The “smartphone”: an iconic device that has changed the experience of communicating with others from any place in the world. The smartphone has rapidly become part of the our fast-paced society; a society of people that have rapidly evolved but at same time become so distant from one another. We’ve become so dependent on our need to be able to communicate, whether it be calling someone, texting, or using apps like Facetime.

The same goes for the public’s obsession for capturing every moment without actually enjoying it. No one listens fully and dances at concerts anymore; instead, they record on their iPhones and post it on Facebook. No one just talks with people in the room at parties or mingles; instead, they spend the whole time on social media to see what’s trending or even text people from across the room. For many people in this society, those who use smartphones seem to be consumed in the need to be “Always On” or to have the use of the internet and many apps all the time and to never abandon it. Many refuse to even step away from the smallest text message and end a conversation.

One of the greatest declines in English has seen has been any form of pausing the conversations within texting with terms like “brb”(Be Right Back), “afk”(Away From Keyboard), “ttyl”(Talk to You Later), and numerous more pausers for just allowing more time to interact with humans IRL(In Real Life). There’s a growing obsession and attachment to smartphone use around us that many simply can’t help. According to Google Trends reports, the terms used to pause the texts has diminished over the past four years from 2011 to this year (Google Trends). It’s become unhealthy, as we grow more advanced technically but curtail in social skills, to a point people have trouble talking on the phone or in person now, and try to just email or text their way out of anything.

It’s about time that we learn some tolerance or restraint to the new and faster technology we have gained, or will gain over time. If you’re wondering how to get used to being without tech, try putting your phone down for just ten minutes a day!