The smart phone turns people into zombies

By GRAHAM OSTEEN
Editor-At-Large
graham@theitem.com

My old workhorse Palm Treo 650 cell phone, which was great for three years of handling phone calls and e-mail, died a sudden, mysterious death recently, and I was forced prematurely into a new phone relationship.

I knew I was vulnerable and on the rebound, but as I learned from my earliest days at the First Presbyterian Church Sunday School, all things happen for a reason. And covered dish suppers are great, but that's another story.

I now understand that "smart" phones also known as Satan, Beelzebub, the Tempter, Lucifer and Prince of Darkness are the biggest distraction ever created by God or man. Those of us who possess and become addicted to these evil machines are doomed to a purgatorial life of distraction, irritation, neglect of our loved ones and a deep, insatiable curiosity about everything and nothing. Those who create what are known as "applications" for these devices are a special sort of modern devil, and there's a place in dark eternity for every one of you. Download that, you merciless geeks.

Truth is, I get it. The world of communication is changing so fast that I can only shake my head when I see a moody teen with his mom at lunch texting on his phone so intently that he never looks up the entire time, even while sticking pizza in his pie hole and chewing with his mouth open. Don't these kids today now how to at least act like you're listening to your mother?

Then there's a mother at a meal with her husband and two children in a nice restaurant, thumbing her phone for at least 20 straight minutes while the conversation goes on around her. Bad manners have moved to a whole new level, and that's before you get to the dangers of satan phones behind the wheel.

I'm no scold and plead guilty on all offenses noted. The phrase "attention deficit disorder" was first used in 1967 by famed pediatrician Dr. Charles Propst of Sumter in explaining my behavior to my distressed parents.

"He's not crazy, just distracted," he said, adding to their confusion.

Resisting these devices, especially at first, is tough, and the addiction can only be cured by throwing them in a lake.

All of which takes us to the future of newspapers and the value a good newspaper brings to the community it serves.

This Labor Day weekend, as the world turns and communication changes, I'm thankful to have a job at a newspaper that remains focused on good reporting, responsible community journalism, and a commitment to upholding democracy. Those are the principles The Item was founded upon October 15, 1894, and we remain committed.

The community newspapers that emerge from this period in history are those like The Item doing the painful, ongoing work of balancing costs while adapting a quickly changing business model during a deep recession and the highest unemployment rate in 26 years.

All the while, we are doing this without sacrificing quality journalism or losing touch with readers and advertisers on a meaningful, personal level.

Our community as a whole will continue to press on through difficult times and succeed as we move into the future, and it will be because we all keep talking openly about what works, what doesn't work and how to do better.

This includes government on all levels, schools, churches, health care institutions, law enforcement and businesses of every kind.

A good newspaper provides that community forum more effectively than anything emerging in this new world communication order, and those that lose sight of the newspaper's role and responsibilities are doomed to become just another voice in the world wide web wilderness. Blog on that from your basement.

Those of us who work here at The Item believe in Sumter, Lee and Clarendon counties and the great state of South Carolina and we understand our job is to report on this corner of the world objectively and honestly for the good of all people. We also want to help businesses succeed by reaching customers in print, online and through those irritating smart phones, for good or ill. Just don't look at it while you're driving.

Bottom line: Go home, sit down, relax, and read the newspaper. Everything will be all right.

The "Sumter is the Center of the Universe" story this week comes from the Atlanta airport, also known as "Delayed."

Here's the short version: I was flying from Charleston to Atlanta to Memphis last week to meet my daughter and drive with her to Houston. The plane had mechanical problems in Charleston, then there were weather issues in Atlanta, so instead of arriving in Memphis at 1 p.m. I got there at 11:30 p.m. By downloading applications on my new smart phone and going into a self-induced coma, I didn't flip out and scream at the airline representatives like so many of my fellow travelers. I even tracked the delays through a free application, which did nothing to make it better.

The good news is that I ran into Gary and Lisa Elmore in the Atlanta airport and got to visit with them. The bad news is that they were on their way to Lisa's mother's funeral in Denver.

Condolences to Lisa, and a reminder to us all: No matter where you are in this crazy old world, Sumter is there.

Graham Osteen is co-president of Osteen Publishing Co. and Editor-At-Large of The Item. Contact him at The Item, 20 North Magnolia St., Sumter, S.C., 29150; graham@theitem.com, or call 803-774-1352.


U.S. opens Internet addiction center:
http://tinyurl.com/lznokh