The Third Wheel

Are we spending too much time checking our virtual lives that we forget what it is like to interact face to face? Relationships come in different shapes, sizes, forms, and ways. A relationship can be from mother to daughter, father to son, friend to friend, sister to brother, and more. In any relationship there are always ups and downs… but have you ever realized how much relationships have changed through time? Have you realized how much money we spend on our tablets, laptops, and most importantly, our phones?

These technological advances have become electronic drugs that often yank us away from the physical world. We spend countless hours checking Instagram, Facebook, and snapchat, and we google the most random things online even when our phones are drier than the Sahara Desert. Think about it; when was the last time you went out to dinner with someone and did not use your phone? I assume you stopped for a second to think about it, and you might have felt a bit guilty. I know I am definitely guilty of this. It is sad to live in a society where our young generations sit in a room during family parties and play on their phones, instead of interacting with others. I remember being young at family reunions and we’d play tag, hide and seek, board games, hangman, and more. Now both kids and adults go to parties and barely get to meet anyone because they don’t even know how to approach anyone anymore. There are more people each and every day who feel uncomfortable making a phone call and prefer texting. Kids lack the confidence to simply say “hi” to a new classmate in school or even greet someone on the street. These are just few examples of what today’s world has become with the “third wheel” of technology.

I am not arguing that technology is a horrible networking tool. It is great and it has open many doors for people. About 90% of the American population uses social media. I am simply raising the question, why have we given technology the power to be our confidence buster, our only friend, and our intimate partner? Our phones are our “third wheel” in everything. It is crazy and insane to see the addiction we have developed; it is exhausting at times and we do not even realize it because we have made it a part of our daily routine. We wake up in the morning and the first thing we grab is our phone. We have lost our own persona as well. We use technology to make situations easier for us, such as talking to someone we want to meet. It is time to make a change in order for humans to know what communication is. We have lost the real meaning of communication and we have created a “third wheel” that follows us around like a shadow that we can’t get rid of. Step by step, we must find a way to not let technology overpower our ability to live in a world where technology is a small assistance, rather than a dominant matter. We do not need a “third wheel” controlling our lives anymore.