About a few weeks ago my sister asked me what I would do without my phone. The answer was simple; I would probably have a panic attack.
Being without my phone is like being without an arm — it’s just impossible to function without my small, all-important, heavily utilized handheld device. In fact, my phone dependency has not only questioned my value of communication but real, face-to-face human interaction (you know, the thing our parents always talk about).
People can’t be that addicted to their phones, right? There’s no possible way we have grown into social-networking, text-crazy maniacs void of proper social contact that doesn’t include Facebook, Twitter or text, right? Wrong.
To illustrate my point let’s rewind a few weeks back to the grocery checkout line where I was waiting. I couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming silence that came over two 17-year-old girls after they had just been talking up a storm about whatever high school girls talk about. So what happened? Where did the conversation go? Why wasn’t I being annoyed by their chatter anymore?
When I looked to see what had happened I saw them both facing each other with their heads down, phone in hand, texting and Facebooking away in the most focused and firm manner capable by giddy high school girls. I was amazed at how intensely involved these girls were with their phones.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was guilty. In fact, I did the same thing a couple weeks later when I had dinner with my best friend. Yes we talked and caught up on gossip, but every five minutes or so I found us reverting back to our phones to text, as if the texting couldn’t wait till after dinner. And it wasn’t even that it was an important text conversation.
So yes, I’m guilty of treating my phone like a lifeline, it’s a device I simply can’t put away or go without unless lost, stolen or damaged. If you find yourself not being able to fight the urge to check your Facebook, update your Twitter or text a friend just for the sake of texting, then you, my friend, are an addict.
Now I know what most of you are thinking, just because we are so involved with our phones doesn’t mean we are addicts, we are just part of the millennial generation where everyone loves, lives and breathes the technology and innovation our world has to offer.
It’s not rude to text while someone is talking to you, or dangerous to text while driving. All that stuff is simply multi-tasking, another side effect of being a millennial.
And we would be right. These are side effects; rude, dangerous and ugly side effects of a disease I believe is taking over a lot of my fellow peers, because it’s not just high school girls at the grocery store or myself at dinner — it’s the guy in class who sits there texting or Facebooking the entire time, the girl at the help desk that can’t even look up to help you because she’s too busy texting (yes that happens), it’s everywhere.
Don’t get me wrong, I love technology and I love the great social networking phenomenon of Facebook. These new avenues of technology are exciting, useful and have revolutionized the way we communicate with the world, do business, and express ourselves, but unfortunately the dark side of all this is that we have effectively isolated ourselves from real human interaction, the rawest and true form of social networking.
Fortunately, there are those out there who don’t have this problem, who don’t have a Facebook, an expensive over-achieving phone or a desire for anything involving social networking. It’s not that they are computer illiterate or don’t know what an iPhone is. On the contrary one such person I know is one of the most tech-savvy people I have ever met.
The difference between him and us is he believes in the organic form of communication and networking, the kind that involves really knowing a person on a personal level not behind a computer screen or phone.
So the point is, next time you’re having lunch with friends, or at your parents house, waiting for class or in class even, put away the phone take the time to listen, talk or get to know someone while they are actually there to talk to you. Don’t worry you don’t have to abandon your phone altogether, but sometimes it’s actually nice to be able to see and hear someone smile, laugh or even cry when they react to the sound of your voice.
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