When was the last time you took a vacation or went on some sort of adventure without your phone? Maybe not recently, if ever.
Gallup recently reported that 46 percent of survey respondents said they can't imagine their life without a smartphone. The data found this was particularly true of women between the ages of 18 and 29 years old.
While theres nothing inherently wrong with wanting to capture these joyous moments, Huffington Post blogger, Alison Vilag, posed a question about smartphone use many rarely think to ask themselves: Does our addiction to capturing the moment with external devices detract from the vacation experiences we wearily yearn to attain?
TripBarometer Mobile & Social Survey found that 85 percent of U.S. travelers brought smartphones with them on vacation and nearly two-thirds (61 percent) reported using social media during their time away. Of the social media users, 46 percent credited their use of social media to FOMO fear of missing out on what their friends are up to in their absence.
Along with FOMO, smoasting the T-Mobile coined term for social media boasting is to blame for social media use on vacation. The pressure whether real or imagined to impress friends with exotic travels and a fabulous life in the form of strategically edited Instagrams or perfectly calculated play-by-plays for Facebook keeps vacationers perpetually plugged in, even during their allotted time for rest and relaxation.
Former Grist.com blogger, David Roberts, wrote about his life during a time when he was spending around 12 hours a day staring at a screen cultivating his online identity for both his work life and personal life.
I was never completely where I was, never entirely doing what I was doing. I always had one eye on the virtual world, Roberts said. Every bit of conversation was a potential tweet, every sunset a potential Instagram.
Focusing your energy on how others perceive your life and your doings puts you physically in one place and mentally in another, Roberts said.
Was the hike as awesome as you thought it was if nobody commented on your Facebook post? Was your time at the beach really worth it if you didnt get enough Instagram likes? Staying plugged in out of fear of missing out or intentionally trying to stir envy in your friends only draws you out of the moment you are actively trying to convince everyone youre living.
And to Vilag, the only one really missing out here is you.
It's hard to experience what's all around you when you're spending every moment with your eyes glued to a screen, Vilag says. Capture life in your soul not in your smartphone!
Gallup recently reported that 46 percent of survey respondents said they can't imagine their life without a smartphone. The data found this was particularly true of women between the ages of 18 and 29 years old.
While theres nothing inherently wrong with wanting to capture these joyous moments, Huffington Post blogger, Alison Vilag, posed a question about smartphone use many rarely think to ask themselves: Does our addiction to capturing the moment with external devices detract from the vacation experiences we wearily yearn to attain?
TripBarometer Mobile & Social Survey found that 85 percent of U.S. travelers brought smartphones with them on vacation and nearly two-thirds (61 percent) reported using social media during their time away. Of the social media users, 46 percent credited their use of social media to FOMO fear of missing out on what their friends are up to in their absence.
Along with FOMO, smoasting the T-Mobile coined term for social media boasting is to blame for social media use on vacation. The pressure whether real or imagined to impress friends with exotic travels and a fabulous life in the form of strategically edited Instagrams or perfectly calculated play-by-plays for Facebook keeps vacationers perpetually plugged in, even during their allotted time for rest and relaxation.
Former Grist.com blogger, David Roberts, wrote about his life during a time when he was spending around 12 hours a day staring at a screen cultivating his online identity for both his work life and personal life.
I was never completely where I was, never entirely doing what I was doing. I always had one eye on the virtual world, Roberts said. Every bit of conversation was a potential tweet, every sunset a potential Instagram.
Focusing your energy on how others perceive your life and your doings puts you physically in one place and mentally in another, Roberts said.
Was the hike as awesome as you thought it was if nobody commented on your Facebook post? Was your time at the beach really worth it if you didnt get enough Instagram likes? Staying plugged in out of fear of missing out or intentionally trying to stir envy in your friends only draws you out of the moment you are actively trying to convince everyone youre living.
And to Vilag, the only one really missing out here is you.
It's hard to experience what's all around you when you're spending every moment with your eyes glued to a screen, Vilag says. Capture life in your soul not in your smartphone!
