For a class assignment last year, I was asked to write an observational report that related to media and communications. Since I’m a master’s student at BYU I’m given the freedom to write about religious and spiritual things. Below is my paper:
We love to see the temple and we hope to
go inside someday. We teach our children, our youth, and our young adults that
a temple sealing is the greatest gift we can receive in this life. We emphasize
the importance of the covenants we make there, how this step is the pinnacle of
all gospel teaching. So I wanted to observe outside the temple to gauge how
people treat this special occasion. Being outside the Provo City Center Temple
on a weekend means there will be wedding parties. Many, many, many people
getting married and participating in that holy order of matrimony.
How many people on that special day will
be on their phones? If I were to observe the fluctuations of temple attendees
and those participating in wedding ceremonies, what percentage will jump on
their phones? While it is a fact that many will be taking pictures on their
primary camera—their iPhone—how many will jump on Instagram to post it? How
many will be caught up in reading the latest and greatest on their newsfeed? My
hypothesis was that no more than 33% of witnessed people on temple grounds will
use their phones during my observation. By phone usage I mean more than 10
seconds and not including the camera app.
I first sit down on a bench to rest my
back for the long haul. However, I don’t last very long because the sun is in
my eyes. I move to the shade after a few minutes of observing. There is a happy
couple, looks like the bride’s family is of Latin descent. The bride’s mother
shouts something about it “going on Facebook!” It is odd that this is the only
real snippet of conversation I am able to hear in the hustle and bustle of wedding
photos.
There are lots and lots of camera apps. If
I were counting people taking photos on their phones, the number of users might
exceed 50 or 60 percent. So many aunts, uncles, friends, siblings, and others
snapping photo after photo after photo. If the crowd is not being photographed,
someone is right behind the professional. In this group I start to notice a
heavy user: a teenage girl. A bridesmaid, probably no older than 15, she
regularly has her phone out and scrolls.
A second couple shows up. It’s a cowboy
wedding. They are on the grounds for a long time, boots and hats, vests and
beards. I notice that the longer someone is lingering during the wedding
photography the greater chance they will jump on their phones. People seem to
lose interest in the environment and need a distraction. However, if you are
moving about, being involved in the activity, you will probably go longer
without the digital renewal.
Some happy families walk by, pushing their
strollers. They might be in a wedding party, but can’t attend with their young
child. Or perhaps they are just out for a stroll on the temple grounds. Either
way, each couple is present and engaged, they aren’t on their phones.
During the photography, those on the
outskirts of the herd are more likely to pull out their phones. When you’re in
the middle of it all, you have more stimuli and more people to chat with. On
the edges it’s the wild west were social norms are thrown out and you’re on
your own for survival. Men and women turn from the group and peer down into
their hands to read or scroll or thumb or tap.
Due to the size of their device and the
lack of pockets in their skirts and dresses, most women keep their phones in
their hands. Not wanting to carry around a bulky purse or even an unwieldy clutch,
they keep their phones in their hands at all times. This nervous clutching
probably is correlated to greater usage amongst women. I’m not blaming them for
choosing to hold their phones in their hands—it must be terrible to live
without functioning pockets—but it makes phone usage so much more tempting.
Women seem to have a slight edge over men in terms of phone usage during my
observation.
A third couple skirts by, newly wedded and
glowing. I notice another wedding veil, and I wonder if they’re in vogue. The
photographer and her two assistants capture their big day on their bulky
equipment. One of the assistants even sneaks on her phone while the
photographer and couple shuffle around, looking for a good angle and a clear
shot. The competition for this side of the temple is fierce. This is one of the
few times I notice a photographer on their phone, for the most part they and
their assistants are engrossed in their work.
A grandma and grandpa of some wedding
party keeps circling the temple. They are clutching their garment bags, not
wearing their formal wedding colors, and clearly lost. The grandma is glued to
her screen, checking, rechecking, and triple checking as she paces back and
forth. Her husband, the grandpa, follows in her wake; they rarely speak.
A fourth wedding train makes its way to
the stairs on the north end of the temple. The shade wanes, so I’m forced to
move again. They chug along, each member a tiny cog in the churning clock. I
notice that phones aren’t the only distractions during the wedding photography.
Turns out that there are a few individuals who are so engrossed in their DLSR
cameras they are oblivious to everything else. The tunnel vision of their
apertures and screens—reviewing each photo repeatedly—has the same effect as
those who turn to their phones for comfort. Distraction comes in various forms,
but seems to find all of us.
After taking some prolonged photos, the
bridesmaids rush to their phones. Almost impulsively the scurry to pull out
their phones, to check the time? To ensure there aren’t any pressing messages
waiting for them? To get that rush of dopamine? Handbags are peeled open and
phones are retrieved. Their actions in sync, these bridesmaids all swarm on
their digital lifeline. Again, I notice that there are some who use their
phones to isolate themselves. Like wrapping up in a warm fuzzy blanket, these
people are turning inwards and blocking out the world around them. The act of
staring into the LED well, peering into the depths of the internet, is an act
of retreat. Others rarely chat with you when you are on your phone. It turns
people off.
Another pattern I notice is that when you
are a user, you have a good chance of being a repeat user. Around half of those
who pull out their phones do so at least three or four times in the short
period I observe them on the temple grounds. The act of pulling out your phone
becomes instinctual, habitual, and compulsive for some. In fact, I observe one
couple who are both repeated users. They rarely interact with each other, instead
standing near each other while stooped over their phones. Each has been on
their phone more than four times, and each hit gets longer and longer.
A few more wedding parties come and go.
One is an older couple, probably in their late thirties or early forties, with
a blended family. Another family I think was just sealed together, they are all
dressed in white, the men in white pants and ties, the women wearing white
flower wreaths in their hair. I notice a teenage girl who is a repeated user.
She is either supervising her younger cousins, or on her phone for a minute or
two. She is asked to take pictures, so she has a phone in each hand and somehow
manages to snap two pictures on two devices. I don’t know how she does it.
Someone calls out about “putting this on
Instagram!” It is interesting that these social media platforms are so integral
to our social activities. We can’t even participate in a wedding without
someone mentioning their digital life. Again, of all the conversations that are
going on around me, this is the only phrase that I hear.
I notice that there are some children who
are distracted and pacified by phones. As a parent I know the temptation is
real. And there is so much judgment that comes from parents and non-parents
alike about using technology as a distraction for children. It is almost too
normal for complete strangers to pass judgement on you for giving a phone to
your screaming toddler, but no one says anything to adults who turn to their
newsfeeds instead of being present.
Then I notice at least two, maybe three,
kids pull out their own phones. Kids of around eight or nine years old with
phones in their pockets. Now that is a can of worms to discuss. But instead I
am worried about my record keeping. How many other kids had cell phones that I
didn’t know about? Presently I had only been keeping track of adults and teens
as users and non-users, but this revelation could impact my numbers. I guess
moving forward I’ll continue recording at my previous age line, but will look
for younger users.
I have noticed three mothers who are the
using their phones the longest. These marathons of screen time have lasted
around 15-20 minutes uninterrupted. Which, when you think about it isn’t
terribly long, but for my observation they are the longest sessions. A dad near
me pulls out an iPad so that he can watch the football game. Instead of just
settling on his 5.5 inch screen, he needs an 8.9 so that he can see in greater
detail the hits and the passes. Another dad circles near, and two young men as
well. The photos must be wrapping up, because these men have no qualms watching
football during the family event.
I’ve noticed a few temple patrons passing
on their way to the entrance. They have different phone habits than those
circling the grounds. When they are leaving the temple, it usually takes a few
minutes before they pull out their phones. When they are entering they usually
put it away before they get too close. Those attending by themselves have a
greater chance of using their phone. If they are attending with their spouse or
significant other, they will usually walk in silence holding hands. With users
and non-users there is usually a direct path either to the temple or to their
car, little deviance and little communication.
Some the challenges of this observation include
accurate record keeping. While it is easy to tick every time a new person pulls
out their phone, it is harder to keep track of non-users. Because as soon as
someone becomes a user, they must be removed from the pool of non-users. And
because of my vantage point has to repeatedly move—I’m chasing the shade—I
sometimes have difficulty observing everyone. But staring into the sun while
observing is also not ideal, so I would rather sit in the shade even if it is
changing with the rising sun.
In the end, my hypothesis was incorrect. I
observed 38 percent of people on temple grounds on their phones. While there
might be a small margin of error, that is still larger than my limit. Of the 75
phone users I observed only 12 phone calls. It is ironic that we use our phones
for almost everything beside calling each other. I even kept track of my phone
usage. As a heavy user I pulled out my phone 6 times during the hours I was on
the temple grounds. The six different wedding couples I observed came from
different walks of life, and their parties were populated with various
demographics. I do wish there was a greater amount of minorities since the
ethnic diversity was pretty limited. But in white-washed Utah I have to take
what I can get.
In the end, I feel confident that my
observation is pretty applicable, but it does have its limitations. Most of the
people I observed where part of a wedding party, which is a different social
setting than regular temple patrons. And since the main activity was taking
wedding photos, boredom was very likely. However, despite these variables I did
find it interesting how many people I observed on their phones while visiting
outside the temple. As the house of the Lord I would have hoped for more
attention and respect for the sacred grounds. But then again, I am just as
guilty at being on my phone during sacrament meeting.
