In the 1970’s the world was forever changed by the introduction of the cellphone. This technology revolutionized society, and became increasingly popular and widespread throughout the world. Cellphones started with simple functions, mostly for calling, but as the technology advanced the cellphone can now perform many more tasks such as internet browsing, gaming, social networking, picture taking, emailing, texting, and so on. Despite this technology being extremely useful, the question has come up: is our society becoming too dependent on cellphones? “I have 422 friends, yet I’m lonely. I speak to all of them every day, yet none of them really know me”, starts a recent viral video on the Internet that has addressed this question; “Look Up” was created by 27 year old British writer, Gary Turk. In this five-minute video, Turk challenged people to take a break from looking down at their screens and instead have real relations and interactions with people. Ironically, one must watch Turk’s video on a computer or laptop, but sometimes you have to look down before you can look up. Despite its irony, the video has provoked many to take time to “look up” from their phones.

Since its publication, “Look Up” has upwards of 40 million views on YouTube. Many people are drawn to the catchy rhyme scheme, and relatable message. This video follows the story of two people falling in love, after a man asks a woman in the street for directions. The story continues to show the two getting married, buying a house, having a family, and growing old together. At the end, the video replays the scene where the couple first met, showing an alternate scene where instead the man is too busy looking down at his smart phone, to notice the woman and ask for directions. Hence the two never meet, and cellphones are to blame. This may seem a little far-fetched and corny but yet this storyline makes a very convincing point. Although you might not be missing out meeting your future husband or wife, think about all of the interactions with people you miss when looking down at your phone. Even more so, think about all the fake connections you have over social media and texting. Are future generations growing to be unsocial, and reclusive technology dependent adults? Only time will tell. Even if you don’t completely buy into the message of “Look Up”, every once and a while take a moment to put down your phone and experience life. In the words of Garry Turk, "Look up from your phone, shut down the display. Take in your surroundings, make the most of today. Just one real connection is all it can take to show you the difference that being there can make."