This is a real headline. And it makes me sad.

 

A research team at the University of Oregon's School of Journalism conducted an experiment in which students "fasted" from media for 48 hours, then wrote essays about their experiences. 

 

"I felt immensely powerless and almost naked..."

 

"...I felt like half a person."

 

"...I was forced to talk with people directly more often..."

 

These are real quotes from the essays. These also make me sad.

 

Seriously...who are we? Powerless half-humans that have to force ourselves to make eye contact with our own species — because we don't have access to devices smaller than the length of a hand? 

 

Disclaimer time: I'd probably feel a little disoriented too without access to media. It is, after all, the ultimate distraction.

 

But these days, the "real world" — comprised of the stuff going on while we're all looking down at our smartphones — is now more of the distraction, rather than what we are distracted from. 

 

And trust me, the irony that some of you are reading this on a smartphone during a meeting, in the bathroom, or while your kid plays on a playground isn't lost on me. 

 

I love this stuff. I love media, social or otherwise. I'm sure you do too. 

 

But it's articles like this that should remind us to look up, look away, look elsewhere...for our own good. Future generations will thank us for helping them learn basic social skills.