Rebuked By Adele! . . . Putting Our Phones Down And Seeing Life. . .

Did you happen to catch a perturbed Adele’s interaction with a fan at her Sunday night concert in Verona, Italy? She called out a woman who was filming the show. And the woman wasn’t the only person watching the show through a camera lens (see the video below). Adele pointed at the woman and said, “Could you stop filming me with that video camera? Because I’m really here in real life, you can enjoy it in real life, rather than through your camera. This isn’t a DVD. This is a real show. And I’d really like you to enjoy my show because there’s lots of people outside that couldn’t come in.”

I was actually thinking about this new mediated life we are living over the course of last weekend. On several occasions I noticed groups of people who were together, but focused solely on their screens. And then, I got to thinking about how we seem to always put our phones between our eyes and the wonder of what’s happening in real time and space right in front of our faces. In effect, our efforts to document what’s happening cause us to miss the experience of what’s happening. Then we post what we’ve recorded in an effort to say to the world, “Hey! Look where I was and what/who I saw!” Does it really matter that we tell everyone else? And to be honest, did you really see it if you were looking through a screen?!? Perhaps we need to adopt the hashtag, #nopif (no phone in face!).

It’s sad isn’t it? We have all of God’s wonderful world to see, feel, hear, touch, smell, and experience. Yet, we choose to stand in the midst of it and focus our time, energy, fingers, and attention on 15 square inches of glass.

The video below is one worth watching. It captures the reality of our focus on those 15 square inches. It shows just how much we miss trying to catch reality rather than experiences that become rich memories. And, it captures one reason why today, I think Adele is saying some things we must all take time to ponder. Use this video to spark some discussion with your kids.

2 thoughts on “Rebuked By Adele! . . . Putting Our Phones Down And Seeing Life. . .

    1. Yes, I believe there’s a difference. The big screen is to simply amplify the live experience for those who may be unable to see up close vs. videotaping the experience to save for later.

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