Sitting in the corner of the coffee shop a block away from my apartment complex, and it’s unusually difficult not to notice how connected everyone is– by that I mean to my left is a college student on her phone and her Facebook at the same time, to my right is a man talking on his bluetooth and browsing the web, in front of me is a man on a video call, and on the other side of the room there’s an entire table of men, each of which are on their computers while respectively jumping from app to app. I, too, am here on my e-mail and writing on the computer.
And it’s ironic how absolutely disconnected this is making all of us. I’m the last person who would ever jump on the “technology-is-ruining-us” train of thought, but I also can’t say I don’t see the fault in the whole thing. Doing things like going out in public, going to restaurants and sitting in coffee shops used to be about interacting. Now, it’s merely been added to the list of things we do while simultaneously and consistently being plugged into our phones or laptops. It makes me a little sad– Especially when I realize that a lot of the time, we use our gadgets to literally escape the feeling that we are unable to create a reality around us that we like, and therefore it’s much easier to lean on our online or social media presence. So lately I’ve not only been convicted, I’ve been trying to use my phone as little as possible when out with others.
I know that there’s nothing inherently wrong about using technology and social media frequently. It only becomes detrimental when we use them to avoid or replace really living or participating. Nothing beats the warmth of a hand shake or the connection made from a “nice-to-meet-you” smile. So after I finish typing this, I vow to put the laptop down, to start a conversation with someone, and relish in the experience of having other human beings around me. If nothing else I think that is, at the least, a starting place.
It’s easy to get caught up in the mentality that we can never be offline or away from our phones. We’ve grown used to that, “But what happens if I don’t update or check my blog/Facebook/Twitter tonight? What am I going to miss out on?” mindset. But the answer to that question?
Absolutely nothing.
Instead, you meet people. You drink coffee together. You experience life. You live.
And you go from there.