In today’s technology and social media filled society, connecting and communicating with other people has taken a different shape. Telephone calls have been replaced by text messaging. Emails have replaced written letters. Conversations are now ideas, compliments, and criticisms tossed (somewhat anonymously) into cyberspace for others to grab at their leisure. Technology has made us more efficient and expedient. But there is a cost to that.
Are we truly making connections with each other when a single picture snapped with a cell phone, 280 characters of a thought, a list of possibly relevant hashtags, or a simple, but ironic, meme is how a large portion of human beings transfer information? How are we building self-confidence when likes, followers, and retweets are a measure of our status? Is it a sign of social decline when one can be in a relationship with someone for years, having never met them in person?
These occurrences are so common that most of us do not even recognize there are other ways to connect. Having a face-to-face (or, can you imagine, a telephone) conversation with a friend, meeting a group of schoolmates for a playdate or a game night, and having an in-depth conversation about current events over dinner is a rarity these days.
I recommend that we, regardless of our generation, take a closer look at how many times we actually have a true conversation or discussion with other human beings. On a daily basis, are we really talking to people? Is there depth when we connect with each other or are we staying safely on the surface?
Is this a real problem? What are your thoughts about this? What can we do? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.