Man looking at phone misses humpback whale swimming right by him

A photo that, for some, sums up what is wrong with the modern world has gone viral after being posted to Instagram.

On a sailing boat off the coast of California, a man missed the opportunity to see a humpback whale breaching the water just a few feet from where he sat - because whatever was on his phone was more interesting.

The photo - taken by Eric Smith, a professional photographer, on the California coast - he posted it to Instagram with the caption "a sign of the times".