Disconnected People In An Over-Connected World

Our world is more connected than ever with the invention of the Internet followed by, email, X-Box Live, Facebook, Facetime, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Beme, Periscope and of course texting. We are able to reach out to individuals or large groups without leaving our coach. We can reconnect with old friends, keep in touch with family who live far away, see how others are spending their summer and even witness life changing events in real time. And while I appreciate and use a lot of this technology, I worry that it may be having a negative effect on how we relate to each other.

I have seen couples or families out to dinner who instead of having conversations with the living, breathing people sitting across the table from them, they are on their phones. I see kids of all ages out on errands with their face buried in a screen of some kind instead of interacting with the people around them.  I feel like adults are losing some of our social skills and children are not learning them in the first place. Many kids don't know how to talk on a phone, shake hands when introduced to someone new, or even resolve conflicts with friends. Technology has taken away the need to learn and the opportunity to practice these skills. Communication is done via text or some form of social media. Formal introductions are not needed for online gaming or adding someone to your friend list and if you don't like how the game is going, you can "X"out and go play by yourself. Adults can be just as guilty of these things as our kids.

Don't Be Like This Guy!

Additionally, I think technology and social media in particular create other reasons for concern.
*Distractions: from driving, people, responsibilities, opportunities and experiences.
*Hurt Feelings: gone are the days of being left out and not knowing about it. Now you can see it in full color on Facebook or Instagram.  And while the hurt is most likely not intentional it is still there and has to be dealt with.
*Comparisons: I think it is human nature to some degree to compare ourselves to others, especially when our lives are not going as planned. Seeing others living a life that you perceive to be better than your own can be hard to swallow. The trouble with comparing a life posted on social media to yours, is that they only show their highlight real. You are living in your behind the scenes. They have those too, they just choose not to post them.

My final thought is this, I believe we were created for community and relationships.  Good and healthy "real" relationships, full of both the beauty of the highlight reel and the mess of backstage are what we are meant for.  Technology can be a great tool to document and share our lives, but it will never be a substitute for that type of connection. It may even be keeping you from it.