You see it everywhere. People are always plastered to their phones. Once, I walked through the mall and saw a group of teen girls at a table; you would think they would be laughing it up but no, they weren't. They were all silent, just sitting there scrolling down their timelines. They might as well be sitting alone. This left me to ponder... is our technology turning us into an introverted, anti-social society?
I can't say I'm not guilty of the same thing from time to time, even though it irks me. I realized one day that I switched between three apps on my phone for close to three hours.
It seems like it was yesterday when I first got my Nokia cell phone in the late 90's, chatting it up in the first AOL chat rooms and the horrid sounds of dial-up Internet. It's amazing to see how far our technological advances have come, but it's disappointing that in exchange, we sacrifice genuine social interaction.
I even noticed at a nightclub recently that people don't really talk; they just hold their phones in the air to snap or send messages. I mean come on. I saw people sitting right next to each other still sending messages instead of talking!
I truly wonder if it's possible to break the cycle of constantly reaching for our phones to see what we might have "missed" when we as a society are already in so deep.
Remember when parents used to read the morning paper? Well now they check Instagram or Facebook for the latest news.
And my personal favorite: people using their phone to avoid awkward situations such as elevators, waiting rooms or any other place you don't want to keep catching eyes and shooting your fake smile.
I doubt there will be any resolution to this issue and it will further just become the norm in our society. I just hope that one day when you're with the people you love in a beautiful moment, you can put the phone down and actually appreciate that moment. And maybe when you're in your next awkward elevator situation, just say hello and spark conversation with a fellow human being. When it actually happens, it's as refreshing as a cool summer shower!
