Whenever I roam the streets of New York City or any other busy city there is always an obvious commonality amongst the individuals pacing through the city streets: everyone’s face is buried in their phones. Although the individuals are all walking down the same street, in the same city, their minds are elsewhere. One individual might be recapping on last nights local news, while another person might be watching a snapchat story from a party that they missed. This idea of “doubling of place” is the concept that a majority of individuals in today’s world prefer to take advantage of the advances in the media and technology. In this modern day technological world, individuals prefer to be in two places at once and are never in the true moment. Technology and the media have become so powerful that they have the potential to dictate our lives. News articles, tv broadcasting of live events, and social media gives us the opportunity to mentally be in many places at once as opposed to being physically present in the environment that you are in.
Is “doubling of place” something to be celebrated or afraid of? Should individual’s celebrate and honor the technological advances that are prevalent amongst a majority of societies? Or should we fear that soon all conventional ways of interacting and experiencing things will vanish due to technology. Our generation has become exceedingly dependent on technology in our work environments, schools, etc. Google has become the simple solution to our answers about places to go, the definition of a word, news reports, video footage, directions, etc. However, should our social interactions be dominated by media just as much as our education and work spaces are?
Being abroad in Sydney, Australia and having access to various different social media platforms has made me feel the constant urge to check in and keep up with what’s been going on back home. FaceTime, Instagram, Facebook, etc… it feels like I never left. Social media has the power to make you feel as if you are in two places at once. Although I am 10,000 miles away from New York City, I still feel as if I am with my friends every time they post videos at dinner, parties, or group gatherings. Also, FaceTime is a very powerful technological advancement that allows you to be in two places at once. For example, for my sister’s birthday last week, I Face-timed my family and it felt like I was back home in Florida, at her birthday dinner with my family and friends. Although these media outlets and forms of communication have given me the opportunity to remain in contact with the one’s that I love, I constantly feel the urge to keep up with everything and everyone. I often feel overwhelmed and feel as if I have to “double” the places and experiences that I am engaging in both mentally and physically.
I believe that due to the technological advancements that are prevalent in our society, individuals have acquired this urge to feel as if they need to be in two places at once. We constantly multi-task and try to have too many social interactions and to many experiences at once. I believe that in this sense these technological advancements are unfavorable and take away from the importance of “living in the moment.” Once you take your head out of your phone, you’ll begin to notice things at an enhanced level and you’ll begin to get more our of your experiences. Although doubling of place is necessary in certain situations and forms of communication, try and be at one place at a time. If you are both mentally and physically present in a certain moment, you’ll feel less overwhelmed and experience things with much more clarity.
