Lost in a Digital Space

 The world is ruled by an invisible dictator. He controls what we see, hear, and feel, as well as basic human interaction. The craziest thing? People willingly choose to be controlled, submitting themselves to an unseen ruler known as the internet. As the world is sucked deeper into the hole of technology, it can sometimes take a wake-up call to really see what's happening.

Banksy's piece titled "Mobile Lovers" shows what happens when you zoom out and look at the bigger picture. At face value, we see two lovers, but with a little more context, we realize their true infatuation lies with their phones. The irony with this piece lies in the fact that the common passer-by would be looking down at their phones, and therefore completely miss as well as play into the message Banksy delivers. Banksy shows the weakening relevance of face-to-face human connection, being taken over by a digital world. Some people no longer feel comfortable in the presence of others, and use their phone to distract them. No matter how much we try to fight it, the draw of the digital world is ever-present. I was shocked myself when I really took a minute to look at my screen time, and saw it in the double digits occasionally. For many people, their phone is their go-to whenever presented with menial tasks. From a quick bathroom break to between activities, phones are a matter of quick and convenient entertainment. Most people seek quick, easily-accessible fun, and minutes drag into hours along the infinite scroll of many social medias. Just as our eyes drift down to our phones, Banksy encourages us to take a minute to look up and appreciate what truly matters in life, human connection. Banksy succeeds in his satirical attempt, using a seemingly ridiculous situation to highlight our depressing reality that people are more in love with their phones than each other.