Smartphones: Enhancer or Distractor for Social Interactions?

People use smartphones more often, and in a greater variety of ways, to contribute to -- and avoid -- group gatherings. With the outpouring of mobile tech, it’s become much easier for more people to maintain constant contact with their social networks online. And a lot of people are taking advantage of that opportunity. There is no doubt that the use of these technologies, especially since most social media networks have an application that allows them to be used on our cell phone, are able to keep us more in touch than ever before. But, some people think the opposite is happening. The problem, they say, is that we spend so much time maintaining superficial connections online that we aren’t dedicating enough time or effort to cultivating deeper real-life relationships. Too much chatter, too little real conversation.
Yes, smartphones do help people act in an antisocial manner; however, people often use their smartphones to improve or enhance the group interaction. Even when we go out with a group of friends, it isn 't rare to see a group not speaking and looking at their cell phones. On

They say our society is as connected as ever, but smartphones add an element of disconnect. Yet, online social networks supplement face-to-face sociability, they don’t replace it. We can expand our social horizons online, deepening our connections to the world around us, and at the same time take advantage of technology to make our closest relationships even closer. In fact, because of the three major game changers: portable computers, social communication and smartphones; the total effect has been to allow us to connect more with the people in our virtual world. Our real and virtual worlds certainly overlap, as many of our virtual friends are also our real friends. But, sometimes, the time and effort we put into our virtual worlds limit the time to connect and especially to communicate on a deeper level in our real