How to Drive like an Assh*le? Check your phone.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10155105393510112&pnref=story

Although I claimed to spend more time on Instagram over Facebook during the first day of lecture, for some reason I found myself on Facebook for a huge chunk of my day off from work. During my mindless scrolling—liking friends’ new photos, ignoring meaningless status updates, the usual Facebook routine—I stumbled upon a video titled “How to Drive Like an Asshole,” shared by a friend who framed it with the caption, “The reason why I grind my teeth every day in LA.” The two minute clip showed a video game animation video (reminiscent of addictinggames.com circa 2005) of different scenarios that would cause people to be considered a horrible driver. Watching it was hilarious, and I immediately shared it on my own news feed as “I’ve never seen a more accurate video of my life.” )However that’s not to say that I’m a horrible driver; in fact, I consider myself a great driver despite the tired stereotype.)

This video, with an uncanny accuracy of my commute, also connected with this week’s reading for me. As I watched the video, it struck me how inapplicable the smartphone scenarios would be to my parents when they were my age. For example, the video shows a scenario of checking “for email, or really just do[ing] whatever” at a red light and forgetting to go when it turns green. This scenario is really only applicable to recent times with the rise of new media i.e. smartphones. This may be a bit of a stretch, but the same way the Atlantic’s Nick Carr asserts that Google is making us dumber in the reading, smartphones could be making us worse drivers? Per the reading’s example of technological determinism, “something, or someone,” changed the way young people drive, and that thing is the smartphone, according to the video. Now obviously, aside from anxiety of impatient drivers such as myself, the smartphone has caused anxiety regarding a cultural change of more careless, distracted drivers.

It’s funny how a video that sums up my rush-hour frustrations connected with this week’s reading, but for me, it illustrated new media’s causality for cultural change. If it were 20 years ago, I doubt anyone would pull the “slow down on the freeway on-ramp to open the Maps app for directions before actually driving like a sane person” situation; but that’s my reality today.

3 thoughts on “How to Drive like an Assh*le? Check your phone.

  1. christineholland

    While I do agree that phones are definitely distractions to drivers in these days and times, I have to expand on your idea and mention the reaction to this phenomenon. Many campaigns have been launched to educate society, especially young drivers, about the dangers of texting and driving. I remember speakers coming to my high school to talk to us about the issue; I’ve seen TV, magazine, even billboard advertisements reminding people to not text and drive. Even AT&T pitched into this campaign with their own advertisements against the trend. While yes, the rise of smartphones have distracted drivers and caused problems, our society has been able to spot the problem and mobilize a campaign against it. Society is not completely at the mercy of technology; we have the ability to change how it is assimilated into our daily lives.

  2. ShanyaNorman

    I definitely agree with the idea that smartphones have affected our driving in today’s society, mostly for the worse. Of course, I am familiar with all the campaigns regarding the dangers of making phone calls and texting while driving, as well as the deadly consequences such acts can bring. However, I the points you brought up about some of the smaller consequences, like a delay in not seeing the stoplight had turned green because you were looking at your phone, were super interesting to me because I had never thought of those particular effects before. Looking at it that way, I can see and understand how these smartphones make us worse drivers through different avenues. Our phone use may not be causing major accidents all the time, but I can see how they can greatly contribute to things such as traffic and causing road rage amongst drivers because others aren’t paying attention. I, myself, am guilty of driving slower when I’m trying to map a particular location on my phone.

    Yet, I do question in what ways smartphones may have helped to create some more efficiency in driving. For example, the maps feature that can direct us to where we wanna go and preventing us from getting lost or apps that can tell us which roads are congested and suggests other routes, etc. Can we find a way to make smartphones more beneficial to our driving rather than so harmful?

  3. frcarbonellm

    When I was scrolling and reading through the blog posts throughout yesterday and this morning I remember seeing your post and thinking to myself “how could that video thats all over Facebook have anything to do with this class?” I’ll admit, I had not actually watched the video before reading your posts but I had seen plenty of my friends share the same video as well. After reading your post I went and watch the video and it definitely made me laugh. What may have made me laugh the most though were the connections you made. You are so right in your statement that per the reading’s example of technological determinism, “something, or someone,” changed the way young people drive, and that thing is the smartphone, according to the video. I truly had not thought about it like this before and you really had me pondering. I feel that we are probably all guilty of some of the truths exposed In the video. Had you not posted about the video I probably would have never watched it, so i thank you for that.

    Christine, in regards to your comments on the post, I agree with you as well. You said that, “our society has been able to spot the problem and mobilize a campaign against it. Society is not completely at the mercy of technology; we have the ability to change how it is assimilated into our daily lives.” What I respected most about your comment was that you used the word ability, that we have the ability to change. I found this to be most appropriate because the reality is that we cannot change others, we can only hope to influence change within them. This means of influence in the forms of billboards and advertisements does serve as a reminder that driving needs all of our attention. I feel that some people forget that driving is not a personal event, it is a social event in which communication with other drivers is crucial. From having our lights on, to using our blinkers/turn signals (which nobody in LA seems to do) and even honking when we need to. Driving itself requires communication and its true, technology is changing the way we drive and thus affecting our attention to the road.

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