Social interaction is dying quickly.

[sophiealbert92]

I work at a restaurant. Every day I see hundreds of people. All of them, sitting at a table with their phones in their face. Groups of 2, 4, 6. All of them. No talking. No interaction. Mindless scrolling. Even the older folk I see do this which is BIZARRE. Children, watching videos on their parents iPad. No coloring menus. What happened to that? I deliver food to their tables and they can hardly move their cellphones out of the way for me to set their plates down.
I know people on here are probably well aware of this reality but it crushes me and I need to talk about it. Something has got to change. Quick. What a sad existence devoid of human connection.
And yes. Not everybody is like this. It truly makes me happy to see a table of 8 people enjoying each others company, laughing, telling stories etc. The way humans have done for millennia. Yes. There are parents who don’t shove the electronics in their kids face. There is the old couple enjoying their vacation, drinking a beer, sat across from each other, holding hands. It gives me hope. We’re not all zombies. We need this connection. It’s still there. But how long until it’s not?
To think I once knew what it was to be a human. Enjoying the company of my friends and family, and living my life in the moment. How I wish I could turn the clocks back.

We've brought up, and will continue to bring up, a generation of socially gormless oafs who can't hold a conversation, are too scared to speak on the phone, won't go on buses, and take their parents to job interviews.What a sad state of affairs.

A young professor is attributing the decline in birth rate to phones. Think she’s got a point

Couldn’t agree more. It makes me really sad. We refuse to give the children devices at the table. The difference between colouring and the device is how their brains
switch off. They start watching their iPads and they get “plugged in” oblivious to their surroundings. With colouring and activity books they don’t get as sucked in. They still talk. Ask question. We join in and colour with them.
couples on dates is crazy to me. If you’re just on your phone get a a takeaway and eat at home. I always say to my husband he’d not get another date if I was sat there watching him scroll. 😂😂
I worry about the future and how detached people are. General chit chat is getting lost. Connections that could be made will never happen.
devices have their place. They’re so useful and helpful in so many situations. But they’re also damaging society and it’s super sad to see.

I don't want to speak to anyone when I go to the doctor. Not that I can use my phone there, because the signal is rubbish, so o usually have a book with me instead. Books have always been helpful for keeping me from getting bored when waiting for things.

I do talk to people if I go to restaurant with them, though, and people usually don't have phones out unless looking at photos (or looking up facts to prove an argument.)

Totally agree.

Poster above saying they'd rather children were looking at a screen than screeching. Why would they be screeching ?!? Chat with them. Take them into the garden area for a bit if there is one. Have a convo. Bring your own colouring and do that with them. Don't take them out late and don't stay so long they get bored while they're little. If you can't be arsed with any of that dont take them to restaurants or don't have kids in the first place!

If you mean because women have far more access to information and can hear from millions of other women abojt why they shouldnt settle or go into motherhood bearing all the risk and work for children, then sure, its because of phones.

Yes, I have literally never gone to a restaurant with anyone where we’ve all been looking at our phones, or noticed other people doing it! I will have mine to hand in case young DS messages while I’m out, but that’s an occasional look at WhatsApp, not scrolling on Instagram. I think doctors’ waiting rooms are different — people are apprehensive or feeling unwell or worried, and don’t necessarily want to interact. I’m always reading on my Kindle while waiting, but I wouldn’t blame anyone for zoning out on their phone there.

Watched one of those documentaries on How To Get a Council House set in Tower Hamlets that was on a few years back. One scene had a middle aged single mum in some distress in her home which she had to vacate because the landlord had put the rent up. Poor woman was in tears of frustration and fear for the future. In the background was her lanky, feckless oaf of an unemployed son doomscrolling on his phone oblivious to the distress his mum was in. What kind of useless dolts are we bringing up these days?

Last time DH and I went to a restaurant (Italian chain) - 2 or 3 weeks ago, so not in the dark ages - phone was in my bag... until we were shown to our table and told the menu was available via the app - with a little square to use the camera on. Sign in and you don't need to wait for the bill, just pay online and leave. Then the phone was out and used to order, pay, work out what song was playing (too loudly for chit chat, felt like texting dh across the table). Waitress (would call her a food server at this point) also told us to sign up, online, to the loyalty scheme before paying and we'd get a free dessert.
And yes, everyone else was on their phone, it seemed to be encouraged. We won't be returning.

I think there are two types of people - tech zombies and those who are mindful of appropriate tech usage. My DC grew up doing colouring in restaurants and we’d play the ABC game or even cards. They’ve just finished uni which they did largely without using AI so as to learn from first principles and train their brains. They use AI in their jobs but talk about being careful to not switch off the thinking. They talk about not giving their DC smartphones at all. But they are in the minority in their generation and the younger ones coming up are worse.

Yup, more time scrolling = less time going out, talking to real people, finding a partner etc.

No problem, Germaine Greer.

Well I’m not interested in chatting to some stranger in a doctors waiting room
“So what are you here for then?”
”Think I’ve got genital herpes. What about you?”
” 😬 “

When we’re out with family or friends none of us are ever on our phones so we’ve definitely not lost the art of interaction yet.

Nobody's suggesting you divulge stuff like that. We mean gentle, pleasant small talk, and the art of friendly chit chat.

Dd used to be very critical of my mean and nasty parenting. I discouraged screen time, encouraged books, prioritised family discussions. Having had two years of waitressing in a family restaurant, she is full of ideas on how her children will not be brought up. She will certainly echo pp’s re no interaction between parents and children and wonders what will become of these children.

It turns out mum wasn’t so mean or nasty after all.

I mean who interacts with other random patients in the doctor’s surgery? That would be weird. People just used to sit with their head in a paper or magazine. Very normal.

Also point out that she has that job because you ensured she did not become a mute phone addict but had social skills. I was the same both mine as teens have always got cafe and restaurant jobs as they are capable and nice with the public.

Indeed, the whole point to is teach kids to sit still and not screech without ANY entertainment. This builds resilience which is sadly lacking in today's kids and young adults.

I don't see it to the extent you're saying OP, thankfully. I hope it doesn't get worse. I have been quite consumed myself in the past year (when I'm on my own) and think the addiction is finally waning! - when you've seen 1000's of memes etc they start repeating themselves it gets boring, then real life feels like a novelty lol

All your posts make you sound like that bloke back in a 70's sitcom? The name will come to me but really?

I'll save you the trouble. You mean either Alf Garnett or Eddie Booth.
You're welcome.

I was out yesterday on a rare day off with DH, for lunch at a bar/restaurant we like. I glanced around the fairly full room (to check the clientele lol) and not one couple/small group was talking to each other, all buried in phones. That's life nowadays I suppose.

To be fair I took my own phone out to check something that DH said about a current news item, looked it up, and we carried on. We were not talking all the time either. Sometimes silence happens amongst couples who've been together a long time, a companiable silence, but people just can't seem to cope with silence and no distractions anymore.

Anyway, we went outside (nice sunny day) to the covered terrace for coffee and it was very lively, few phones being used they were just placed on the tables, lots of laughter and chat. It's either the lubrication of a few glasses of whatever, or the more relaxed atmosphere in the outside spaces.

But overall, yes phones are everywhere with heads buried in them most of the time! I do it too.

That's a sweeping ageist generalisation. I'm 71, so fall into the category of those so-called moronic types you're referring to - I have to say that I have not observed what you describe.

As for not growing up with technology... you don't need to have been exposed to them from childhood. My generation were around at the outset. OK, not the smart phones, etc of today but from the time they began and the same for computers.

I’m very good at gentle pleasant small talk and the art of friendly chit chat. I just don’t want to do it in the doctors waiting room thanks.

I've seen Boomers get stick for a lot of stuff, but this really takes the biscuit..😂