Have a look around campus one day when you are walking around and notice how many people are listening to iPods, talking on cell phones or otherwise fidgeting with some other technological device. Chances are, you will be the odd one out if you are not engaged with an electronic device yourself.

I would think twice before trying to stop one of these people for conversation. Even a simple gesture such as saying “hi” can be enough to scare the earbuds out of many an iPod listener. If the person even hears you, you will more than likely just get a confused look, and by this time it is too late.

Obviously, this phenomenon doesn’t just exist on State’s campus – it’s everywhere you go in American mainstream society. Whether it’s the department store or the grocery store, you will always find a multitude of people marching all over the place completely oblivious to everyone around them.

Businesses have caught on to this mentality and are creating more and more products for the consumer who just doesn’t want to put up with the challenges posed by human interaction. Cell-phone and computer companies are what you think of initially, but what about Web sites like Amazon.com that take all the human interaction out of buying and selling? The entire transaction is just reduced to clicking a few buttons and then answering your door when FedEx comes with your delivery. And, if you’re put off by having to talk to the FedEx guy, you can just vacate your home on delivery day and pick your purchases up by yourself at the post office.

One of the best examples of impersonalization is something you can now find in stores all around the nation – self-check-out lines. Yes, it appears that once again, computers are putting people out of their jobs. No longer do you have to wait impatiently for the cashier to ring up your cart full of purchases and for the bagger to neatly tuck everything away while you stare at the National Enquirer – no, you can now do it all yourself. The checkout computer even walks you through every step, and accepts every form of currency from cash to credit.

The shocking aspect of this technological innovation is that the lines of people waiting to use the self-check-out computers are longer than the traditional checkout lines. Counter-productive as it may seem, some people are actually willing to forgo human interaction at the expense of wasted time just so they can push buttons on touch screens. Look out if you use cash, though – sometimes you have to pick up your spare change from one of the cashiers if your check out machine is running low on coins.

With Distance Education becoming more and more popular, you can take all your classes without being bothered by talking to your professor face to face or interacting with your classmates at all. For many people, going to college requires nothing more than tuition money and a computer.

Reality TV allows you to watch humans in every type of social situation you could ever imagine. You can sit comfortably on your couch and watch other people living their ‘lives’ on TV and feel like you are getting to know them. Reality TV figures can now be your friends instead of you having to find real friends, and you can now be satisfied feeling like you are part of the ‘real world.’

Lack of personal interaction is the start of a deadly trend that will be handed down to all the future generations. What happens when our children are unwilling to deal with people face to face, because they’ve been brought up in an age where technology allows them to bypass human interaction?

Talking to someone on the bus. Asking a question about the homework. Sharing a laugh with someone. Speaking in class. Little gestures like these shared from person to person are not only what bring a community together. They’re a huge part of what makes us human.

The next time you’re out on the town, give a smile and a friendly greeting to the person sitting next to you on the bench, or surprise someone you might be interested in talking to by offering to buy his or her next drink.

Pull the earbuds out of your ears and hang up your cell phones. You could be sitting next to your best friend or long-lost love and not even know it.

E-mail Amy at viewpoint@technicianonline.com