It seems that in this great communication age, many people have lost the ability to simply communicate. The technology that was once developed as a faster source for spreading information is now being used as a way to enable the general population to distance themselves from actual human contact.

Gone are the days when groups of students would sit on the grass in college quads, conversing about world literature or politics, Coca colas in hand. Instead, these scenes have been replaced by noisy college cafeterias crowed with students bumping into each other like bumper cars without regard, each equipped with cell phone in hand. It’s become apparent that another casualty of the advancement of man is our ability to survive without technology.

Think back for a moment to a time before cell phones. Many people find it hard to fathom the idea. There is a general sense of anxiety that one feels when stripped of their constant communication companion and many people will break the law before putting down their digital device while driving.

Although it may be hard for some to believe, at one point, people used payphones if they needed to make an out of home call. Payphones, of course, have now fallen out of use, with the exception of their new purpose as cleverly disguised public urinals. Most of the younger population view them as old relics from the time of the horse and buggy.

While the invention of the cell phone in many ways advanced the human population, the general obsession with this communication device has hindered our ability to communicate face to face. There is nothing more unappealing that seeing a couple at a restaurant, each with cell phones glued to their ear, oblivious to the lack of conversation happening between them. The reality is that if they were to put the phones down and talk to one another, maybe there would be little to say. We have driven ourselves so far from the idea of actual human intimacy that we have forgotten the importance of maintaining our closest relationships.

The traditional ways of meeting a suitable companion have been replaced by Internet dating sites that promise to match individuals based on multiple levels of compatibility. This sounds ideal for the new generation of socially inadequate individuals. To think, one could have a whole courtship based solely online, without the need for any real human contact. That sounds like a great way to weed out undesirables, or just the ultimate security blanket for the socially stunted technological generation.

While each advancement in technology is initially achieved to benefit the general population, what we as a society lose can be equally great. If there is one aspect of our culture that needs to be restored, it is our ability to communicate without the multitude of technological resources at our disposal. Maybe the next time you go to send an e-mail to your grandmother in Wisconsin, handwrite her a letter instead. Or the next time you find yourself in the school cafeteria, sit down next to a classmate and have a conversation. It is these moments that we must maintain, before our culture is lost as a result of our own technological advancements.