Plugged in, tuned out: Does technology cripple human contact?

Laughter is the best medicine. LOL doesn’t always cut it.With Facebook, Skype and Twitter, everyone is following somebody. As a result, I’m beginning to wonder if technological advances will be the demise of physical interaction. It seems as if people are becoming afraid of direct human contact.I saw this myself just a few days ago when my P.E. class was playing volleyball. Everyone had the choice to either play or walk the perimeter of the gym. Being absolutely terrified of volleyballs, I decided to walk, and briskly, so as to avoid any near death experiences with flying objects.As I circled the gym, I noticed two of my classmates walking side by side. In most circumstances, this would be perfectly normal. However, one was plugged into her iPod, ignoring her friend. I remember thinking, what is the point of walking together if there is no interaction going on?Later that day I saw technology impede yet another potential human interaction. I was standing in line at a coffee shop and the woman in front of me was talking on her Bluetooth. When the barista called “next,” the woman ordered, and then continued on with her conversation as the barista prepared her drink. When she received her cup, there was no “thank you.” The woman handed over the money and left without acknowledging the human being in front of her.Witnessing this, I found myself taking an oath never to be on my phone when I ordered. I didn’t want to see another physical interaction go to waste.The moral of the story is this: don’t let physical interaction lose its significance, and don’t let the Bluetooth, the Blackberry and the iPad get the better of us. Yes, the iPad is “current,” “learning,” “playful,” “literary,” “artful,” “friendly,” “productive,” “scientific” and “magical,” but you are too. So disconnect and reconnect.Chelsea BrandweinStaff Writer