Connectivity has come a long way over the past few years. Social media sites have overrun the internet, cell phones feed us information with just the click of a button, and television allows us to stay in touch with happenings from around the world. But is this constant flow of communication actually leaving us socially disconnected with those around us?
When people today hear the chime of their phones, they tend to have a similar reaction to a shark smelling blood in water. “I need to get to that. Now.” This can be bothersome to say the least. Often times I have been out with friends who seem to have their phones glued to their hands. For a device that can make a person feel so connected to the world, it can definitely hinder in-person social experiences. Technology seems to be a constant distraction to many. We consistently rely on technology to update us about even the most trivial things. Constantly waiting to hear the notification of a text message or twitter updates, we become distracted from what is right in front of us with the thought of something that doesn’t even exist yet.
I personally am terribly distracted when, for example, I am trying to write a blog post for an Electronic Media class and have access to the internet just one tab away. What could have been a ten minute typing session ends up spanning the time of at least an hour. This is due to the distraction that is caused by my reliance on connectivity to friends and new information. While technology is an amazing tool for information exchange, it can also interfere with our daily lives socially and productively.