" Screen … "

I do not know
Why I would go
In front of you
And hide my soul
Cause you're the only one who knows it
Yea you're the only one who knows it

And I will hide behind my pride
To don't know what I think I could lie
Cause there's a screen on my chest
Yea there's a screen on my chest ...

We're broken we're broken we're broken
We're broken people we're broken people ...

I'm standing in front of you
I'm trying to be so cool
Everything together trying to be so cool

~ Screen ~ Twenty One Pilots ~

***

It is just so easy.  Easy to type, easy to hide, easy to stay connected but not visible, easy to respond but not be present.  There are moments I think that my browser may know me better than I know myself.

Think about it ... how many different ways can you connect with someone in your pyjamas?  Setting up the framework I needed to manage my lifestyle, I telecommute ... aka work from home.  I have the ability to meet deadlines, conduct meetings and consult in the comfort of my own surroundings.  My connections are almost always online.  And I know I am not alone.  Many people work in the same manner.

But here is the catch ... there are times you crave that human interaction.  I have gone days if not weeks where I am talking to me, myself and I.  Great company (just kidding) but kind of a one sided conversation if you know what I mean.  

Truthfully ordinary people find comfort in online relationships.  Maybe it is just too easy to get connected ... hmm, maybe we don’t need to know what you are eating for dinner??  The ease of putting up a profile and posturing, inadvertently participating in a popularity contest ... who has the best vacation, who has the flashiest jewellery … And online persona’s allow you to be someone you have always wanted to be or what you think you are on the inside.  Because in every post or chat, we tend to put our best foot forward and therefore deny others who we really are.  

So the question is does virtual communication improve or impair the capacity for good human connection?  We know that relationships and identities are changing thanks to the digital age but do we feel more “in touch” or more “alone”?  

As with many things, balance comes into play.  Finding balance in all aspects of life.  If you find it easier to text a message than to have a personal conversation, ask yourself, what are you afraid of?  Rejection is just as painful when written in words.  

Yes, it sure is about a human experience in a digital age …