Disconnected in a Connected World
In a day in age where almost everyone is instantly connected because of the marvels in technology I think we are more disconnected than ever. In one instant I can send a text message to 100+ of my friends and colleagues. What I also know is that being connected to the whole world makes it very hard to stay connected to the people who are physically in front of you.
I went to dinner with a few friends on Saturday night and we were planning on going out dancing afterwards. Another friend of mine was planning on meeting up with us after dinner because she had to work late. I started texting my friend when we got to the club, asking her when she was coming out, which then turned into me trying to talk her into going out even though she was tired. I spent quite a bit of time leaning against the bar text messaging back and forth with her. It wasn’t until one of the girls I was with came up to me and said “quit texterbating and come dance with us” that I realized that I was completely ignoring the 4 friends I was with because I was trying to convince someone else to come hang out with us. I was using my cell phone as a barrier for being present and just being with the friends who were already there. Once I realized this I put my phone away and I didn’t pull it back out again. But apparently the rest of the club didn’t get the same message. The whole night I noticed people in the middle of the dance floor texting, girls camping out in the bathroom talking on their cell phones and numerous people repeatedly checking their phones. When did we get so connected to our cell phones that we lost connection to the real world?
I challenge you to make your cell phone take a back seat to the real world you are living in and experience the people around you.
