Communication Addicts

The other day I was eating lunch and noticed three people at a nearby table. Rather than talking with each other, they were all busy with their I-phones: checking emails, texting, and looking for messages they may have missed. I could not help but think that these three people - friends no doubt - had made arrangements to meet for lunch to probably catch up and certainly enjoy each other's company. I am guessing it may have taken a little juggling on their part to come up with a day and time on which they all agreed. Yet here they were: communicating with others. And from what I could tell, they all seemed ok with that.

Several weeks before that, I watched a story on a local television network about high school age students who sleep with their I-phones for fear of missing messages that might come in during the night. Should they actually receive a text or email from someone they know, they respond immediately. The result is they rarely have a night of uninterrupted sleep. And they seem ok with that. And, of course, then there are those who actually text while driving. Never mind for a moment they are putting themselves and others at-risk when they do that, these individuals and others I mentioned seem to represent a different kind of addict that is new to our society.

All of us are familiar with drug addicts and alcoholics, for instance. But we now seem to be witnessing the creation and rise of a generation of communication addicts. Even as someone who has worked in communication for 40 years, I recognize this cannot be a good thing. As wonderful as the I-phone is, it is supposed to be little more than a tool to enhance our ability to remain connected with others. As a tool, we are supposed to be the one that controls it. Unfortunately, more and more this seems to be a case of the tail definitely wagging the dog. I am not sure where this trend is taking us, but my sense is we as a society need to give serious thought as to its wisdom.