America's Pastime

This blog post is more an observation of events and tendencies that i've noticed since taking this class. We've spoke throughout the semester of the impact of social media/technology and human interaction.

I had the pleasure, this weekend, to go to Wrigley Field in Chicago for a Cubs/Braves game. This event was for my father's birthday and we went to see the Braves beat the Cubs and clinch their playoff spot.

This did not happen.

BUT, I did see technology used an extraordinary amount and social media more than any other thing, besides the actual baseball game, of course. To begin, I saw countless people hand strangers their phone, which are quite valuable, for pictures. I know this happens all the time, but it just seemed odd to be happening where people gave their expensive smart phones to strangers in a town that has a reputation for not having the most trustworthy people.

I also saw an individual attempting to make a Vine while walking around the concessions stands. If not a vine, a very poorly done panoramic picture. I also saw a lot of videos being taken in general during the game, either with other people or of the game. Tweeting was happening by everyone around me. Hashtags left and right, mentions out the wazoo. I tweeted (before my phone died before the game even began) at both a specific player from the Braves, and the Braves organization as a whole, but received no mentions, favorites, or retweets. My own mother was uploading pictures to Facebook and commenting on multiple people's statuses and having chat messages with other people that she knew during some intense parts of the game. My dad and I, however, sat and watched the game in the entirety. Watching the game play out was better than checking the scores and getting in-depth stats about the players.

The whole day in Chicago just made me think of how sometimes technology can help us preserve the memories of specific events, like attending a baseball game at one of the most memorable parks in America. Inversely, however, I feel like it can distract someone from living in the moment. To me, and this is all relative, the  memory that I have of sitting in the seats, hearing the crack of the bats, feeling the wind in the very accurately named "Windy City," and making observations is more precious to me than a picture on my phone or a Vine that wouldn't get more than 2 likes.