Phone Epidemic

I go to the Atrium every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, between classes. If you've ever gone to the Atrium, during the lunch hour, you know how crowded it is. We are all forced to sit uncomfortably close to complete strangers. Well, last week I sat down at a table and about 5 other people sat next to me. I said hi to one girl and what did she do? She looked at me like she had just seen a ghost. Immediately afterwards she pulled out her phone and didn't look up once. I didn't know it was so strange to say hi. Mind you, everyone else at the table had their phones out. I was the only one who had my phone in my backpack. I took a few moments to look around at the other tables. As I sat there looking around I realized almost everyone had their phones out. Even the people who were sitting with their friends had their phones out and they weren't talking to each other, why? It’s not that I expect everyone to sit together and end up having some special bond that makes them become best friends. I just hear people, myself included, say, “I wish I could talk to more people” or “I find it so hard to meet people.”  If people would just put their phones down for a few seconds they might be surprised how many people they have a face-to-face conversation with. 

After reading the articles, Reach Out and Touch No One and When You’re Only Text Friends I realized that I may not be the only person who notices the amount of people on their cell phones. In class we discussed how people may think it makes them look cool, because it seems like they have a social life, or they are just doing it to avoid any social interaction. To be quite honest, I think it makes people seem standoffish. I’m not saying people should never be on their phones, I’m just saying that maybe it’s not the other people who are the problem. Maybe people see your head buried in your phone so they don’t want to bother you. Rarely do I talk to people before class starts because they’re so engrossed in their phones.  And I don’t know how many times I've seen someone and smiled and rather than smiling back they look down and pull their phones out. What is happening? Why are people so against making small talk or just smiling at someone? Maybe it’s just that people are so used to being on their phones that when someone tries to interact with them it completely throws them off and they don’t know how to respond. It’s sad when you really think about it. When we were younger we used to love to hang out with our friends. We would go do things and just talk, but now people go do things and text the whole time, or stay on social media. Albert Einstein once said, “I fear the day technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.”   Well, I’m afraid that day has already come. Are we even enjoying the things or people that are around us?