I completely agree. Those who criticize people who use their mobile devices, including smartphone all the time, don’t understand the concept that technology is just a tool. A tool to communicate with others effectively, for one. No matter how people demonize Facebook for its bad influences on how many Likes we get on posts (Instagram is a bit different) make people anxious and become antisocial, and blah blah blah, no one can deny the fact that it has gotten the whole world that much closer than ever before. It was the land phone before, the email, and the messenger, and then social media. It merely reflects how technology evolves (faster than one may like and/or not as fast than another may like) and how we adapt to it. And the truth is no one says you must use one or the other. And I truly believe, like you pointed out, that it comes down to self-discipline. In a bigger scope, it even demonstrates one’s behavior. People criticize teenagers for texting while driving. If you look at the drivers on either side of the road while waiting at the traffic light, do you see only teenagers texting? Give me a break. Everyone does it. The question is if it is a really technology problem. Not even a tiny bit. It is the people who choose to text while driving. It’s the same thing with smartphones in a work meeting. Why do they have to bring their phones into the meeting anyway? Of course, there could be an important email or message for which one is waiting in a certain situation, and no one refutes that. However, if one chooses to be present in any given moment, that’s his/her decision, and it works for him/her. One chooses to stay connected with friends and family by texting in the subway, that’s where they put their priorities. At the end of the day, 2 things remain unchanged no matter what happens to the world — 1. We try to do what makes us happy, and 2. Any mobile device, including smartphones, is just part of technology constantly evolving. It all comes down to how to use it. Think of couch potatoes. It was never TV’s fault. It is the people who choose to watch one TV show after another mindlessly. Self-discipline. No one is forcing you to glue your eyes and thumbs to the smartphone screen. It is all about making choices. Whatever choice you make, it is part of your life. Even choose to be a hater. Not of technology, but of being not self-disciplined enough. I have only one thing to tell them, like you said, stop blaming on the technology.