Phones, computers, tablets and galore. This world is full of it. Take one step outside and you will see the scary reality for yourself. People everywhere, of all ages, are constantly looking down at their phones. Social interaction is dwindling, thanks to the conveniences technology has provided us with. I don’t believe that technology is entirely harmful to humans overall. New information and knowledge can be attained at the speed of a snap. We can entertain ourselves without having to go out and pay for movie tickets. Destinations can be reached much faster due to GPSs. Communication on the other hand, that is like a double edged sword. Instead of sending mail and having to pay for postage stamps, texting or sending an e-mail is cheaper and more efficient. Once introduced to this way of communication, who would say no? Also, texting is easier than speaking to someone face-to-face.

My biggest concern for our world today is our lack of physical communication. Will our world become one of those movies where nobody on the streets talk or look at each other and are instead staring down at their phones? This prediction may seem very far away and almost unlikely, however anyone can see it happening right now. No matter how much you deny, or want to, it, our world is heading toward a very scary, slippery slope to doom if we keep up with the lack of face-to-face communication.

Last night, while I was scrolling though CNN news on my phone, I had a moment of realization. My whole family was on some sort of electronic device and the house was dead silent. My mom was on the ipad, my brother was playing games on the computer and my dad was getting some work done on his laptop. Regardless of the reasons, nobody acknowledged each other for ten minutes. I couldn’t help but imagine how long families would ignore each other in the future. It is moments like these that really worry me. A few years ago, people were saying that the movie Wall-E wouldn’t happen to humans, but it already is, all around us. Once we have started falling down the hill, it is tremendously difficult, or dare I say impossible, to get back up.  Wall-E is a dystopian movie that warns us about the possibility of laziness and corruption in our future because of the increase in the advance of technology. Sounds like our current world…

Humans were made to interact and accompany each other, however the use of technology has interrupted and greatly limited this amazing connection we are meant to have with each other. The ability to text and video chat has created a barrier between direct contact with others. The most shocking to me is that even families are suffering from this. My family rarely spends time together, mostly because of our overwhelming schedules. But when we do have free time, it is always spent watching tv or browsing the internet. And I know that many families are the same way.

Just a few days ago, I went out for a bike ride around my neighborhood and the emptiness in the streets deeply concerned me. What happened to kids playing outside? The new way of spending free time now is playing video games, browse the internet or catch up with social media. Locking themselves at home and rejecting fresh air and necessary physical activity hinders children's’ overall well being. Most importantly is the inadequate amount of social interaction they are getting. Besides school and after school activities, it is rare to see children playing outside or even taking walks. All of this is happening because of addictive electronic devices

In addition, due to the escape route texting provides, humans are gradually declining in social skills. Awkwardness, responsibility and body language can be immediately eliminated by replacing face-to-face conversations with texting . Something that is very common is people find it easier to text instead of talk because they are scared. To resolve an issue, texting tends to be the way to go. Not only is it more efficient, it allows for people to hide behind the screen and conceal their emotions. Will humans lose our social skills because of technology? Will it be necessary to even have any social skills in the future?

Waking up every morning, I always check my phone to see if I received any text messages overnight. Even I can’t help but to succumb to the temptations. I am aware that a lot of people are familiar with this perspective and hopefully, soon, some action will be taken to bring back social interaction. I have limited myself to only one hour of phone time a day. But sitting in the cafeteria, surrounded by people whose attention is toward only their phones, the effort it takes to create discipline is extremely difficult. Something needs to be done about this situation, for it has fallen deep into a pit and may take more than just a rope to drag it back out.