Remember when technology was supposed to bring us all together? When the internet was going to create a global community and social media would help us stay connected with everyone we've ever met?

Well, mission accomplished, I guess. We're more connected than ever, and somehow more isolated too.

The Paradox of Connection

We can video call someone on the other side of the world, but we can't have a conversation with the person sitting next to us on the bus because we're both staring at our phones.

We have hundreds of "friends" online but struggle to make plans with the people we actually want to spend time with.

The Attention Economy

Our devices are designed to capture and hold our attention, but attention is finite. Every notification, every scroll, every swipe is attention that could have been given to the people and experiences right in front of us.

Finding Balance

The solution isn't to throw our phones in a drawer and go live in the woods (though that sounds tempting sometimes). It's about being intentional with how we use these tools.

Technology isn't inherently good or bad—it's just a tool. The question is whether we're using it, or it's using us.