I recently took a flight out of town for pleasure and acted as I always do: I people-watch and give myself no other choice but to casually observe my surroundings. It comes naturally to me. Maybe it’s my years in the military where one has to be constantly ready to move, ready to hurry up and wait, and just be ready to be ready. Whatever the origins, it just feels comfortable to me to be “in the room”– to be ever-present and somewhat alert.
With one ear on the announcements and the other on my family, I often like to see what others are up to out of pure curiosity. I can’t help but continue to be a little disappointed at what people tend to do. Not surprisingly, most were on their phones scrolling away. Of course, you probably knew that.
Once we boarded and after the controlled madness of finding overhead space for oversized carryons, people began to feverishly sit and pat themselves down and fumble around for entertainment. It was as if the line getting on the flight was too long a timespan without being entertained and they needed to get back to their all-important scrolling.
Some started watching movies, others began texting, while others checked social one last time. The point wasn’t what they were looking at. It was just a bit disappointing to see so many people desperately needing to be entertained–to stave off even one second of sitting down and being okay with just “being.”
I know that’s an old argument. And at the risk of sounding like a Luddite, it’s still sad to see. However, I think there’s a bigger point to it all. I truly believe we are either entering or already at a point of no return.
Not so long ago it was normal to express a little resistance to this constant barrage of the attention economy. It was natural to feel a little guilt about the head down, thumb scroll, but now I think that has come and gone. It feels as if we are all just accepting the new normal and have given in to being immersed in tech. It’s now become the necessary evil we all embrace. Resistance is just too much work and FOMO is on level 10.
With not only social media but also podcasts, YouTube, games, messaging apps, fitness trackers, and everything else that we think we need to keep up with, the pull is just too much.
I don’t have some clever solution or new and updated rant to go on, but I for one will still watch my time and attention carefully. I will still sit at the airport, people-watch, and maybe enjoy a cup of coffee while I’m at it.
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Boredom can be a good thing. Check out this video on how boredom can actually help you in ways you never knew!
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Brad Borland 
Interesting piece. It’s funny you mention this b/c I think I noticed recently the same thing. At least for myself, I’m more okay with being connected (addicted) to my smartphone than before. In fact, I’ve been relying more on my smartphone lately as I’ve paused using my smartwatch altogether indefinitely.
And I actually have a blog post in draft about the permanence of the smartphone.
I am still able to put my phone away in certain social situations. But I also recognize my tendency to use it sometimes when I shouldn’t. But I’m concerned for the younger generation that has never known a time without the smartphone.
As parents, my wife and I try to minimize them for our teens and allow more boredom in general. Boredom leads to creativity or imagination. I’ve seen it happen with my kids many times.
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Yes! I am guilty too. However, I’m trying my best to curtail my use. Not just reduce the use but, as Cal Newport states, have an available replacement. I’m into more physical books lately. There’s just something about a book in your hands that digital can’t beat.
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