Technology loneliness. Two words that don’t make sense together and a topic that one would think would be impossible, due to the myriad of technology options we have to communicate and connect with each other. Unlike the past, where the majority of contact would occur face to face through personal connection, now most of the contact we experience occurs via a TV, computer or mobile device.
A good example of this is; in the past a family would sit down, eat dinner together and talk. Today, it is far more common to sit in front of the TV and eat without talking.
The reality is, as technology continues to play a larger role in our lives, the risk of technology loneliness can increase to the point where we spend more time with our technology devices than we do connecting with each other and that’s not good. It needs to be the exact opposite.
To be clear, I am not proposing we should dump our technology devices altogether and only have a personal connection with people, but I am proposing this one low-tech tip which is to:
Spend more time with people than you do interacting with your technology devices.
By doing this and keeping it a priority, it helps you maintain that personal connection, makes the technology less of a priority and keeps friendships and relationships at the forefront. We are genetically designed to have a real personal connection with each other and as a result, we receive many benefits from doing so. For example, its been proven that people who have lots of friends in their life are much more likely to be happier, healthier and live longer.
Do you find yourself spending more time with technology than you would like? I encourage you to not let your technology use become a substitution for a friendship or relationship.
