If I were to survey a group of people and ask them if they think it is harder than ever before to truly gain, and furthermore, hold, someone else’s attention, I suspect the majority would say yes. I’m not an expert, but I think the lack of presence amongst people nowadays can be blamed on smartphones and other technology that captivate our attention on a daily basis.
Think about it. Never before have we had access to such technological innovation, and just about anywhere we go, we see someone looking at their phone. Perhaps even glued to it, in some cases.
I find the inability to give someone else our full and entire attention has never been more prevalent in social settings than it is today. How often have you been chatting with someone, only for them to pull their phone out and redirect their attention from you to it? It’s rude, it’s dismissive, and, sadly, it’s becoming more and more common all the time.
So many people are entirely unaware of how absent they are while being with and chatting with others. If you were to ask someone who pulled their phone out mid-conversation if they find their actions to be inconsiderate, they would probably be flabbergasted because this sort of behaviour has become the new normal. It’s wrong, however, and I think a lot of us are completely ignorant of how this behaviour can negatively affect others.
Not only is the concept of presence being depleted because of smartphones, but so are basic socializing skills, the ability to make and hold eye contact with someone while speaking with them, and attention spans. The way we’re going, none of us will be able to hold a basic conversation with a person in the next century.
Be present. It is so important.
Photo by Bagus Hernawan on Unsplash
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