With festival season in full swing, like Lollapalooza, Stagecoach, and High Water, music fans are flocking to locations all around the world for these experiences. This weekend was the Coachella music festival in Indio, California, held at the Empire Polo Club. Coachella is known for its high-energy atmosphere, stacked musical lineups, and outlandish outfits. It’s always a highly anticipated event whether you attend, watch a livestream, or follow on social media platforms.
Coachella 2025 received not-so-great reception after many videos surfaced of the performances where the crowd was close to silent. One in particular was Benson Boone’s set, where he covered “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the iconic Queen song, and brought out guitarist Brian May. Not only was the crowd unenthusiastic about the performance, but Boone noticed and made a TikTok video in response. It wasn’t just that the audience wasn’t receptive, it was about that everyone watching his set had their phones out.
Why was the crowd so quiet? Why weren’t they singing? Our editorial staff has concluded that it’s due to cell phone usage and trying to get the “perfect video” for social media. The question is, are devices at the forefront of people not living in the moment?
One editor commented on the viral social media videos, “It looks so weird and boring… Why is no one fun anymore? I feel like people are so scared of not looking cool; I think that has a lot to do with people constantly filming EVERYTHING, so people have a fear of going internet-viral for dancing weird or something.”
With most of the guests in attendance being influencers and celebrities, this theory is totally valid. Another editor said, “There is honestly nothing these influencers and social media personalities wouldn’t do for the perfect video. Not only does it ruin their experience, but it ruins it for the people around them.”
When asked if festival experiences are changing due to phone usage, one editor replied, “I think people are sometimes more focused on showing off their experience than living in the moment…I think it’s sad people will pay hundreds of dollars on a concert ticket and spend the whole-time filming it to share with others rather than enjoying it for themselves.”
The editors were asked if they were at Coachella would they be worried about their social media presence. “No, I am pretty good about staying off my phone at events,” an editor said.
Another editor said the opposite, “If I was at Coachella I would be posting a TON. I wouldn’t say I would be worried about my social media presence though… As long as I got a few good pictures in my outfit of the day I would be good to go.”
Generation Z and even some millennials, grew up with the rise of social media. It’s engraved into our society to share as much as we can on social media. Which greatly impacts how we spend our time and enjoy simple life moments. From concerts, dinners, night-outs, and even every day activities, taking photos and posting them has become the new normal.
“I hate when a cellphone is in my direct view (for the whole night) during a concert I paid a lot of money for. I also hate constantly having to worry about being filmed or caught making a weird face in someone else’s picture, because people will twist anything to go internet viral these days,” an editor said.
Another said, “When I go out to dinner, everyone is on their phones. When I see videos of concerts, it’s all phones. I think people need to enjoy living the moment and that it’s okay not to capture every moment on film.”
As bad as phone usage is, it’s something that is definitely not going away, especially with new platforms popping up every day. However, there has to be a way to modify our usage or at least stop big events like Coachella from being a sea of phones instead of enjoying the live performance.
“I think it would be hilarious if Coachella just started locking people’s phones away if that person is taking way too many pictures. I also think a festival that bans phones (maybe even has payphone on stand by) would be fun,” said one editor on their solution to the issue.
Another commented, “I think everyone has to be on the same page about phone usage before we actually solve the issue. Everyone needs to realize it’s impacting every life decision we make. Festivals are supposed to be about letting loose and enjoying the music and art around you. We need to bring that mindset back but without the cell phones.”