SMART PHONES ARE KILLING US AND DESTROYING PUBLIC LIFE

By: Henry Grabar

Published: Alternet, November 6, 2013; http://www.alternet.org
http://www.salon.com/2013/11/02/smartphones_are_killing_us_and_destroying_public_life/ 
Level of Difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

·         What are the advantages of smartphones?

·         Do you believe smartphones have any disadvantages?

·         What negative effects does smartphone use have on individuals and the society?

NOW WATCH THE VIDEOS

·         How smart phones destroy relationships https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGuuSpkZOcE

Don’t be that guy  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP3Dbs_xbKI

QUESTIONS

1.       What conclusion can we draw from the first paragraph?

2.       The ultimate effect of the fact that phone use is not shunned in social life is the fact that everyone............................................................................................................................

3.       Read the third paragraph of the text carefully. What exactly is the writer criticizing? There are three possible answers; find them all.

4.       Read the account of the murder on the San Francisco train. The reason for the passengers’ reactions was

·         Disengagement

·         Preoccupation

·         Being attuned to the surroundings

·         Second hand awareness

·         All of the above

·         None of the above

·         Other: please specify

5.       The problem with modern city dwellers according to this text is that.........................................

What they, therefore, need to do is ...........................................................................................

6.       McCullough feels that what we really need is ............................because....................................

7.       The living space personal technology has provided us with is one that is...................................

8.       Why does McCullough feel that it falls to us, the individuals, “to filter and exercise decorum”?

9.       What does “such a thing” in the phrase “would we like to see such a thing” refer to?

10.   The examples involving certain American states and Japan are all linked to .............................

Use your head.

11.   The example of the man in the Seattle restaurant who watched Homeland proves that smartphone use ...........................................................................................................................

WRITING TASK

Write an essay in which you discuss some of the negative social effects of smartphones. Get your points from the text and use your own experience as well.

In your introduction, discuss our need to be connected and introduce smartphones. In your thesis statement state that these phones are transforming the way we live our lives and not always for the better.

In your first developmental paragraph, discuss the effects on individual perceptions.

In your second developmental paragraph, discuss the effects on social relations

In your conclusion, suggest solutions.

SMART PHONES ARE KILLING US AND DESTROYING PUBLIC LIFE KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This wonderful text highlights a growing concern in social life: the ever growing disengagement resulting from over use of Smartphones.  It leads people who may not be aware of the problem to think about it. There is a very good effect analysis essay to follow.

1. In situations where politeness and concentration are expected, backlash is mounting against our smartphones.
2. Moves face down their phones cradled like amulets. This is the best answer because it is brief and to the point. Always opt for this kind of answer in such questions.
3. The fact that her experiences are second hand; she limits her perception to a claustrophobic one fifth of normal; engrossed in the virtual, she isn’t really here with the rest of us.
4. 1, 2, 4
5. The glut of information technology is separating them from their surroundings; OR; their distraction is total /Reconnect
6. Summary question: information environmentalism /  ambient information from advertisements to the music in shops to taxi, TV as an assault on our senses ( The “as” in the text is a typo; it should be “is”)
7. Summary question: portable, private, personal
8. The communications rights of individuals and communities must be inalienable, insuppressible and not for sale.
9. Benches with Wi-Fi blockers
10. The danger of smartphones
11. Is annoying / has uncivil side effects