Disconnected Connections

Digital communication destroyed my ability to have a real conversation, and I didn't

even notice until last Tuesday. I was at dinner with my best friend,

someone I've known for twelve years, and we both reached for our phones at the

same time. We sat there scrolling in complete silence for twenty minutes.

When I finally looked up, I realized I couldn't remember the last time we

actually talked without checking notifications. The wildest part is we text every single day,

hundreds of messages, but sitting across from each other felt awkward. I've become fluent

in emojis and reaction gifs but somehow forgot how to read actual facial expressions.