Winslow and I decided to observe people when they least expected it.  on a friday night.  we wanted to observe people in a private setting than see how it differed with people out on the streets in the east village and LES.  At the party, people were thoroughly stimulated so the only time they relied on technology was to improve their social experience, ie. music, locating friends, etc. People on the street however, used technology as a social crutch, finding easy outs for awkward social situations, relying on their cell phones and other devices as a means of avoiding a situation at hand, keeping themselves occupied, or even as a comfort device–holding it in their hand even though they weren’t interacting with it. for the most part, cell phone-use by our subjects prohibited real direct human interaction with the people who were standing literally inches away.