When you get into the car, you’re feeling the best and making sure your hair is perfect. You drive over there, park and walk inside. When you walk in, the first thing you notice is the air condition, then the people. Everyone seems to want to visit the mall the same time you want to; it’s so crowded! Most of the people are on their phones and seem to be interested in nothing but. Chatter becomes a wave, clashing together in an unorganized, confirmative way through the vibrations. If you’re a people person, the next thing you realize is the opportunity of making eye contact with people passing you. You may notice that people don’t make eye contact and try to avoid you at all costs. Some people will bump into you on accident, but won’t have any confidence to say they are sorry.
Lack of self-confidence isn’t just existent in malls; it’s everywhere, happening every second. In doctors’ offices, patients would rather read magazines than talk to the person sitting next to them. The office is filled with the same, thick air of awkwardness you would find in any elevator. These situations aren’t a result of eccentric personalities, our lack of self-confidence. No one wants to be the center of attention by being the one that talks first.
Nowadays, people only have to rely on their phones to make contact with people so they don’t have to. Having more phones is a good thing for an economy, but it is taking a toll on our self confidence. If we didn’t talk through our phones or internet, we would have to talk in person.
Because people don’t practice talking face to face, communicating in person doesn’t happen unless there is an emergency. You have to practice talking to people; it’s not just a natural thing! My generation has many things to offer, but direct interaction is not one of them. I have realized that my friends think it’s weird to just talk to someone instead of just ignoring them until they are obligated to do so. I personally hope that communication will change back to its normal form because I enjoy talking in person.
If people talk through phones for the next million years, I’m going to start making interaction awareness clubs. It’s an exaggeration, but so is stopping regular human interaction.
Julie is a senior at Archer High School in Lawrenceville.
