The Dying Art of Conversation—Has Technology Killed Our Ability to Talk Face-to-Face?

Devices and apps can help us communicate around the globe, but they are blocking our direct connection to those nearby

Our intimacy with our devices comes at the expense of connecting with those around us.Kevin Grieve/Unsplash

FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp, and Snapchat, have replaced significant amounts of face-to-face conversation for many people.

These apps allow us to converse with each other quickly and easily—overcoming distances, time zones, and countries. We can even talk to virtual assistants such as Alexa, Cortana, or Siri—commanding them to play our favorite songs, films, or tell us the weather forecast.