A few days ago, I was watching the Seinfeld episode "The Marine Biologist". In that episode, Kramer gives Elaine an electronic organizer, which during that time was a pretty nifty device. Elaine later meets up with Russian author, Yuri Testikov, who is being courted by her company, Pendant Publishing. While riding in a limousine with him, the electronic organizer starts to beep repeatedly. Elaine is unable to turn off the beeping, and eventually, Testikov just snatches the organizer and throws it out the limousine window.

As I was watching that scene, I could not help but to think about what technology is doing to our social lives. It is true that with the advent of smartphones like the iPhone and social networks such as Facebook, we are finding new ways to stay connected with one another. However, it is simultaneously destroying our social lives. How many times have you gone to a social event, and the person you are talking with constantly looks down at his/her smartphone to check his email or text messages? For a few people, that is considered very rude. You're talking with someone, and he/she just has to check that new text message or email. It's almost as if he/she finds that email or text message more interesting than you.

So after I watched that episode, I decided to read a few pages of The New York Times. As I head to the Technology section of the paper, one article particularly jumps out at me. It was titled "Keep your thumbs still while I'm talking to you", and it talked about how people have one eye on their smartphones and the other eye on the person to whom they are talking. However, the article mentioned that at this point in time, it is the social norm for people to be doing that. We rely so heavily on our smartphones that we constantly have to check it every second to make sure we did not miss anything. Furthermore, the people around us don't seem to care. In fact, they are probably doing the same thing: half the time listening to what you're saying, and half the time checking their smartphones.

I like smartphones. They have a lot of cool features in them. I think they have become a necessity in our lives by now. We just can't seem to live without them. However, in any social event, be it a frat party, birthday party, or any kind of party, I don't think it is a good idea to have your smartphone activated. When I am around people, I want them to listen to what I have to say, and I'm pretty sure other people want me to listen to what they have to say. Both sides want the other to be fully engaged in the conversation. Having a smartphone in your hand suggests that you don't find the other person interesting, nor do you find the event interesting.

So, the next time you go to a party, just turn your smartphone off. You can check it when you go to the restrooms, but when you're in the public, it is a good idea to keep the device off. It doesn't matter if you're waiting for an important message or email. It can wait. If it is really that important, then you probably should take care of it first before going to the party. Then, you don't have to worry about it. Plus, I'm pretty sure your friends will like you better if you pay more attention to them than to your smartphone. Your friends may not be like Yuri Testikov from Seinfeld, but you never know. Maybe one day, one of your friends will get so tired of you constantly checking your smartphone that he will chuck it out the window. I'm pretty sure you don't want lose your $500 smartphone, so it is probably best for you and your smartphone if you keep it turned off