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♪ (dramatic chord) ♪
- I have 422 friends.
Yet I'm lonely.
I speak to all of them every day,
yet none of them really know me.
- This guy's being pretty emo.
- Am I supposed to look up?
- (man) The problem I have sits in the spaces between
looking into their eyes or at a name on a screen.
- I like his voice. - (man) ...back and opened my eyes.
I looked around and realized
that this media we call social is anything but
when we open our computers and it's our doors we shut.
- True.
- (man) We're becoming unsocial.
It no longer satisfies to engage with one another.
- Oh, that's sad. I see that at restaurants all the time.
- Like, if you're on a freaking date with someone,
don't take out your freaking phone. - (man) ...living like robots
and think it's the norm.
It's not very likely you'll make world's greatest dad
if you can't entertain a child without using an iPad.
- What? What's wrong with that?
My life would've been so much better with an iPad.
- (man) I'd wear holes in my trainers and graze up my knees.
We'd build our own clubhouse high up in the trees.
Now the park's so quiet, it gives me a chill.
- Oh my god, I see people with iPads all the time at the park.
- (man) So look up from your phone. Shut down that display.
- This is so true! Oh my gosh.
- (man) Just one real connection is all it can take
to show you the difference that being there can make.
- Oh. Look at that.
They now can talk, and maybe they'll get married.
- When I walk up to a stranger,
she doesn't smile and we walk together. That doesn't happen.
- (man) The time you sell your computer so you can buy a ring...
- "Sell your computer"-- that's how you get ahead in life.
- (man) The time you want to start a family.
- And pregnant all because he wasn't on his iPhone.
- His semen is strong because he's not always on Instagram.
- (man) The time you take in all you've made
just by giving life attention,
and how you're glad you didn't waste it
by looking down at some invention. - Too real.
- (man) The time you hold your wife's hand...
- (whimpers) - (man) ...sit down beside her bed.
You tell her that you love her and lay a kiss upon her head.
- (affectionately) Oh-ho-ho!
- (man) She then whispers to you... - Is she dying? Oh god.
- (man) ...as her heart gives a final beat,
that she's lucky she got stopped... - I want this kind of love.
- This is, like, heavy.
- (man) But none of these times ever happened.
You never had any of this.
When you're too busy looking down,
you don't see the chances you miss.
- Ohhh.
- No, she walked-- you missed her.
- (man) We have a finite existence, a set number of days.
- He has a good message, but I can't turn off my phone.
- (man) Go out into the world. Leave distractions behind.
- And he's leaving his phone? What if he gets mugged?
- Tsk. - (man) Look up from your phone.
Shut down that display.
Stop watching this video. Live life the real way.
- All right. (crew snickers)
- I love the sentiment. But, girl, no.
(vibrating) - That was beautif-- that was my phone.
Can I go see what it is? Okay. Let's see.
- (Finebros) No, no! That's the worst thing!
That's completely against the video!
♪ (dramatic chord) ♪
What is the message here of this video?
- Put your phone down and [chirp] bitches.
- You just need to look up from your phone,
and you need to get off technology!
- You'll meet a girl if you're not using Tinder or--
I don't know.
- To live in the moment. Put your phone away.
Enjoy humans, not WiFi.
- (Finebros) Do you believe in the message
despite having a career where you're reliant on technology?
- One, I love technology.
Two, I do believe in a healthy balance.
- I believe in the message, but I think there's a happy medium.
I don't feel like technology is necessarily a negative thing.
- No. No. I would say the majority of my best friends
I originally met online.
- The internet is supposed to connect you to people.
It's not like I'm looking down and interacting with nothing.
I'm interacting with humans.
- If I wasn't a YouTuber,
I do not think I would have any social media site,
because I want to explore.
I want to see things. But instead I'm too busy--
"Oh, let me show them this beautiful tree
that I'm next to right now."
- I believe 100% in the message.
Technology has given me a career, and that's great.
But it also is ruining the entire world.
I mean, but, you know, Terminator. It's gonna happen anyways.
- (Finebros) Is there anything about how they presented this
that you thought wasn't very good?
- No, I loved the way they presented it.
- He did it in a way that it was like his own opinion,
but I didn't feel like it was off-putting.
- I just don't like it when they push it on you
that it's so terrible.
- They could've taken into account
that people are finding each other online.
And that's a good thing, and I don't why we have to shame that.
- Selling your computer to buy a ring? Did I see that right?
That is, like, the stupidest.
A ring does absolutely nothing for you
unless it's some magical ring.
And a computer does everything for you, and it's not magical.
So I really gained nothing from that.
- (Finebros) Is there anything that people do with technology
that does annoy you? - No.
But I am so pro technology
that I'm on a really biased side.
- I really don't get annoyed by technology.
I have friends who are like,
"Oh my god, she's texting at the table. Ew."
I'm like, "All right, that's kinda cool.
I'll just text here as well. We'll text each other."
- I feel like people are relying on communication
through technology more than in person.
- I don't like it when people are on their phones at dinner.
I try to stay off my phone at all meals.
- There will be a cute couple on a date.
But they're at dinner like this.
You're with your love, but you're texting your friends
or your sidepiece or whoever it is,
not talking to the person who's in front of you.
- Someone's talking to you. Like, if you're talking to me.
- (Finebros) Oh hey. How you doing?
- Oh, keep going. I can do both.
What's that? Keep going. I'm listening.
- (Finebros) So this video went crazy viral.
It currently has over 40 million views. - It's ironic. (laughs)
He's making this video about getting off your phone,
but all these people are still on their computers!
- You can't make a video telling people to stop watching videos.
I think it's just counterintuitive.
- (Finebros) Why is this video being shared so much?
- People can relate.
- Everybody agrees with this. Nobody disagrees with this.
- This is a mirror reflecting upon themselves.
So when they watch this video, they're like, "That's me."
- If people are sending this video out,
they're probably just doing it
to make it seem like they're actually gonna follow along with it.
- We are all experiencing loneliness a lot more than we used to.
We don't go sit on each other's porches or come over for dinner.
I feel like a lot of times we would rather
go watch something on Netflix
than actually do something with a friend.
- Isn't that so ridiculous about the whole thing?
Like, "Put your phone down and stop using technology.
Now go share this video with technology
to tell people that they shouldn't use technology,
but they should use technology to share this video
that tells them that they shouldn't use technology.
That goes against everything the video was talking about.
- (Finebros) It also would appear that young people
are part of the main reason this is going so viral.
Why do you think young people are being moved by this piece?
- I mean, I have no idea, 'cause I was so jazzed
when I got my first computer as a kid,
I literally haven't stopped using technology since then.
So I think they're missing out.
- Younger kids worry about the future.
And I think this video is very much saying,
if you live your life like this,
this is how your future is gonna turn out.
- I'm sure that you share it, but are you really doing it?
Like, are you really getting off your phone?
- I have faith in this generation.
But let's keep it real.
The same kids who watch this video were like,
"Oh my god, I have to share it with my friends on my iPad!"
right afterward. It's like, let's keep it real.
The reason this is going viral is because
(crazed voice) people can't stop looking at their phones!
- (Finebros) A lot of people are making comments on this video
that they feel like people are sharing it
and feeling like they did something because they shared it,
and then they just go back to being the way they are
and negating the purpose of a video like this.
What are your thoughts about that? - Armchair activism.
- Videos like this are good
because they are conversation starters.
- I feel like people sharing this video
definitely makes it seem like they've done their part.
And ugh, that's stupid.
- This video should not have any comments,
because I did what he told me to and I shut the damn computer.
What do the kids do?
Share and favorite it! Share and favorite it!
- It's kinda like that Kony 2012 thing,
where everyone shared that video, and it went insanely viral,
got a ton of media coverage.
And I don't think anything really happened with it, and the dude
ended up being butt-naked in the street and went crazy.
I mean, what can you do? I mean, we're so reliant.
- (Finebros) Do you feel that all this debate
about technology today ruining social lives--
is it really any different from the past?
- I think it's different in a good way.
I think television was a one-way experience.
You watch something, you consume it.
But the internet is a possibility to interact with other humans
in ways that was never even possible.
- I used to not go home till the sun was down
and my parents were out on the streets looking for me
and telling me I have to come home.
And nowadays, kids have to be--
"You're grounded! Go outside and play with your friends!"
- You could be outside all the time,
and someone could tell you to chill out and read a book.
You know? It's really like, too much of one thing is a bad thing.
- Every generation has a new thing
that the kids are obsessed with.
It's gonna keep going for the rest of our existence.
- It's always gonna be that way.
And I want to live to be 150. That's my goal.
So when I'm a robot cyborg
and we do episode 500,000 of YouTubers React,
then I want to watch a video of them being like,
"You know what? You really need to step out of virtual reality."
I'll be like, "No, virtual reality's awesome.
I've been waiting for it forever."
- Today's day and age, the jobs that are valuable
and are important are technology based.
Introducing technology to kids early on
so that they're encouraged to pursue sciences and engineering
and computer technology is a really good thing.
- (Finebros) So finally, do you think,
when a video comes out like this with a message
and tens of millions of people watch it,
does it impact the world? - Meh-heh.
- Nobody's gonna see that and then be like, "You know what?"
I need to put down my phone for the rest of my days."
- I think it definitely impacts them
to think about their behavior.
I don't know if they would just change it overnight.
- I think that one video definitely could make a difference
in the whole entire world,
'cause it might inspire a few people that inspire us.
- Because of this video, I am now sitting in a room
with two other gentlemen and nothing but technology.
Two phones, computer, computer, computer, computer, camera.
I am surrounded by technology now because of this video
telling people that they shouldn't use so much technology.
How crazy is that? This man has failed.
- Thanks for watching this episode of YouTubers React.
- Do you have any videos that you want us to talk about
that are gonna get us thinking?
Let us know in the comments below.
- Carpe diem, mother[bleep]. Goodbye.
- Huh? Oh, you want me to say something? I'm sorry.
I'm too busy sharing a video about looking up.
♪ (end music) ♪