dougleavy

How may times have you been out on a trail hiking, on your bike or just out for a walk and passed people who look away, never look up or just ignore you if you try to be courteous and say “hi” or GASP! wave to someone? Seems like EVERYONE is wearing some sort of earphone/headphone zoning out these days. It’s not just on the trails either, you see it on the daily commute, the airport, even walking around town.

We’re becoming a society of micro-online-based-cliques that just “pass” or “bump” into each other in real life. We all have our small group(s) of friends that we hang with (sometimes even in real life), but it seems like we all just hang digitally, either by text, tweet, Facebook statues or IM’s. Have we really become too busy to actually interact with people without some level of digital interface in-front of us? I know I’ve been there.

I read an article recently stating that 17% of iPhone users turn on some sort of app (prolly Facebook or Twitter) before they are even out of bed? wha?? I don’t know about you, but I’m usually wiping the eye buggers off and trying not to kill the alarm clock and put a smile on my face (and not always in that order).

My co-hort in crime on the trails, Brian, said it best on a ride we recently did. “It’s hard to tell if people are deaf, or just ignoring you these days. Everyone is wearing some sort of earphone to block the world out”. Yes I’m raising my had as I do this when I ride solo. It’s scary to think Pixar might of had it right in the movie Wall-E. Remember all the obese folks just putting around in hover chairs with a screen in front of them to keep the consumed (visually, emotionally, etc)? Then suddenly they are thrust into having to interact with each other when the systems go down?

Are WE turning into that society? Are WE teaching and training our children to become this way. Where are the days of the block party, or neighborhood parties? It was not THAT long ago these were common place and the norm. Now days we meet a few friends at a coffee shop and call it “networking”. Yes, I know there is lots of that going on as well, I do it quite often myself, but how often is it really QUALITY time with these folks? Not often enough.

So here’s the challenge. There have been lots of posts, etc on “turning off” or “unplugging” etc. I’m not pushing that, if that is what you need, then game on. I’m challenging people to INTERACT WITH people. Look up when you are on the trail, bus, airplane or street. Say hi! Be friendly no matter the response you get back. Let’s get the neighborhood parties back. Let’s bring back the days of people actually helping and caring for others without worrying about consequences, what others think, etc.

It’s time to be SOCIAL in our socially-driven world.