We Never Look Up: New Tumblr illustrates our tech-dependent society

How often are you checking your phone while you’re out in public?

Have you ever been honked at by an angry cab driver after you started crossing the street against the signal because you were sending a text?

Do you automatically pull up your emails when your date excuses herself to the restroom — or while she is still sitting across from you at the table?

We’re all guilty of being tech-dependent, at least more than we were just six or seven years ago. A Tumblr that puts our society into a jarring perspective is making the rounds today. We Never Look Up features a collage of images of people staring down at their cell phones, seemingly detached from their surroundings.

The blog’s creator, a researcher who lives in Helsinki, Finland, snapped all of the photos himself. He didn’t want to share his identity, but told Metro in an email, “For a while now, I have noticed this behavior when commuting to work and back. At one point I even myself was guilty of it.”

He added, “Having read a lot of statistics and reports about the amount of smart phones/cellphones in the world I started to think that it would be great to somehow make this concrete. That’s when I got the idea for a photo project.”

He stopped short of criticizing those who are glued to their smartphones and clarified that the blog is really meant to make people more aware of their tech use.

“I’m not saying it is a negative thing, when done safely. It’s just that we need to be aware of that times change, and behavior as well,” he said. “But in social context, with friends, etc., it’s kind of rude to finger on your mobile the whole time. My message is not to judge, just to make this behavior concrete.”

Look familiar?

(Images via We Never Look Up)