Otter Keep Your iPhone Away From Me!

OtterBox iPhone cases aren't otter-proof, so it turns out...

Round 1: Angry real otter vs. an otter-wannabe box (1-0)

With a blog name like mine, it seems that I otter attempt to cover all things like this: A zoo-goer with clumsy fingers, quite like myself, tried to snap photos of some feisty river otters at the Red River Zoo in Fargo, ND. Instead, the iPhone, which was wrapped in an OtterBox phone case, took a dive and joined the otters for a refreshing afternoon swim.

"Will this affect our marketing strategy?"

A certain otter took issue with the imposter. It promptly tore up the plastic case to pieces, flung the iPhone into the water, dipped back in to pick it up, and then repeated the iPhone bashing process. Seems like OtterBox gave a false impression of being on friendly terms with real otters...

Dropping your phone in the river or at a zoo is never a good idea, since it can actually be a choking hazard to marine mammals... But I think this otter was right to be furious at iPhones and smart phones for another reason.

iPhones often suck the life out of people. I have recently been reflecting on my life as one example... I check Facebook religiously, walk with my iPhone shoved in my face such that I accidentally run into walls, doors, elevators, and people without making eye contact, and even experience "phantom vibration syndrome" (which is where people constantly think or feel like their phone is vibrating/ringing). When I'm trying to talk to someone, but their eyes are glued to their phone, I feel as though I am uninteresting. So then I get on my phone, looking for something to create a real conversation. I forget to turn my iPhone on silent before bed, so right when I've finally slipped into sleep, a flurry of texts from the West Coast at 3 am my time brings me right back to square one in my struggle to fall asleep...

Truthfully, I love how connected I can feel to friends and family from across the world with my smart phone's ability to show me anything anytime anywhere. I could never imagine my life without an iPhone anymore. But I think that's sometimes a problem. There are times when I just need to unplug myself from the interconnectedness of the world, go out for a quiet and undisturbed walk to admire some otters with my naked eye rather than through the filtered lens of my iPhone...

Now, let me sum up this thought with this article about how smartphones are ruining our lives that I saw posted on Facebook...