“Gotta catch up with my TV series,” one might mutter to himself as he switched on his Galaxy S4. Seconds later, he looks up and rushes forward to catch his bus.
This is probably what the author might not have seen when he visited Singapore. But it’s a common sight for me when I wait for the bus.
Living in Singapore, I can relate to what the author mentioned.
I have seen people messaging each other even when they are side by side. I have seen a lady sitting on her stationary motorcycle watching some Hong Kong drama on her tablet instead of waiting till she is home.
Everyone’s glued to their smartphones or tablets on the MRT. Friends are not talking to each other but playing games on their iPhones.
What about myself?
I have noticed that I constantly refresh Instagram while waiting for food to be served.
Put it down
But over the past few months, I noticed that I have stopped tweeting or playing smartphone games when out with my family or friends.
I have deleted most of the games I used to have.
I don’t need to know the latest viral video shared by my friends on Facebook. I don’t need to read 10 Things You Should Do While You Are in Your 20s. I don’t need to reply to random chatter on WhatsApp groups.
All I need is to communicate with people around me. To find out what’s going on in their life that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. To find out how good one’s trip to Thailand was.
Sure, I want to keep track of where I went to on Foursquare, what I ate on Burpple, and what photo I took on Instagram. And yes, I can ask questions via WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.
But sometimes, it feels really good to be disconnected for that few hours.
I am cutting down on my smartphone usage when out with others, and also when commuting. You should try it too.
The article is written by Goh Yan Yi, and first appeared on Medium. The article is republished with permission, and is a response to an earlier article we published.
