"Look Up"

You can’t learn anything new if you’re doing all the talking. Ditto for sharing and bragging online.

Like most people, I look and seem more fun on the Internet.

Have you ever considered how many hours per week we devote to filters, tags, likes, shares and other virtual currencies of validation?

I barely remember who I was before mobile technology – or more specifically how I killed time between moments.

I miss the collected sense of imagination that comes from being bored.

‘Being bored,’ seems a lost art form now. The same goes for observing and listening. I mean really listening to people, especially strangers.

I miss being scared at parties without the aid of a gadget to look busy.

My parents used to forbid me to go to a friend’s house and play video games. Now kids stay in and watch people they’ve never met play video games.

When did sharing an experience become more valuable than experiencing it?

If you say technology has created a culture of convenience – I get that – but you have to admit, it has turned us into an odd bunch.

The other day I had double park my Prius C for a minute so I flicked on the four way flashers and pulled over. In seconds, a strange woman opened the door and piled into the back seat.

I looked at her in disbelief. She looked up from her phone and said “Oh, you’re not the Uber”. “No”, I said. “I am not Uber”.

Next time, I think I’ll keep going, if only to see who breaks first.

Steve Goldbloom is a writer, producer, and performer based in Los Angeles.