Smartphones are starting to feel like an old concept. The internet on a mini computer that fits in your back pocket is the new normal.

It wasn’t that long ago that flip phones were the forefront of cellular innovation. In a decade, we have moved from a device equipped to call and text to one that is capable of anything you can think of via apps. The hub of technological advancement is in our backyard where Google is thinking up it’s next logo change and Facebook reached one billion users in one day.

The future of innovation doesn’t lie in who can come up with the next Candy Crush or who can recreate the Flappy Bird debacle. We’ve become so enthralled with these screens that allow us to escape and waste time that the energy we use to update and renew the world is being siphoned to an alternate reality.

Those with the technical knowledge and ability to innovate are blinded by the glimmer of success. To quote Justin Timberlake’s infamous line in “The Social Network,” “A million dollars isn’t cool, you know what’s cool? A billions dollars.”

A sentiment probably not that far off from the real silicon valley culture, a race for who can get the most hits on their newest app and, therefore, who can get the most money. It’s an individualistic mindset, the lone wolf who breaks through on the necessities of the average twenty-something iPhone user gets all of the accolades he or she can handle and more.

This isn’t to say that iPhones haven’t made our lives easier and more enjoyable. There’s research to support that internet users are happier. They’re exposed to the world of information that allows them to be informed and well-rounded. But with every good thing, there’s the problem of excess. The corner coffee shop full of eyes glued to screens, a place formerly known for interaction, now has built in phone chargers in every table.

If we could pull ourselves away from the smartphone for just a minute and see where we could put our talent to good use and help people, our collective experience on earth would benefit, not just our virtual experience.