We've all been there. You're just sitting at a restaurant and enjoying the company of a person or people that you like. Then, BAM. You're playing second fiddle to a phone. Their eyes are trained on a device that can hold the cosmos and suddenly you feel just a little smaller, just a little less important to them. They could be having this meal alone and would probably be fine with it, but society has deemed it really sad to eat alone (just think back to every Facebook/Twitter post about people seeing someone sad eating alone). In your head, you're screaming because whenever anyone brings up that another person is on their phone for too long the other person ends up really offended.
What else do you want me to do?
I'm not on as often as you think I am.
I'm talking to people.
The first thing people jump to is that Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram are spawns of the devil. That their very existence is causing a rift in human interaction and that people don't just talk to each other anymore? And just so you understand how wrong you are for using social media that one girl you know made several Twitter and Facebook posts about how she hates social media...on social media....but you know, posting it on social media makes sure everyone will see how much you hate social media..right? (Because obviously people would be displeased that she just didn't get on instead of posting about why you shouldn't be on).
So that's our culture. We talk about how much time is wasted on social media while being on it and we hate people for overusing it. But, why? Sure we hate those moments that people ignore us for our phones, but she would really hate the applications and not the person?
Playing a background character to a mobile device is patronizing, as if we are just there in case we're needed. So next time you decide to lurk on that one guy on Twitter while you're supposed to be hanging out with your friend, just stop.
The human race has been developing technology for as long as we have been able to move. Every new technology captures the minds of humans across the globe, that isn't new and it will never stop. I'm sure when cavemen were obsessed with fire cave couples probably had arguments about Thad the caveman obsessing over keeping the fire alive instead of paying attention to his mate and child.
Long story short, if you're ignoring someone or being ignored don't blame technology. Blame the fact that you haven't sorted out your priorities.
