issue 09 / volume 41 Dont be that guy: Digital fugitive » Youre missing out when you hide in your devices Mercedes Deutscher Staff Writer aptops and smartphones have revolutionized our ways : : devices to catch up on the news : or read a book. But what I see is : someone so absorbed that they : shouldn't be bothered. If I saw : you holding a physical book or : newspaper, it would open up : the path to conversation. of communicating, our ways of paying for coffee, even how we read the morning paper. People in the modern world can’t get enough of these devices. After all, laptops and phones have allowed us to do so much more than we could do 10, even five years ago. However, these devices come with a price that is greater : : discussions with total strangers : due to acknowledging : something. Some of these : people have grown from : strangers to friends. Yet : none of those conversations : started with, “What’s on your : screen?” Because that would be : considered intrusive. than their monetary value. They lead to thousands upon thousands of people behaving like That Guy. People like That Guy hide in their phones, opting to see the newest update on Facebook rather than addressing the server taking their order. If you walk onto any given bus, I can guarantee that at least half of the vehicle’s occupants are nothing more than That Guy. They are slaves to their : screens. If they were to lose : their phones, they would turn : into a nervous wreck. What do other people see when you are looking at your : phone? Perhaps you use your “What book are you reading? Did you hear about : what happened?” I have had some fantastic That Guy may even be so captivated by their phone : that they are glued to it in the : presence of company; be that a : family gathering, an outing with : friends, or even a date. I’m not saying you : can’t check your phone in : emergencies, by all means. : However, when you stare at a : screen instead of enjoying the : time you have with those you : care about, you are essentially : saying, “My Twitter is more : interesting than you are.” Maybe it’s the truth. Maybe your Twitter is more interesting : than the people in your surroundings. Maybe you don't : even care much for the people : you are with. Even if that’s the : case, it is very rude to opt for : your device instead of human : interaction. There is a time and a place : for checking your social media : and browsing the Internet, : and I’m not trying to shame : those who enjoy it. Yet it is also : important to practice some : self-control and to balance : your usage with some genuine : interactions. After all, they : make for better memories than : the 16GB on your iPhone. opinions // 19 Image by Thinkstock Your device puts you 1n public » Is there such a thing as digital privacy Elliot Chan Opinions Editor © opinions @theotherpress.ca he more we know, the more : frightened we become, but that shouldn't be the case. Technology has pushed people to the fringes of paranoia. The devices in our bags and pockets know more about us today than our parents do. Every action we make, every item we purchase, and every person we correspond with is ultimately recorded to some hard drive library or in the ether. And that data is combined into a harmless stat for marketers, law enforcers, and other faceless benefactors. While it seems like we are closer to an Orwellian present, we are far from danger. I don’t believe information will be used against us for evil—at least, not unless we’ve done something wrong. I think what people need to start understanding is that the device they hold in their hand as they fall asleep at night is as close to being in a public place : as waiting for the bus on the : side of the road. Whatever you : are doing is not important, but : someone will probably see you. : They might just be passing : by ina vehicle or strolling by : minding their own business, Photo illustration by Joel McCarthy (photos via Thinkstock) but you are there. There are witnesses for : our actions. Behaving as if the : world is watching should in fact be our way of thinking : when we use our smartphone : to log onto the Internet. We have grown too comfortable , with our devices. We treat : them as our closest ally, never : to betray us. But in fact it’s not your friend, it’s inanimate, and : : it’s a window into the outside : world. Living through your : device is essentially living in a : glass house for everyone to see. The devices are not : the scary things. There is : nothing scary about tools and : appliances. We should not : worry about an oven, but we : should worry that if we leave : the oven on, we'll probably : burn down our house. We : are only now beginning to : understand the damage our : negligence can do through : our electronic devices. Maybe : there will never be a day when : people are arrested for being : drunk on the Internet. But : being belligerent and harmful : online is by no means an un- : punishable act. We need to start using our : devices with responsibility. We : need to learn that what we do : there is not private. Even if you : have a passcode to your phone : and a complicated password : for your accounts, someone : somewhere knows it. A device : is not a home you can secure, : it’s a vehicle that takes you to : sites worth visiting, and you : share these sites with billions : of other people.