Silent Treatment

It wasn't too long ago when I lost my previous cell phone in one of my university's campus centers. Initially, I felt as if my life would be on hold until I purchased a new one. No more texting every 10 seconds or reaching friends to hang out. Everything had stopped.

I was without a phone for two weeks.

What happened in those two weeks surprised me and helped me realize that my life very much revolved around technology. Nowadays, texting is the most frequent form of communication among peers my age (22). With the advent of multitudes of phones specifically made for text messaging, young adults as well as adolescents are missing out on the most basic form of communication: conversation. Nothing beats a face-to-face conversation and yes, although breaking up with your 7th grade boyfriend over text message sounds like the easiest way out or text messaging your manager that you need to leave early, face-to-face communication is still the most mutually beneficial. I remember a story my friend told me about her and her boyfriend when they went out on a date to a nice restaurant. They were both on their BBs texting and surfing the web when a complete stranger passing their table tells them to put their phones away and have a real conversation. It's evident that today's society relies on everything technological. Tech makes things easier, faster, and more efficient, but I think our lives suffer for it. Close friends have become acquaintances and family relationships have dwindled to a phone call once in a while. I can personally testify to having feelings of communicative adequacy with my family and closest friends through text messages and occasional phone calls. Losing my phone for those two weeks and at times being without my Macbook have really opened up other channels of communication which have proven richer in meaning and emotion. Simple human connections are rewired. I felt the freedom of not having to check my phone every 10 seconds or my email or Facebook. I started reading more, diving into new music, and hanging out with friends I hadn't seen. It was incredibly freeing.


So try to put down that phone once a day, log out of your FB, and just have a real conversation. Get lunch with a friend you haven't seen in a while or play some sports. Go nuts!

-friendly:)fears