The ubiquity of mobile devices is something we’re all used to by now; it’s just a fact of modern life that on any given day we are going to encounter dozens of people interacting with their cell phones as if their lives depended on it.
There are certainly those who find this behavior annoying (mainly because some people insist on using their phones in the most inappropriate of places) but, in most cases, that’s probably all it is — an annoying facet of the human condition. But one can’t overlook the fact that there are times when the way people use their cell phones becomes downright dangerous. Texting and driving, or texting and doing nearly anything at all that requires your attention. And then there is, of course, the toll that cell phones can take on relationships. Yes, on one hand they keep us connected but, on the other, we sometimes neglect the people right in front of us for the sake of text messages and Facebook status updates.
And it isn’t just teenage girls and hipsters that are guilty of this; you can find everyone from monks to little old ladies glued to their respective 4-inch screens.
The interesting thing is, given the very public nature of how people use their phones and the wide range of expressions they exhibit in the process, people and their cell phones make for intriguing photography subjects.
Here are some good examples.
We can't resist the temptation to read our email, even when we intended to bask in the sun by Ed Yourdon, on Flickr
We ignore the people who love us, in order to carry on conversations of dubious relevance by Ed Yourdon, on Flickr
