You’re at a concert and your favorite band is about to play. You are on your way to your favorite spot (whether it’s in front or at the back) to get the best view. People are cheering, yelling and clapping. The band is about to come up on stage and then…
All of a sudden you have a phone or tablet in front of your face. The consequence is that you basically watch the process of a soon to be YouTube video at a concert. The question is ‘why?’. Why would people want to watch their favorite band from a screen and miss the best things about a live concert instead of getting the full experience of a live concert and forget about everything for a second? There’s nothing wrong with taking a picture. It’s the thing that people are filming the WHOLE concert and can’t be without internet or phones anymore. People need to check in or film what they do to let other people see what they do on different platforms at the same time.
There was a test on a Dutch festival to see if people had more fun on a festival without their phones. People had to put their phones on flight mode and the screens were covered with a special sticker to make sure nobody could cheat. There was also an area on the festival where old school family games could be played, that only could be entered once your smartphone was covered. The results were positive. People did have more fun without their phones. They didn’t drink more beer or anything. They just found out that people can talk in real life and if you talk to other people, even if you don’t know them, they talk back and you can be friends. The more people you know = the more fun you have at a festival. Or at least, that’s my experience. It seems that people forget how to talk or how to be social. People are used to having internet connection on a phone 24/7. People ‘talk’ to others online, but not in real life anymore. But that’s were a festival is all about. Going out there, meet new people and see old friends. Forget about your problems and just enjoy the music.
The test also mentioned that women and people under 30 years old were more addicted to their smartphone and sometimes couldn’t even leave it for 30 minutes.
Tips to not use your phone:
-Don’t know what time it is? Buy a watch. (Not a smartwatch though).
-Don’t know where your friend is? If you enter the festival, search for a spot that’s easy to find. If you lose each other, you can meet there.
-Want to be available in case of emergency? Buy an old phone so you still can be called or texted.
-Don’t know when your favorite band is playing? Print the schedule or simply write it down.
-Want to take photos? Buy an old disposable camera. You can’t see what the picture looks like on the moment itself, which makes it even funnier to look at them later.
-ENJOY THE CONCERT.
Don’t want to leave your phone behind and don’t want to turn it off? Use flight mode. You can still have your phone on you and check messages after the festival without being disturbed by that awesome piece of technology.
Give it a go and see what the difference is. Share your experience afterwards
Special Thanks to Tosca van Gelderen for taking this photo at Pinkpop 2016, Netherlands.
Smartphone test found on newsmonkey.be/article68942.
