Back in
late April earlier this year, London based Gary Turk uploaded a video called
"Look Up" onto YouTube in which he explains through a poem, how we are
all becoming too dependent on technology and how we are not living in the
moment and cherishing the time that we have together because we are all too busy
looking on our phones. He encourages the viewer to "look up" so that
they can go out into the world and have new experiences.
The
video has reached over 45 million views due to how persuasive it is when Gary
Turk uses a love story to portray how the fact that being so consumed in the
worldwide web can affect meeting your soul mate. When TheFineBros hosted a Youtubers react to the viral hit, many
of the guests- who have technology to thank for their careers- understood the
message of the video and although they were touched by the storyline, they were frustrated at
how hypocritical it was that Gary Turk is relying on technology to spread the
message that technology has now become a negative development in our society.
Popular YouTube star Tyler Oakley went on to say in the feature that the
internet can also connect so many people and has so many advantages.
Which I
personally agree with; the internet can be a positive catalyst for
relationships and enables us to interact with each other on a whole new level
of communication. They say that 23% of online daters meet their long term
spouse but these relationships don't always have to start on OK Cupid or eHarmony. According to statisticbrain.com, 20% of current committed relationships
in the US start just online. Romantic, sexual and platonic relationships can
all start by a simple comment on a Facebook status, a cheeky retweet on Twitter
or a friendly follow on Tumblr. People miles apart now have the capability to Skype
to one another; as close to face to face as some people can achieve.
Connections between people can become stronger as the wifi does.
However,
Gary Turk obviously has a point. We can sometimes be too easily engulfed by a
screen and we need to learn how to use technology to our advantage before it
takes advantage of us. We can use social media to spark relationships and to
stay in touch but when we are with each other we need to be able to put the phone away and to converse without the assistance of emoticons. We should stop
focusing on how many likes our instagram pictures are getting and instead
concentrate on who else is tagged in the photo with us.
Fozz.
Link to the "Look Up" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY
Sources:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/10/21/online-dating-relationships/
I've seen that video before and it is truly inspiring! Nicely written btw :)
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It definitely has a vital message but maybe is too bias, thank you very much though!
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