Our society has become extremely dependent on all technology – especially cell phones. Not a moment goes by that we all don’t have access to some sort of technology. I can’t remember the last time I left my house without my cell phone – and if I did, I went back to get it as soon as I realized it was missing. My parents talk about when they were kids, and how they would leave in the morning to play with their friends, and not come back until it was dark outside. They would be out and about all day long, and their parents had no way of getting in contact with them. Today, this is unheard of.

I recently read an article on Huffington Post titled “An Embarrassing Number of People Say They Couldn’t Live Without Their Smartphone”. It stated that 46% of participants in a Gallup poll said that they “Couldn’t imagine life without their smartphones”. It was also found that women are more dependent on their smartphones than men, and Apple users were more dependent on their phones than Android users. Why do you think we have become so dependent on phones and technology?

While we obsess over our smartphones, we miss out on what is going on around us. How many times have you gone out to dinner, or out to a concert or sporting event and all you see when you look around are other people (including those you are with) looking down at their phones? Along with being obsessed with our phones, we are obsessed with documenting everything that we do. Taking and posting photos of where we are, what we are eating, and whom we are with to every social media site imaginable. While we spend time documenting every part of our life, we are missing out on what is actually in the moment. How many times are you going to look at the photo of your dinner from 3 months ago, or watch the blurry, low quality video of the concert you went to last year? You will always have memories of the events you go to, you don’t need to document them as well.

A new trend is to “unplug” for a day, for an hour, or for a dinner with friends. The idea is for everyone to put their phones away and just enjoy the moment and the company around them. This is something I need to work on – I am guilty of not doing this enough. Share your ideas on how you “unplug” with your friends and family!