Back in 1984 my friends and I would meet at the basketball courts to socialize, play sports, and engage in basic human interaction. If I wanted to get a hold of someone, I had to either call them on their land line, or walk to their house to knock on their door and then talk to them face to face. Even in high school, it was easier to make plans with someone at school, or at that point I could page someone my phone number and they would call me back. The level of interaction before technology took over was substantially different.

Nowadays, technology is the standard in interaction. Kids don’t really call each other, and they rarely talk to each other in person. Even when they finally meet up, their heads are buried in their smart phones, texting away, or shooting selfies to post on various social networks. It’s sad to see that the most basic of human interaction has all but disappeared. Technology, and more importantly smart phones are meant to be a tool, not a replacement for communication.

To top things off, with the advent of social networks, dating sites, and messaging platforms, people have so many choices that they rarely keep their attention focused very long. They can move from one person to the next, whether it’s a love interest, a friend, business partner, or a hobbyist. Even families are less prone to have get-togethers, because let’s face it, the conversations are pretty stale now that everyone can watch your life unfold on Facebook. When your mom asks, “So tell me what’s new?” – There’s not much in the form of a reply besides, “Well you saw what I did last weekend on Facebook didn’t you?”

People used to go out together and plan things in person, or even using email at one point. But now it’s a series of text messages, or events online, or completely faceless invites. The intimacy of personal interaction is almost gone, which is a shame considering that is the most common trait that makes us human. I hope that future generations realize that technology is meant to be used to help us stay connected, without replacing the human element. Only time will tell, but in the meantime, I will continue to call my friends or family instead of texting them, and I will plan more outings in person instead of through Facebook!

Tiny URL for this post: