Look up and live. Look up and give. Look up and see the world in which you live.

A cheery weekend hello to you all,

I have written on this topic once before – a poem actually – and today I am drawn to revisit this topic of social media and technology.

Why I am drawn back here is that recently I have found myself wondering just what is going on with the world and our ability to communicate with each other. And this seems to be not only affecting the younger generation, but now too the older generation seem to have fallen prey to the calling of social media.

We, as a collective, seem to be insulating ourselves more and more from each other with technology and various devices and yet our society seems at the same time to be crying out for some sort of human connection. People want to know that other people care about them……..but if  we –  or you –  do not look up from your i-pad or i-pod or i-phone to see that other person – how can they connect with you?

How can you get that human connection you crave if you are never open to the humanity and possibility around you?

This was all brought back to my attention recently whilst riding a train.

Two elderly women beside me, who were obviously travelling together, were looking intently into their i-phones for the entire train trip. They then boarded the same ferry as me, and for that journey also remained firmly engrossed in their devices. I do not think they spoke to each other once in that 40 minutes we travelled together – and I found this perplexing.

I guess I am used to seeing young people behave like this, as they have been conditioned to thinking it normal – but witnessing the older generation suffering this new wave of addiction was really upsetting to me for some reason. I guess I always saw the older generation as our last bastion of hope.

The sensible generation holding out.

The sensible generation that would, and could remain grounded in this world gone mad.

The generation that would resist the urge to become engrossed in devices instead of each other.

Now, I am not saying for a minute that all technology is bad and I am aware of a number of older people for whom , technology has been a lifesaver – allowing them to remain connected to the world when they are ill and unable to get out and about – and that is of course wonderful. And I also do not want to sound judgemental – as of course, we never know why someone is doing something and everyone is entitled to live their life as they see fit. People are busy these days.

But – I do wonder if we have  gone too far in this technological age….and where it will end?

Whilst waiting for my breakfast at a cafe I also marvelled at the crowd of ” coffee to go” people all typing furiously into their devices, checking their Facebook and not once even looking up at those around them. So many people they could have said hello to in that moment. But it appeared the moment was stolen by Facebook and CandyCrush and emails that had to be attended to in that moment. Meanwhile, I was sitting at my table waiting for my breakfast and I just wanted to leap up and say ” Heh – do you want to have a chat while you wait for that coffee? How’s your day going? What’s on the drawing board for today”…….but fearing looking like some sort of crazy desperate woman, I went back to my own musings and stared aimlessly out the window soaking in the beauty of the sunshine.

But something within me wanted everyone to put down their devices and say hello to each other. And smile. And acknowledge. And interact. And be. I had a whole scenario come to life in my head, where I suddenly got chatting to all these new people – and it was fun. A nice little “human connection” before I went on my way. Before they went on their way.

But – all those i-phones posed a problem. They were like a barrier. A block. A “no go” sign. A disappointing signal that no-one was interested. A little blue screen had everyone’s focus and attention.

Now – again – I also use Facebook and technology – and no doubt some of you are reading this blog whilst on a train or ferry or bus. But I do wonder – have we become addicted? And is this addiction to “social media and technology” limiting the time we spend interacting with the real world.

Real people.

Real conversations.

Real connections.

But this is a question that everyone will need to answer for themselves :

“Do I need to look up and live?

Do I need to look up and give?

Do I need to look up and see the world in which I live?”

In a number of recent television shows and magazine articles I have seen “social media” referred to as an addiction and have seen programmes that have now been specifically designed to assist people beat these addictions. I have seen people interviewed who spoke about their inability to “get off” their devices. People who were spending up to 14 hours per day locked into a computer. On Facebook, playing games, chatting to friends, doing work and emails.

Until that time I had never thought of social media and /or technology as ” an addiction” – but now I am beginning to see and truly appreciate that it just might be so?

So I guess my message today is simply –  to be aware.

Look up – and look for opportunities to interact with a living person or thing.

Look up  - and smile at a passerby and wish them a good day.

Look up  - and offer to help the lady up the stairs with her pram.

Look up – and make some small chit chat as you wait for your coffee order.

Look up – as you cross the road, so cars know that you have seen them.

Look up – and say hello to a stranger

Look up – and say hello to your friends or family who have chosen to dedicate their time to being with you in that moment – make conversation – hear about their lives and share yours too

Look up – and give your energy and vitality to the people around you

Look up – and live

Look up – and really see the world around you…..the birds, the sunshine, the people, the vibrancy of all that is the world in which you live.

And why might you take on this challenge you maybe asking yourself?

My answer is simply this – take on this challenge, if for no other reason than to discover two things for yourself:

1. Does it make a difference to my life if I put technology and social media aside sometimes to interact with the real world?

2. Am I addicted to my devices – and can I put them away and limit my exposure to them on a daily basis? Am I in control?

Only you can try the challenge.

Only you can answer this question for yourself.

Only you know how much social media and technology is impacting your life.

And perhaps – if you look up more often – you may just discover a whole new world out there that is waiting for you to see it, to notice it and to interact with it?

#DiscoverYou,#LoveYou,#BeYou

Christine