look, others ignore me, one or two speak to me …
A few years back I wore a kilt at the London Book Fair and was stopped in the street and told it was great to see; sadly, not a single improper suggestion.
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…would space them all out, that man ! 🙂
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Yup. In a pleasant way. Had a great rugby chat on a train with some English ruby fans last year. No one saw the second half performance coming.
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The good news is, all it will take for them to revert to barbarism is a well aimed coronal mass ejection from our sun, knocking out the internet, power stations, electric vehicles, smartphones, etc.
The bad news is, it’ll mean us Jurassics have to help civilise them again. 😱
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…the time will come 🙂
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you should have taken a side detour to come up and see Jacqui and I up in Northumberland (where time has stood still!)
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come up to Northumberland we will talk to anyone (and often do)
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…oh, how I wish, James …hope you and herself are doing grand! 🙂
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It bothers me too, and you can’t use advanced years as a reason in my case, since I’m in my early 30s.
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…yup!… it blights us all, m’Lady, Victoria 🙂
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I’ve refused to get an iPhone and it causes me extra trouble. Fortunately, my late husband’s caregiver stayed on so I wouldn’t be alone and to help me since I use a walker. I was having trouble getting books of new checks as they insisted I do it with online banking. Facebook is unhappy because I refuse to give my cell phone number to them. They have Instagram so I can’t use that as they demand your cell phone number. Now Huawei has been cut loose from Google so I can’t use their product in India with my computer anymore since my server is Google India. Your hands are slapped metaphorically if you don’t follow the crowd. —- Suzanne
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…and all this in the supposed name of ‘progress’! 🙂
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They don’t necessarily want people addicted the their devices, they want ’em addicted to their information, and specifically their version of that ‘information’. ( which I think is even more scarier) If you control the message you control the people, all for their own good, of course.
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…100% on the money! 🙂
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It seems nowadays that the only face-to-face conversations I have are with my dog and cats, which are still (mostly) one-sided…but at least they’re good listeners. 🙂
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…quite so, m’Lady, Amber! 🙂
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