The Frustration of Talking to People Nowadays
Not long ago, I spent a weekend with a group of people of diverse backgrounds, different nationalities, all gathered together to share some time. At first, it was exciting. We exchanged stories, talked about different cultures, and had the chance to really connect. But as the conversations went on, I started noticing something that bothered me deeply.
Many of them seemed easily distracted. Their eyes would constantly drift to their phones, sometimes mid-conversation. Other times, even if their phones weren't in their hands, their gaze would seem lost, disconnected from the moment.
At one point, I honestly thought the problem was me maybe my topics weren't interesting enough, or maybe I wasn’t engaging. But then I realized that most of the time, I wasn’t even the one starting the conversations. People would ask for my opinion on something, and as I started to share my thoughts, I could almost feel their attention slipping away.
It got to the point where, before answering, I would pause for a couple of seconds and then give a ridiculously summarized response, almost like I was fighting for their attention in the same way you'd fight for a few seconds of screen time on social media.
I truly believe that today, we are losing the ability to genuinely pay attention to each other because of the rapid, endless content our phones feed us.
It’s sad because I’m not someone who spends hours a day on social media. Like most people, I went through my phase of being addicted to it, but I caught myself early enough and made a real effort to break free. I can proudly say I’m one of the few who walks outside without a data plan. I don't go out to stay connected I go out to disconnect from the daily noise and reconnect with real life, with real people. Because deep down, I know we are social beings. We need each other.
In short, it feels like we’re losing interest in what’s real and instead becoming obsessed with what’s intangible, what’s on a screen. And honestly, that’s a huge loss.
