Disconnected

Angelism: “When you are out spending time with someone you have that moment to be present with your company. Human interaction is a real thing so put your cell phone down & experience it!”

Before cell phones and laptops, I used to get offended when couples sat at dinner together reading the newspaper or a book. I never understood why they were not engaging with one another or even enjoying the moment they were in. That was back in the 90’s. Today, ignoring the people you are with is common. Tables of 2-10 people, get together to hang out and eat, all while using their cell phones the entire time. Am I the only person who thinks this is awful? If you want to go out to dinner with someone, go out to dinner with them and only them. Engage with that person and experience a meaningful exchange in that moment. If you want to go to dinner with your phone then do so alone and simply text the people you thought you wanted to dine with in person.

Another thing lately that makes me crazy is the constant use of cell phones at work. Last time I checked when I was growing up, jobs did not allow us to bring TVs, cameras, video games, phones, and boom boxes to our 8 hour shift. A cell phone is now all of these things. How is it that we have evolved to a time where employees think it’s OK to Youtube videos for instant entertainment and chat all day via text with friends, while employers sit back and allow it? The attention span and awareness of people in our new fast past, technology driven world, is almost non-existent. We have had technology long enough that now people can’t remember life without it. Cell phones are our most prized possession and our most used accessory. Sadly it keeps people distracted from work, socializing, being productive in life, and most importantly – time with family.

I do not think the obsession with technology will ever change. We have been transformed and I believe it will only get worse. People will feel connected through being disconnected. Human interaction will no longer be valued and the importance of our existence will be placed on how many likes a picture gets and how many emoji’s a friend sends to express their love. People will not have the patience to sit through a movie at home without playing on their laptop and checking their cells.

Technology will slowly turn our brains to mush. We won’t engage for hours verbally nor appreciate quality time because our brains will be on constant overload surfing through the Internet for what to do next. We will become data entry specialists, simply loading details in our phones and using it as a tool to tell us where to go, what to do, and what birthday wish to send. Needing to know a phone number or address other than your own is now unnecessary. Paying attention to where you are going or memorizing places that a decade ago was important, is no longer needed thanks to Google maps and navigation systems. Our future with technology means that we will be turned on and off like a switch, and our brain’s memory function will all be stored for us in our smart phone.

As much as I love technology and am guilty of doing some of the things above that I think are ridiculous, I am curious to see how our lives evolve a decade from now. I doubt technology will enhance our intelligence or our social skills. I assume the future generations will not be able to comprehend life without a cell phone alerting them where to be, how to live, and what days are special. It breaks my heart to think that my nieces and nephews will be asked out on dates and told, “I love you,” for the first time over text or social media. Time will tell how much technology will advance or damage our humanity…. #veryscared