Julia Week 14 - What Happened to Living in the Moment?
You’re attending your favorite artist’s concert, and you just so happened to purchase VIP tickets that placed you right in front of the ginormous confetti-filled stage. You start to see your idol confidently strut their way to a microphone, ready to let a series of enchanting melodies flow from their mouth and fly outward into the stadium with an energetic burst. You pull your phone out of your back pocket and immediately search for the camera app to record this unbelievable moment. The sea of people behind you—who are just as excited—eagerly do the same.
From the artist’s perspective, the stadium that was once filled with starlit eyes transformed into the flashy eyes of a phone rear camera, the light almost blinding them entirely. They feel the need to address something important, but just as you see them open their mouth to breathe out the first note, you excitedly press the red record button and-
“Can you please put away your cell phones?”
You froze right then and there. You couldn’t help but feel conflicted.
I mean, you simply wanted to capture a memory that you could always look back on. What is the harm in doing that?
You look around, hoping that you were the only one who heard what was just said, but it looks like everyone else was frozen in time as well...
Perhaps everyone was in the process of realizing that some things are really meant to stay preserved in memory.
Of course, when dealing with the possibility of hearing your favorite artist's simple request to put away all phones, the most realistic scenario would consist of most fans obediently shoving their phones into their bags or into their pockets--with there obviously being some outliers.
But, to me, it's scenarios like these that genuinely make me wonder:
...when will I will learn to rely on my own memory and live in the moment, instead of relying on a video to remember the exact event?
After all, if I can watch a recording repeatedly to the point where it ages and makes me lose interest, is it really a good memory?
Hi Julia! I enjoyed reading your deeply philosophical but also extremely important and relatable blog topic! I personally suffer from using my phone more than I would hope; let’s not even mention my hourly screen time. While reading your blog, I also connected to a video I saw---yes it was on my phone so this can be considered friendly fire---of a Travis Scott, a famous Hip-Hop artist, concert where majority of his fans were filming his performance; the result was a sea of people holding an iphone to take a video. Although I understand the perspective of wanting to savor an important moment for someone, I ultimately agree with your argument as living within the moment without the anxiety of losing your phone or not getting the best angle is the best way to enjoy an important event. To continue on this point, a personal anecdote I had was when I was on vacation in Mexico and my family and I were whale watching. I spent a solid amount of time attempting to videotape the whales; however, none of my videos were of good quality and ultimately just stayed in my camera roll. It honestly would have been better to not have even recorded. Thank you for sharing your experiences!
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ReplyDeleteHi Julia! I enjoyed reading your blog this morning! Its unorthodox style and soothing flow provide a much-needed refresher. I appreciate how you ease the audience into the text by proposing a hypothetical scenario, because it is a way to get readers’ minds churning and their thoughts prepared for the main ideas of your text. Especially helpful was how the introductory lines flowed together phenomenally, all pointing in the same direction to the inevitable central idea of the text: cameras vs memory. And honestly, I find myself trapped within this paradox frequently. Most recently, during the eclipse, I debated whether I should watch it in its entirety or take my eyes off of it and capture photos. And I did decide to take photos, which I regret, because of how short-lived the eclipse was. I would much rather have watched it completely, and have it ingrained in my memory, rather than look back at my phone and not really understand the image. I’m glad to know that I am not the only one who felt the conflict; especially in this digital age, everyone should stop to think about the value of memory. Is it really your memory if it is stored on a phone? I love how you sprinkle personal pronouns—‘I’ and ‘me’—throughout the text, because it reminds the reader that you have a strong personal connection to the subject of your text. This draws a larger audience.
ReplyDeleteHi Julia! Your blog resonates deeply with anyone who has ever found themselves torn between capturing memories and experiencing moments fully. The scene you paint of being at a VIP concert is both vivid and evocative. It illustrates the pervasive influence of phones in our lives and the challenge of balancing the desire to preserve memories with the need to be present in the moment. Your personal reflections add a layer of authenticity to your narrative, particularly when you describe your own struggles with smartphone usage at concerts. As an avid concert-goer myself, I always observe that I often see more phones than faces in the audience which is a powerful reminder of how easily we can become disconnected from the world around us when we're consumed by our devices. I have to admit, I am very much addicted to my phone, but during situations that I know I will only ever see once, I restrict my access to my phone so I can enjoy and live in the moment. Overall, your blog is a compelling exploration of the impact of smartphone addiction on our ability to fully engage with the world, inviting readers to contemplate their own relationship with technology and presence in the moment.
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