“Sorry I Was On My Phone”

Phone Usage

If I had to say what outfit I wore to every event for the last few months that would be easy, I would just go on Facebook, Instagram or look at videos or photos on my phone and I could pick from there. This idea that I can track my past events through photos and videos makes me question, how much am I missing around me when I am so intrigued with what is happening with my phone or my friend’s phone. I cannot remember the last time I went out for dinner and not one person did not pull out their phone at some point. This is illustrated in the video “I forgot my phone”.

The problem does not just stop with myself and my friends, it continues into the public domain. I was out at a concert in Sydney a few weeks ago and every person had their phone out videoing. The thing that bugged me the most was when people were taking videos or snap chats, they would turn around and start videoing the whole crowd. I believe I would have starred in over 150 stranger’s videos. This makes me a little uncomfortable, I should be able to stop people videoing me as even though I am in public, I am still allowed to have my own personal space and sometimes this line of what is considered private usage and what is considered public usage can become blurred.

This image was taking at a concert I attended; the band asked everyone to light up their phones to create an idea of candles being held up

When to use mobile phones at appropriate times has many unwritten rules; I feel there are just some times when everyone knows that using a mobile phone in certain public spaces should not be allowed. Whilst I was in America my friend and I visited the 9/11 memorial, outside people were taking photos of the memorial, however, there were no selfies or posing in front of it. When we went into the museum section I did not see one single phone out. Even though there was no speaking to people everyone was connected by the sadness of the event. No phones being out, demonstrated that there are still public spaces where no one feels the need to be connected to their phone, they want to see what is happening right in front of them and be fully part of it.

Is our phone usage private or public?

If I was asked whether I thought my phone usage was private or public, I would have originally answered with private. However, thinking about it more, not all of the activities I participate in on my phone can really be considered ‘private’. The use of Facebook and Instagram blurs the line of private and public. I only let certain people see my Instagram and Facebook and even though my settings are on ‘private’, I think well there are still a lot people that can see what I post up, so does this change my usage to public? Or is this a different form of private?