A self centered society and the introduction of AR

There was a time when people had no choice but to socialize with strangers on trains and on bus stops or waiting in line at the store. These days we are so glued to our devices we are missing many opportunities to not only talk to new people, but talk to the people already in our lives.

It seems that technology has robbed us of the ability to socially interact with people the same way we once did. I believe with the growth of wearable AR devices it will only get worse. These devices may have a beneficial impact on learning, medicine, and other areas, but like many technologies, overuse will only make our day to day social lives worse. According to a Pew study 30% have used their phone to avoid interacting with the people around them.(http://www.pewinternet.org/2011/08/15/americans-and-their-cell-phones/)

I've personally done it. I've seen someone I didn't feel like saying hi to and looked down at my phone pretending to be occupied to avoid the interaction. People could have used a magazine or other sort of distraction in the past, but having smart phones has made it easier. We've become to reliant on these devices, we do not know how to behave without them.

We are, generally speaking, self centered people. We are consumed with broadcasting our positive moments and with taking our selfies and publishing the best ones. I don't know that the selfish and narcissistic behavior is all to blame on technology but our society is much more "me" driven  than it once was and the use of technology to avoid social interactions is increasing. It may not even be intentional.

I've heard of people bumping into things because they are looking down at their phone and not paying attention and we have all heard about how many car accidents happen because people are texting. There are obvious and less obvious social behaviors that are being dramatically impacted by our self centeredness and our distraction.