Come on, everyone, we've all been in these situations. There is an awkward silence with the group of friends you are hanging out with and you quickly check every single social media outlet to distract yourself from the silence. Or, you are out at a party or other fun event with friends and it seems the whole time people focus more on what "snap story" they can take or what photos taken will be "Instagram worthy" than the actual party. It's OK, it's normal.
But sometimes it seems almost too normal.
I came to the realization that technology, specifically smartphones, can have a damaging effect on social skills. This hit me when I recently went through a breakup, and we talked everything out primarily over text. When we tried to talk it out over the phone, the silence was almost unbearable because we were both lost for words, yet we were able to type out paragraphs about how we felt perfectly fine when it was over text.
Technology programs us to feel that it is easier to communicate how we feel over a screen than in person.
Social media allows us to create the perfect version of ourselves because we have total control over what we individually post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and other social media platforms. So, hypothetically, if someone wants people to look at his or her profile and think "Wow, he/she has a lot of friends" then most of the photos he/she posts will be with two or more people. If someone wants people to look at his or her profile and think "He/she travels a lot" then most of the photos he/she posts will be of monuments or solo shots of themselves in a foreign country. I'm not saying that creating a unique profile for yourself through social media is always a bad thing, because there can be many positives to social media!
But when we become so accustomed to living behind a mask, we let it control everything we do and connections with others on a deep personal level become harder and rarer.
I know many people in my generation look at social media and texting as an escape, but I've noticed that it is even worse for the younger generations. When I look at my friend's younger siblings, who are generally in 6th-9th grade, they spend double the amount of time on their phones compared to people around my age.
If this pattern of reliance on technology for socializing continues, then what is the future for the next generation?
Will face to face communication vanish completely? Will connections on a personal level completely disintegrate? Will people care more about having a social media account than having friends? Will breakups over text be considered normal? These are all questions we should be asking ourselves as we grow up and become the role models for the upcoming generations. Our generation will set the tone for how people should behave around technology. If we grow up to be parents or adult figures who constantly obsess over our phones in front of young children, then they will see that as normal. Is this what we really want to be seen as normal?
