Are we too connected?

Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch - CNET Reviews

I've been hearing about the Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch for a little while now, and, like the reviewer, I have many questions. However, my questions stem from a different place: is this device just proving our society's need for constant connection?

In a nutshell, the Smartwatch connects with your phone to play music, work with apps, track your exercise, make phone calls, and take pictures. Supposedly, the benefit of this watch is that the user is not reaching for his or her phone every five minutes; they can do what they need to do through the watch. But I personally can't see the difference between reaching for a phone and checking a smart functioning watch every five minutes -- essentially, you're connected with or without the watch.

I don't want you to think that I can't see the potential benefits of the watch; for example, if the user is exercising or doing something hands-on, the watch is a great way to still be able to talk on the phone without having to hold the phone itself. For a workplace setting, I can see the same kind of benefit; you don't need to put your phone on the desk to take a phone call. Also, because of the basic nature of the watch, the reviewer explains that it "cuts through" to the most basic features of the phone. I don't have a Samsung phone, so I don't know what features get in the way of the basics, but being able to utilize just a few functions is another benefit of the watch.

The reviewer wrote, "Whether buying another gadget is the answer to reducing your dependence on an earlier gadget is a philosophical question for another time, but the Galaxy Gear has the potential to cut down on the amount your mobile shouts for your attention." Yes, the watch will cut down how much a user reaches for his or her phone, but it won't actually cut down the amount of phone use -- it will redirect that attention to the watch. 

My initial question was, are we too connected? Is this watch just giving us another way to be connected? It seems like it. The only way to really cut down on phone usage is to step away from the phone. In an organizational setting, a person's mobile phone should not be used except for workplace reasons. Having this watch does not change that; in fact, it makes it easier to just use the basic features of the phone. But the watch has other features, too, that are not necessarily workplace-appropriate. The way I see it, this watch, though it has benefits, really just adds to the ways in which we as a society are constantly connected.