Smombies & Phombies

"Smombie" is a portmanteau word of smartphone & zombie. A new word coined in Germany describing people who are so distracted by their constant eyes on their smartphone that they don't notice anything in their environment because they only stare at the screen. I would have thought that the condition is universal.

It's similat to phombies - my word for people who do not experience their travels & really look because they are seeing everything through the lens of their camera. They are continually looking for that good photo opportunity. This condition has been made immesurably worse by the selfie stick. Now these poor people can contaminate every wonderful place in the world or event by sticking their face at the forefront of the image.

Its so sad. Bad enough to risk death by crossing the road without looking. Or walking into street furniture because you are unaware of hazards. Irritating to risk collisions & injury to others because you stop suddenly without warning. Moving from one place to another, whether on foot or in a vehicle, requires concentration. All these poor saps are concentrating on is a high tec gadget. Life is passing them by.

Where will it lead? I can imagine a future when we have implanted phones & cameras in our heads so that we can send signals directly from the brain to the gadget. We probably won't communicate directly with eachother by speaking face to face. We'll just send images & texts. I hope I'm wrong or I don't live to see the day.