( CNN ) -- The news that America now has more cell phone subscribers than people does n't surprise documentary filmmaker Tiffany Shlain . `` There 's 5 billion cell phones on the planet , but only 2 billion people online , '' said the director , whose new film `` Connected '' explores our increasing dependence on the electronic devices we carry . Shlain seems to have a love-hate relationship with technology . In the film 's trailer she recounts a story of being at dinner with a friend and pretending to go the bathroom so she could check her e-mail on her smartphone . `` Everything is happening so fast . There does n't seem to be a lot of time to really talk about what it is doing to us , '' said Shlain , who is also a founder of the Webby Awards . `` What does it mean to be connected in the 21st century ? What 's the good ? What 's the bad ? What 's the hope ? '' Thanks to smartphones , people are n't just connecting through calls anymore . Increasingly , they 're messaging on their phones through texts , e-mail , Facebook or Twitter -- streams of incoming information that are now accessible to us anytime and anywhere we have a signal . According to a trade industry report by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association , the United States has 327 million cell phone subscribers , more than its 315 million people . Shlain believes her film presents technology as a next step in shaping society . `` These phones extend our desire for emotional connection . So these are all expanding human capacity because it 's us evolving . We continue to want to have more ways to exchange ideas and connect , '' she said . But Shlain also thinks there is a darker side to our always-on , always-connected society . `` People have gotten incredibly rude . When you are with a good friend you should not have your cell phone right here like a ticking bomb . I think there should be no texting in funerals . When you walk in to greet your husband or partner , you should not be talking on a cell phone . '' In the film , Shlain ponders what the lasting impact of this information explosion will be . `` I wonder if people are going to look back on this period and say , ' I can not believe people used their cell phones so much in every situation and there were no boundaries , '' she said . In her own life , Shlain has taken action to limit her digital diet . One day a week , she and her family have a technology shutdown . `` All of the screens go off for 24 hours and it 's the most delicious , long , wonderful day . I read , I write in my journal , I hang out with my kids and my husband and the day feels like four days in one . Then we all ca n't wait to go back online . It kind of helps you re-appreciate technology in a new way . '' `` Connected '' is in limited release in the United States . To learn more , check out the film 's website .
Filmmaker Tiffany Shlain has a new documentary , `` Connected , '' about our digital lifestyle . Shlain : There 's a good and bad side to technology , and both help shape society . The good is that it allows us to connect with people around the world in ways we never could before. For first time , number of U.S. cell phone subscribers has surpassed population .