Quiet day in the city

I have noticed lately how pretty much everyone in the city walks around with their iphones or smart mobiles trying to walk in their personal bubble avoiding interactions with people around them at all costs. Usually a set of ear buds or headphones are hooked to the mobile phone, making it possible for the owner to isolate him/herself through the constant flow of music. I would say that half of them stream their music from Pandora whereas the other half is probably using their mobile's itunes.

Now, why would I complain about this since I am one of those walking-bubbles who does not interact with my surroundings? The answer is easy yet complicated. Part of it is this: iPhones and smart phones were created with the intention of connecting his user with most things he/she uses online. It is ironic that most of us use services such as Facebook, Twitter, Instant Messenger, Text messages, email, etc to communicate with our loved ones and our friends. Smart phones made such tasks portable. You now have more than five different ways of communicating with a friend yet we are forgetting our need to interact with the people around us and turning communication into something informal and impersonal. We would rather text or email a friend than calling him/her or going out with them. In order to focus in the details we are forgetting to see the whole picture.

Walking around with our ear buds/headphones and texting in our smart phones or checking the Twitter posting of others may make us miss the chance of admiring the always changing, always evolving city that surrounds us.