Yesterday walking to a train station in an unfamiliar part of Sydney, I asked directions of a “40-ish” bloke, making the mistake of not realising he had the plugs in, and was completely unaware of anything around him, including me. Once he did I was subjected to an unpleasant tirade, as I had apparently interrupted his “favorite bloody song”
Sorry.
Big deal.
It seems many of us have so decisively crawled into a digital hole that we are forgetting the joy, the humanity of real interaction with another human being, even if it is a trivial contact, and we do not know them.
To completely unplug may be going too far, and it is impractical in this world, but get a bit of balance back, and control the digital monster, rather than having it control you.
PS. Colin Sander alerted me to the great TED talk by Sherry Turkle which I had missed, but now watched. It is a persuasive and disturbing articulation of the landscape of our digital engagement, the risks and benefits that engagement brings us, a tiny slice of which I saw on Sunday near Chatswood station. Thanks Colin.
StrategyAudit 
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aren’t there some interesting implications of a world where people live disconnected from others … Sherry Turkle sums it up really well in her book “Alone together” (and on TED)
Thanks Colin. I am a great fan of TED, but had not watched Sherry’s presentation until your comment.I have now watched it, am disturbed by it, and have amended the post to include it, and acknowledge you bringing it to my attention. Thanks.
Allen