I have lost count of the family members, loved ones, friends that I have been having face-to-face conversations with, after having not seen them often for months, and feeling that sinking feeling when they pull out their phone mid-chat, even more so if they start typing on it…
I feel sorry for my kids, when they are telling one of their stories about the bird at the park and the person they are talking to checks their phone, increasingly more so that person has been me. My heart bleeds for them. What message are they getting? That this story that meant the world to them, is really not that important after all as I got a Facebook message again and I can’t resist replying?
A Wall Street Journal article published in May, “Just Look Me In The Eye Already,” discussed how technology use has affected our decline in eye contact — and the negative effect that reducing eye contact during conversations can have on our relationships. (more…)