Being Present Without Being Present: Play Analysis

Isolated: Being Present Without being Present Looking around me as I stand in line, I see people who are engrossed by their phones. At one point in my life, I remember talking to strangers in line and getting to know a little about them. Now, all I see are people who isolate themselves while trying to connect with those who are not with them. To explain how technology like social media affects relationships, I will use examples from the play, examples from my own experiences, and I will share how my own opinion is informed by the play. The play has several references to technology isolating people from the present. For example, after Jean and Dwight wake up, the phone rings and Jean cannot seem to keep herself from answering the phone. Dwight tells her “Don’t get that,” but Jean insists that “[it will] just take a second.” This phone takes her out of the moments she experiences due to feeling the need to answer when the phone rings. Another example of how technology can affect people is when Jean describes how she “never had a cell phone” because “when everyone has their cell phone on, no one is there. It’s like people are “all disappearing the more [they are] there.” The irony of this example is
I loved to play sports, hide and seek, house, and jump on the trampoline. However, once my parents allowed me to make a Myspace, I became obsessed. I did not play outside as much, and I constantly checked my account. I became isolated from my friends when I was on social media. Then, I got an iPhone which allowed me to be on social media anywhere I went. This constant presence of connecting with people through technology isolated me from the world surrounding me. Today, whenever I am not in class or studying, I am on social media. This obsession has taken me away from getting to know people and has put me further into my introverted