I have the good fortune to be at the beach this week, and I already think I see a difference on the same beach over last year. More walkers seem to have earbuds in their ears and more people seem to be using their smart phones either while walking or as they lounge on their beach chairs. Is this progress? As for the earbud-wearers, I worry that they’re missing the wonderful stress-reducing sounds of the surf pounding. And the smart-phone users? If they’re spending most of their time keeping up with their emails and texts and playing Angry Birds and Words with Friends, are they really experiencing the pleasures of the beach?
Our wonderful gadgets have the side-effect of allowing us to be somewhere physically without being fully there. If people spend most of their vacations electronically connected, will they feel like they’ve had less of a vacation when they get home? Time will tell. As for me, I’m headed back to the beach without my iPhone.
