Can you believe that just fifty years ago the cellphone did not exist? However, today the average person will check their phone one hundred and fifty times per day. It seems that people are much more attentive to Instagram or Candy Crush than actual human beings. This is not just an issue among immature teenagers that everyone seems to point their fingers to, but among our parents and teachers as well.

The cellphone has brought many conveniences to mankind, but maybe constant selfies in public and Flappy bird when hanging with friends takes it too far. Just decades ago, listening to music was a communal act. People listened to music together on a vinyl or on stereos. Today, people use headphones to zone out of the world.

As a community we should make an active effort to try to limit cellphone use at the dinner table when spending time with family or friends. Recently, a Californian by the name of Brian Perez developed a game in which a group of friends will go to a restaurant, stack their phones in the center of the table, and the first person that touches their phone pays the bill. People are slowly forgetting to engage in friendly conversations.

The depression and antisocial rates have been staggeringly high due to isolation caused by the modern day technology. The next time you go out with friends, make sure to put down that silly plastic device and enjoy the company of your loved ones.