In today’s world with the ever-changing technical offerings and social media giving us on the spot news sharing, it’s easy to stay continually distracted in both our personal and professional lives.

Being "Non Social"

How many times have you noticed a group of young people at a restaurant sitting at a table not speaking to each other, but instead all having their heads down staring and typing on their phones.  It’s incredible that social media is labeled social because in many ways it inhibits socialization in real time when you’re physically present with someone.

There is also an entire generation of people who have grown up being able to blast their opinions to the world with little to no ramifications for the things they say.  I believe this generation will have lost a very important talent and that is to be able to interact with others in a meaningful way when speaking one on one versus over the internet.  

It’s easier to say things over the internet with no chance of real repercussions since you’re able to say it with almost complete anonymity.  How likely would one be to tell someone they look fat or they said something stupid if they were right in front of you?  Not many.  However with the shield of the world wide web more and more bullying happens.  

When I was in high school there wasn’t cell phone technology, call waiting, caller id or any of those advances.  That meant if my big sister was on a 3 hour phone call on a Thursday night, I wasn’t going to have a date that weekend since any prospective beau would just get a busy signal.  The times certainly have changed.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Although many advantages are experienced by having so much information and sources available via the internet our society and the younger generation in particular need to make sure we measure the pros and cons and adjust our behavior accordingly.  For example, when you sit down to a meal with friends and family announce a “no-texting” policy during the short duration of that social interaction.  Have a connectivity down time each day where you are not on your laptop, phone or any other type of electronic device.  It’s no different than setting aside some “quiet time” or meditation to calm the soul. In the end technology continues to speed forward.  Let’s just make sure we don’t lose our chance to truly connect with one another in the process.