Published on 12, July, 2020
I think that society has changed a very great deal from when I was young.
In some ways the internet has helped connectivity but I believe it has also hindered it.
In pre internet days people were thrown together (ie in person) probably much more than nowadays, leading to sometimes unexpected friendships/relationships.
I remember a time when I hung out with friends, and although we were all the awkward oddballs, creative, intelligent, introverted type, we always had interesting and weird conversations.
And then a decade later, the era of smart phones emerged, and when I hung out the same group of friends, it was really hard to sit with them. Why? Because every 6 to 8 minutes, all of them will whip out their phones and check on them in synchronicity, leaving me to just sit there with nothing to do, before they all put down their phones again. After seeing these synchronized swimmers bob their phones and heads up and down for about an hour, I was exhausted. Having only a few minutes to chat before they stare down at their phones again was really weird. Why plan to see people face to face, when all they're going to do is face their phones. What's the point? I don't get it.
I mean at home I'll go online, but when I'm outside I'm not connected to the internet. I just have a simple cell phone with simple buttons and that's it. The older generation has lived far longer without having any of that. My old English teacher used to laugh and shake her head at cellphones. She would send letters, stating the time, date, and location to meet up, the other person agrees, and then they just meet up on that day and chat to each other.
I enjoy the amount of interesting information I have access to online, but if I am seeing someone in person, that person comes first, not the phone I'm holding. I can always go online later. I don't know when I'll get another chance to see the person in front of me though.