A generation full of instant gratification

Technology has really come a long way, especially when talking about phones. Phones are not just cellular, they are “smart.” People have Internet in their pockets with lightning fast speed. They can do almost anything they want.

While the use of smartphones is a huge step forward technologically, it is also a drastic step back socially and intellectually.

Smartphones are becoming integrated in people’s lives more each day. It’s at the point where everyone is too dependent on his or her phone.

No one has to remember the answer to the simple math equation, “what’s 8 x 7?” anymore. Using applications requires no thought at all, just clicking.

It is as if they took their brain out of their head and put it into their pocket. This makes the separation of individuals and their cellular devices difficult.

When one takes a look around,  everyone seems to be on a smartphone.  Whether it be in a classroom or just walking around in public, it seems as if every other person has a smartphone and is constantly on it.

People would rather text message than talk on the phone.

Text messaging should be reserved for quick things such as “I’m five minutes away,” not for having a serious back-and-forth discussion. Texting also lacks the whole natural spark of actually talking to somebody who is physically present.

Rather than gaining any real social skill, individuals just type, wait and repeat.

This leads into the inclusion of social networks via applications on these smartphones.

People tweet what they want at a restaurant and use Facebook to  tell all their friends about the restaurant they are at. Then they will use Instagram to post a picture of the particular dish they are about to eat.

People seem so focused on making a memory that they make their biggest mistake by not just letting it happen.  They are so interested in telling other people rather than enjoying it themselves.

We have simply become a generation full of attention whores.

Smartphones are not all bad. In fact, there is a lot of good that comes from smartphones.  
Having an application can really come in use sometimes.

For example, you can look for the cheapest gas prices while navigating your way to a destination because you may not know the area.

Although applications can provide assistance, people shouldn’t heavily depend on them because the device they own can’t offer everything.

On a weeknight, the theater I work at isn’t busy.  The other night I was working at the box office when somebody came in and asked me if it was possible to purchase tickets through a smartphone.

I told him it is possible. He seemed giddy and insisted to go through that process instead of purchasing the tickets through me right in front of him and at that moment.

Doing the entire transaction right in front of me, I watched him and nobody came by.

After a few minutes, his application crashed and he asked me to check if his card showed any ticket purchases.  
It did not. Because I witnessed his attempt and refused his entrance without a ticket, he made a scene and ordered me to call a manager.

As incompetent as this one man was, I am sure there are many more like him.

Our society has developed into a culture where we want everything instantly with the aid of these “smart” devices. While the phones are becoming smarter, we unfortunately are becoming more stupid.