SOCIAL BEARINGS
When was the last time you went to a restaurant, bar, lounge, cocktail hour or the bathroom without taking out your phone? Connectivity has been our social promise. I can't tell the last time I left my phone at my house or in my desk. My phone is situationally glued in my hand. God forbid I miss a text, a tweet or an Instagram comment. I know so many of you can relate.
Dating with the social meter running has become an issue. Intimacy is gone due to 'gramming the dish you're about to consume or the beautiful skyline while talking a walk after dinner. There have been too many times I've been out and witnessed the incontrollable grab for the phone. Dates with both phones on the table, girlfriends gabbing it up… on their cellulars. What happened to real conversation?
I think our generation has lost what it means to be emotionally connected. It seems there isn't such a thing. And we complain about the depths of our relationships and friendships. We truly don't even have the right. Now, granted, my career survives because of social media. I could never not be attached to my phone but I found on the last date I had that if I, for a moment, grabbed for my phone, I'd pretty much ruin the moment. And guess what? I didn't miss anything that was that important anyway. The world of social survived a few hours (and then some).
What would happen if you disconnected for a few hours? For a day? I have this conversation with a multitude of friends who don't even bother with social. They don't tweet, hardly log in to Facebook and don't even know what Vine is (I know right?). And some, they can't live without it. But do you think you'd miss anything that important? Do you think it's just a part of our generation and what we're so used to, it's just too hard to quit?
I wonder what would happen if all these social media kings and queens were to stop. Would our own personal quality of life improve? I dare you to put it to the test.
photo via Tumblr
