A few days ago, when my family went out to eat for dinner, we all pulled out our phones as we were seated and tried to log-in to the restaurant's WiFi. Shocked to see that the restaurant didn't offer their own personal WiFi to connect to, we joked that we were actually going to have to talk to each other while we ate instead of being on our phones. But as we laughed it off and began our meal, the joke really had me thinking just how addicted our society is with our phones. The fact that we can't even go a meal without checking in our location, sending a Snapchat of our food, or texting a friend back is pretty eye opening. Now don't get me wrong, I'm completely guilty of this too. I will be the first to admit that I am constantly on social media, texting friends, and using my phone as a barrier to avoid uncomfortable situations in public. However, this is something I recognize we as a society have to work on.
I don't know what it is, but today we feel the need to tell everyone what we're doing. Whether it's what movie we're seeing, where we're eating, or what our political opinions are. It’s amazing how much we learn about people through social media without even having to meet them. We spend time scrolling and reading what is on our phone instead of paying attention to what is right in front of us. Now I'm not talking about snapping a couple of pictures or sending a quick text but actually missing out on conversations because we’re enveloped in text conversations with people we are not with or stalking someone’s Instagram (we all do it, don’t lie). It's okay for us to love our phones, we just have to stop making them our number one priority.
It doesn't have to be something as drastic as deleting all of your social media or not texting anyone back. Making little changes can make all the difference. Put your phone down for your meals. Save catching up on social media for the end of the day. Instead, spend your time engaging in conversation and making memories. I can promise you that selfie on Instagram and the political rants on Facebook can wait.
