A Wanderer's Little Notes

Two weeks ago, I just came back from my latest travel to Japan. I was there to attend an international conference and present my paper on Facebook addiction. My findings including the fact that people use Facebook as one of the media to fill in the gap they have for the disappearance of their initial social bonds with people around them. It was such an interesting topic that many people approached me after the presentation to discuss this topic further. Facebook is just one of the examples of a new wave of addictions. A friend asked if it means that Facebook is bad for our lives. The answer is: not necessarily. Facebook is just a tool, the way we overuse it to the point of harming our lives is what is bad.
Interestingly, as I wandered around Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara, I saw so many people going around the cities, taking the subways, and doing other activities while sticking their noses to their phones! This is a growing phenomena not only happening in Japan, but other places as well, including my own country, Indonesia. People are so preoccupied with their phones they don’t even pay attention to their lives anymore. Sometimes people care more about taking pictures of their foods instead of tasting it or about taking a video in a live concert instead of enjoying the concert itself. I even heard that in Japan, somebody actually fell into the subway railway because he was too preoccupied with his phone. This is terrible!
It is this very reason that I decide to never buy local phone plan whenever I travel so that I won’t be connected 24/7 to the internet and can actually enjoy the view, take in the experience, and interact with locals. I usually do only a little research before traveling and write down the name of the places I want to visit without actually looking at the ways to reach them. I’d rather ask the locals and have exciting experience getting lost in foreign lands than being a boring typical tourist.
If John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans”, I’d say, “Life is what happens to you while you're busy looking at your phone!” So, just stop looking at your phone and start living your life! Enjoy moments, interact with people, and travel. Rather than catching moments with your phone, feel it with your senses. And instead of being addicted to Facebook, internet, social media, or your phone, you will have a better social interaction and a better quality time of your life.