The lost art of human conversation

5 ways technology has shaped our loneliness epidemic

“There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met.” — William Butler Yeats.

During rugby season, as a mom tasked with loads of driving, I often find myself transporting teenage boys, sometimes carpooling just to give another parent a break driving from town to town. Sometimes I may drop off and remain for part oof the all-day game and another parent will do the pick up so we can tend to the rest of life. Anyway, I use this driving time to have conversations with my sons and their peers- asking such questions how their parents are and what they plan to do in life, aside from their aspirations to play for Rugby Canada — they all currently play for a regional rugby team. The lively chatter borne of teenage politeness for their elders, eventually tapers off at the five-minute mark. And, eventually, as older folks often do, I sense that I am becoming an annoyance. So, I turn on some Wu-Tang Clan or Kendrick Lamar, which still resonates well with that crowd, and sit back to enjoy the ride without feeling too out of touch. I thank the universe that they’re past the phase of idolizing artists prefaced with “Lil” in their stage names. Those were confusing days for me.

As the ride grows unnaturally silent, I notice my son in the front seat typing furiously and suppressing laughter. When I dare to ask what’s so funny, I’m met with a dismissive “nothing.”

They all laugh — and laugh some more — and it’s moments like this that make me feel old. After some paranoid prodding, I realize they’re laughing at something I said — it’s all good — they think I am funny, but I also realise that they are all part of a group chat, a trending social behaviour among that age group.

They were having a modern-day conversation: together but alone.

More recently, my 16-year-old and his friend frequently use the Monkey app, finding it an amusing way to create impromptu comedy while interacting with “randoes” — their term for random people.

The Monkey app is a social networking platform that facilitates real-time video chats with strangers. The app…