Dear Editor,

We are fortunate in today’s society to have smartphones that can access far-reaching information at a rapid pace.

In 1843 Michael Faraday is credited for starting the first cellphone research. More than 100 years later Dr Martin Cooper invented the first portable handset. Both thought it necessary to improve communication.

We have now shifted the purpose of the cellphone from a verbal communication tool to a multimedia, all-inclusive computer. Cellphones are used less to talk and more to surf the web, post on social media, and do business. However, our cellphone use has become an unconsciously tragic medium.

We have now created a culture that uses phones to capture hurt and another’s demise. This new culture is contributing to the deconstruction of sympathy in our society; wherby, instead of helping a victim, we record the event. The Kingston Technical High School student Kaydeja Dixon, who now mourns a classmate from a fatal incident on September 29, said it best when she recounted that some students, instead of trying to help Campbell, used their phones to capture video footage of the tragedy.

The media of tragedy is empowered by the phenomenon of rapid posting of videos to social media sites. This media of tragedy has harmed many families as people post and share another person’s grief.

We are responsible for being good Samaritans and coming to the aid of others who may be in need. Recording can be critical when used appropriately, but to see young people watching, laughing, and recording a fight is a harsh reality of how numb we have become to violence. At the same time, many may disagree that not all events need to be video recorded.

Dr Oniel Tobias

oneiltobias@gmail.com