Photo by Rebecca Houlden
With close to 60 per cent of Australians owning a smartphone, it’s not surprising that many of us are addicted to using the features that come with them. Whether it be the discreet camera or the addictive apps for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it can be hard to put down our smartphones and focus on what is happening in real time.
Our obsession with smartphones has become hard to ignore, especially when going to gigs. Where as once we may have gone to see our favourite band up close and personal, it seems that many of us are more intent on seeing those artists through the LCD screen of our smartphones.
Whether it be shakily recording the performance, snapping grainy photos, tweeting about a song or checking in on Facebook, more and more patrons are using their phones at live music venues.
Why do we feel so compelled to record our presence at live music events? Aleksei Plinte, of Beat Magazine, says it’s something to do with wanting to prove that we were there to our online social networks.
“We’re tweeting, Facebooking, photographing and filming our favourite bands, ultimately to show other people online. But by doing so we might be missing what is right in front of us- the artist performing live in that moment,” she says.
“Not to mention that those people who choose to film the performances block everyone else’s vision, which can be very irritating.”
And it’s not just concert-goers who are getting annoyed at all those shining screens and bowed heads. Even some artists are getting irritated at this social trend, saying that fans should participate and enjoy the music live, instead of focusing on filming material for use on social media.
Melbourne has welcomed two artists who have recently expressed their dislike for smartphones. Acoustic musician City and Colour performed at the Palais earlier this year, and requested that fans stop taking photos during his song Body in a Box so that the performance “could simply be remembered in the moment”.
And Jack White, of The White Stripes fame, recently made headlines when he had his team plaster Festival Hall with signs prohibiting the use of social media and video cameras.
Festival Hall’s Jodie Miatke does admit that White’s requests regarding social media were unexpected, saying that the concert was “the first event to have ever requested that Facebook and Twitter not be utilised during the event”.
“Most artists like the the exposure and comments these mediums supply, so it was very out the ordinary.”
Still, if banning social media means that less patrons have their phones permanently held in front of their faces while an enthralling live performance is taking place right there and then, would that necessarily be a bad thing?
Erin McMahon, from the Palais Theatre, says that it is already becoming difficult to uphold artist’s wishes regarding the use of smartphones.
“Most artists allow smartphones for photography and small personal cameras. But if our ushers notice people video-ing we do advise them not to video throughout the shows, if this has been the artist’s request,” she says.
One thing is certain, smartphones, with their seemingly essential features and addictive apps, aren’t going anywhere. Technology site Gizmodo has even made a guide on how to use smartphones responsibly at gigs.
What do you think about gig-goers using smartphones during performances? Vote in the poll below.
