Invasion of the “communifakers”
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
When you spot that tourist asking everyone in sight for directions, do you immediately hop on your cell phone…only to speak with your imaginary contact on the other end to avoid giving out directions? Or how about when you are in an uncomfortable social gathering and need an excuse to escape, do you pick up the phone, even when no one is actually calling? If you answered yes to either of the above, or have even thought about it, then chances are you fall in line with about one-third of the population: you’re a “communifaker.”
And you’re not alone. Yahoo recently posted in their Tech blog a study by 3 Mobile that found “‘43% of women, almost a third of men (32%) and three quarters (74%) of all 18-24 year olds are guilty of pointless phone fondling.”
So when did we become so insecure that we create fake conversations on our mobile devices?
Psychotherapist Lesley Haswell gives us some insight stating that “people experience the need to appear socially busy at all times and ‘just waiting’ is a no-no. Our basic human instinct is to be part of a group. Alone we can feel more vulnerable.”
We’ve heard it dozens of times before, but now it has reached an entirely new level: have the advancements in technology really affected our social lives and the way we interact with our fellow human begins? It’s quite possible.
John Downes-Angus, a student at Trinity College, wrote an article recently titled “Technology’s Rewiring of Human Interaction” after he experienced his first ever, since beginning college, cell-phone free evening out.
“How, I wondered to myself, could I avoid speaking to people by feigning a text? How could I frantically scroll my contact list in the event that I had to get away from a boring or awkward situation? Armed with a penciled contact list consisting of about eight people, I undertook the night’s festivities feeling like an unarmed soldier.”
But before we ban technology altogether and blame it for our deteriorating human interactions, we can’t alone punish technology for our social shortcomings. It is technology that has enabled us to contact family more easily; granted us 24/7 connectivity and even helped us in dangerous situations.
Still, as John Downes-Angus points out, it’s important to recognize the way that technology has depersonalized our social interactions- but that ultimately it’s still up to us if we want to continue our communifaking ways.
“The next time I am with my friends, I hope to make a conscious effort to ignore the distractions. It is better and more rewarding to experience and appreciate the company I already have around me.”
So next time you’re standing in line at the grocery store or stuck at the post office, check out who is on their cell phones. There are communifakers all around us. Besides, you know how to spot one. Chances are you’ve communifaked at least once in your life, too. But remember- it’s OK to put down the phone and interact with those around you. We promise not to bite.
