In a new post for my tech column at Newsmax.com, I report that we’re not really saying hello to each other on the streets much anymore. While a number of factors are influencing this phenomenon, I suggest that this kicked into high gear after the introduction of the world’s first real smartphone, the iPhone, in 2007.
As we get used to virtual interactions and the convenience of having our life in our pockets, we look for ways to make the real world more “friction free.” Greeting a stranger or starting a conversation involves friction. It means being fully present in the real world.It requires us to be brave and awkward, spontaneous and vulnerable. It’s much easier to say nothing and look in the other direction.
Read the full article here.
Published by Andrew McDiarmid
Andrew McDiarmid is Director of Podcasting and a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute. He is also a contributing writer to MindMatters.ai. He produces ID The Future, a podcast from the Center for Science & Culture that presents the case, research, and implications of intelligent design and explores the debate over evolution. He writes and speaks regularly on the impact of technology on human living. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Post, Houston Chronicle, The Daily Wire, San Francisco Chronicle, Real Clear Politics, Newsmax, The American Spectator, The Federalist, and Technoskeptic Magazine. In addition to his roles at the Discovery Institute, he promotes his homeland as host of the Scottish culture and music podcast Simply Scottish, available anywhere podcasts are found. Andrew holds an MA in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University and a BA in English/Creative Writing from the University of Washington.
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Andrew McDiarmid 