Disconnected in a Connected World

Isn’t it amazing that while we are connected to technology and every electronic gadget we possibly can, we actually ended up being more disconnected to the real world than actually connecting with it?

I’m in a pensive mood – so let me explain:

I don’t know how it is with other people, really, but every so often, I see individuals get completely absorbed in their little gadgets (blackberrys/smartphones/iphones /ipads),   chatting on apps or making their presence known on social network sites, and at the same time is completely unaware and choose to be oblivious of things going around them. 

Not a new phenomenon there, but how often do you come across dating couples or even groups of people exhibiting the same behaviour? 

They get so caught up in their little gadget and completely absorbed in their own little world with the “smarts” in their hands that they seem to forget the very people they are actually and physically with at that moment in time.  Sometimes, there will not be any real conversation going for a good half an hour as everyone on that table seems busy with something else.  So, really, if that is the case, why do you even bother to go on a date or meet up with friends?

It does make me I wonder if the generations of this world now have suddenly become socially inept and completely forgetting the etiquette on how one should behave when having a face-to-face interaction.

That is what I essentially meant by being disconnected in a connected world. 

Whilst I embrace technology and the convenience of it, I am still the conservative traditionalist at heart when it comes to making contact. Sure, I indulge in Social Networking or texting on my phone and the what-nots. However, but when it comes to personal interaction,(unless I cannot stand the sight or aura of that person), I personally prefer the face-to-face communication in close physical proximity whenever I can. With my mobile phone, although in plain view, is usually tucked away on the side.

I like that one-on-one interaction. It is personal, and that way I can give my fullest attention to the person I am with.  It also feels very sincere and genuine enough to warrant the fact that I am there because I really want to be there and because the company of the other person means a lot to me.

Needless to say, I have trained myself to be very conscious of using my phone whilst in the company of others.  I strongly believe that  when you are sitting together for coffee , a meal or whatever  the purpose is when people meet, you have gotta to respect that person’s time. 

If anything, it is just plain rude to be checking your phone every 2 minutes. Worse is when you start picking up every single call that comes your way and then spend the next half an hour yakking with the other person who called you, leaving the person whom you are physically with to pick his/her nose.

Really, people; unless of course, it is a matter of life & death, why is it so difficult to tell the caller that you are currently in the midst of something else and that you will call back soon-ish? And for fucks’ sake – get OFF that friggin’ gadget you are fiddling with the whole time you are sitting down with that bunch of people or that single person you are having a meal with!

Is graciousness becoming a lost art? 

Have we successfully established such strong surreal connection with the virtual world that we forget how disconnected we are with ourselves and the real people around us?

With no real human interaction for communication, emotions (compassion, love, friendship, empathy) is all lost. The romance only exists with deceptive machines loosely termed as technology that is incapable of giving a crap. 

As we become enslaved to machines, it begs the question if  the real connection to people still exists.