Too Dependent on Cell Phones?

Has our society become too dependent on cell phones and other electronic devices. Now-a-days, everyone and their grandmas have cell phones. They have become a part of everyone's daily lives. This is only going to become more prevelent too. Looking at how my generation uses their cell phone, I don't see it stopping any time soon. Even when I reach middle age, there's a very good chance that smart phones will still be a huge part of everyone's daily life. Is this all for the good though?

I once had a professor that said:

We can be connected to everything, except for what is right in front of us.

This quote has a lot of truth to it. With smartphones, we can be connected to anything and everything. It wasn't enough to just check your facebook when you are on the computer. Now, their are apps that allow you to check on your phone at any time during the day. The vast majority of Twitter users only ever access Twitter from their phone. They don't even to go the website at all.

Even when having a meal with others, people will whip out their phones. Whether it is to text someone back, check Facebook, or Tweet about their meal they just had, people just can't put away their phone. Despite the advances of social media, some may argue that it is actually making our society less social.

What do you think? Is this new technology hurting our society?

How Social Media Has Changed Us...For the Good

Think back to how you were communicating 10 years ago. 15 years? It truly is amazing to realize how far we have come in just the past decade or so. When someone thinks of an old cellphone, alot of times the "Zach Morris" phone is the first one that comes to mind. They were big and not very mobile. Look how far we have come. Kids, now-a-days, are constantly sending thousands and thousands of text messages a month. It has completely changed the way we communicate.

Then, starting in the early to mid 2000's, social networking sites started to take off. Everyone had a MySpace when the site was first launching. However, that eventually gave way to Facebook. Now, Facebook is apart of every college students' daily lives. It is often said to be the biggest procrastination tool. With Facebook, you can see how your friends are doing, without ever even talking to them. Why would you ask them what they've been up to, when you can just look at the recent pictures to actually see what they've been up to.

Twitter is the one form of social media that is really changing the way I communicate with people. There are times when I find myself actually having conversations on Twitter (in 140 characters or less, mind you). These are all people who I actually know in real life, and have their phone numbers, but we choose to talk on Twitter. Twitter is a way for you to get your opinion out there, on any topic that you choose. It is instantly posted to the internet. It's amazing how much you can learn about a person, just by following them on Twitter.

The question becomes though, is this a good thing? Sure, we are communicating with more people, and receiving instant gratification. But, are we losing our ability to actually hold conversations? Are people becoming too glued to their smartphones?

What's next? Looking at how far we've come, I can't even begin to imagine what the next 10 years will bring...