I was walking through the diag today and saw a kid screaming by himself in an open patch of grass. In earlier times this man would have been assumed to have been either crazy or extremely unusual, but i realized that he had a bluetooth headset in his ear. Now my understanding of he situation has completely changed from him being a little crazy to being someone completely normal on their phone. Technology not only changes the way people get from place to place or how people do things, but now it changes social norms as well as perceptions of individuals. I find it ironic that it can change the way society works overall, its kind of like a form of evolution. New Media has changed the world in many ways, and this small change on society is a perfect example of how a small piece of technologly placed in ones ear can change them from a looney tune to a businessman.
photo from http://www.mobilewhack.com/motorola-h12-bluetooth-headset.jpg
Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI've had the very same experience many time. I continually think I'm seeing people on the street who are talking to themselves, and I think, wow, that person has psychosis. Then I realize they have a Blue Tooth headset. So now when I see someone talking to themselves, I check for the headset. Sometimes I have to look really hard for it. Sometimes I don't find it. All this is rather disconcerting. The prevalence of people talking on the phone while walking around points to how unaware people are of their surroundings and other people because they're so focused on the conversation in their ear or on the screen in their hand.
This was actually funny to read because I have gone through this myself as well. I was actually on a bus in New York City alone for the first time about 7 or so years ago. This was when bluetooth was just starting to become more prevalent. As if being on the bus alone at night didn't creep me out enough, I looked over to the man next to me and he seemed to be whispering to himself. I was creeped out and couldn't wait for my stop so I could get away from the man who I thought was crazy. It was only until I got off that I realized there was actually somebody on the other end of the man's supposed madness- he was on his bluetooth headset!
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