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On any given day, either in a crowd on the street or a group on a train, most people will be busy with their cell-phones. Some people struggle to text their thoughts to a friend on the tiny keypads while others are clocking in sixty words per minute, and with just one flexible thumb. You can access your email and the Internet via your cell phone, click a picture of that cute, little dog and play a number of games. Then there's the chatty Cathy, who manages to walk at incredibly high speeds dialing, chatting and text messaging without even missing a beat.

While cell phones keep us in touch with the ones we are using it to communicate with, they tend to shut us out from the outside world. The most fantastic sunset could be calling it night just ahead, and we don't even notice it. We don't really live in the world around us, but in the world of our cell phones. When we're out and about we don't interact with other people or even notice that they're there. Many breathtaking views and noteworthy sights are forsaken.

A dear friend could be waving us down with flags and whistles and we stand there, pointing our cell phones in different directions in search of a better signal. We may be able to stay in touch with loved ones, provided we have enough bars, but what about the fantastic person sitting right beside you that may be looking to buy the kind of software your company creates? Perhaps your perfect match is toe-to-toe with you on the bus, but you're too busy checking your emails for new crush alerts from your dating site.

Cell phone addiction can ironically interfere with your social life and relationships. Call waiting is offensive enough on a regular phone, but it's even more annoying when you're having lunch with a friend who is engrossed in one conversation after another with someone else. Nothing is worse than being on a date that spends more time on the cell phone than with you, or hearing that soft vibration coming from a jacket pocket. It sets the mood for suspicion.

The convenience of cell phones is undisputable, but moderation in their use can go a long way, especially for young people who grew up on cell phones. They are missing out on the art of communicating with real people in the world around them.

Learn more about this author, Stacia Elizabeth Whitbeck.
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