We have all heard it before, usually from parents or grandparents: "Why don't you put your phone down?" This comment is usually responded with an eye roll or some other way of expressing annoyance toward the topic. Technology is extremely important in our society today. It is a means of communication between friends, our coworkers and many other groups we may be involved in. There is no denying that we have become dependent on technology to some extent. It is a way for us to go above and beyond reality, giving us the ability to do extraordinary things. Unfortunately, it has also become a distraction from our arguably more important reality.
Technology has strained our social interaction skills. For some reason, we find it so much easier to say something from behind a screen than to say the same words face to face. It truly is diminishing our social skills. Since when did a text message become equivalent and even preferable to hearing the voice of the person you are conversing with? Not to mention much of what we mean to say is lost in translation. It is hard to know exactly what someone intends to say without hearing their voice and seeing their facial expressions.
I have to admit that as a college student, cell phones and technology in general have been more than helpful when staying in touch with family and friends three plus hours away. But on the flip side, technology can negatively affect our relationships with the people that are sitting right across from us. I cannot express how saddening it is to walk into a coffee shop and see a couple sitting across from the table from each other silently tapping away at their devices, or a group of friends that are out to lunch together with heads buried in their phones.Unfortunately, this is the way our generation has grown up and learned as being acceptable.
Not only is it affecting our social skills, but it is taking away from the idea of living in the moment. When we stumble upon a beautiful scene in nature, often the first reaction is to whip out a cell phone and take a photo. Similarly, when people go to a concert, they spend the majority of their time staring at the stage through their phone screens because they want to capture every second of it. There is nothing wrong with capturing a quick photograph or taking a couple videos as a way to remember a moment, but the point is that it has become second nature. We don't seem to take in everything that is offered to us in a moment. We see our days more as photo ops than as beautiful memories.
Now, don't get me wrong—I am more than guilty of each of these things I have mentioned above. I like my cell phone just as much as the next girl, but there are times when I realize just how extra these devices are. This silence between people is becoming so thick, and we don't seem to take it as seriously as we should. Technology has its place in our society, but there is a line between helping and hurting us. I just hope that we can figure this boundary out before it's too late. It's time for us to turn off our phones and open our eyes to the world around us.
Sincerely,
A member of generation oblivious
