Let me be honest with you; I live on my phone. I have a very strict social media routine: check all email accounts, check Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and then repeat if necessary. It seems unhealthy, but in all honesty, I know I'm not alone in this. Our lives revolve around smartphones. They control what we see, what we eat, when we exercise, what we wear, and who we choose to associate ourselves with. Don't get me wrong, technology is great--I don't think I could survive without my phone and laptop, but maybe we need to take a step back and try to rekindle (heh kindle) our face to face human interactions with one another.

We, as people, like to challenge ourselves to think and expand our knowledge through interactions and communication. We thrive on human contact and conversation; our cultures are built on intelligent discussions. But if everyone has their noses buried in a phone or other device, how are we supposed to communicate with one another? Our generation is used to showing up somewhere with our headphones in and our eyes on a screen; whenever we want we put in those headphones and the rest of the world just melts away. This is understandable in a situation like avoiding creepy Joe trying to talk to you on the bus. But what about when we're with people we want to be with. At dinner, we see many people on their phones rather than engaging in conversation with one another. Parties get awkward because we refuse to talk to one another, and frankly, it might be because we've become so used to the idea of a phone in our hand that we've lost the habit of carrying on a deep conversation. We have become so used to having technology around us, we have begun connecting with our devices, rather than through our devices.

Now I know there are many, many, many articles out there about how technology is good, bad, the reason for the upcoming apocalypse; but this is neither. Nor am I saying to throw all technology into a bonfire and become heathens. My message is that as we continue to become engulfed in this sea of technology, the challenge will always be to keep our heads above the water and keep our eyes on the human connections that are still waiting to be loaded. The solution is actually quite simple: phone free zones. Maybe next time you're at a party, interact with the strangers around you, get to know their stories, why they're here, what their hobbies are--you can watch dancing Pennywise memes later. We want to know what is going on in each others’ lives instead of checking Facebook or Twitter. Or maybe the next time you’re out with your friends, put your phone away and engage in talk with one another. Sitting around with friends, laughing, joking around is the best feeling in the world, and I really, really, really like seeing someone’s expression when I give them a sincere compliment, face-to-face. Taking a step back from our tech obsessed world may actually help us appreciate our laptops, phones, tablets and other technology a lot more.

Honestly, I know I’m just a texting, tweeting college student; I love Instagram, and I Facetime my cousins in India all the time. So yes, technology has helped me keep in touch with those I love and has allowed me to binge any show I want. But it will be the in-person small talk, the sharing of laughter, and the telling of stories that will create the most meaningful and lasting bonds. So go ahead, log off, shut down, and let’s just talk.