On the way to class, countless students have earbuds in and faces turned down, giving off the vibe “Don’t talk to me.” Sitting on the bus, most are preoccupied with their phones or other gadgets and pay minimal attention to their neighbor. While waiting for class to begin, students sit by strangers in complete silence for, at most, 10 minutes.

Not once do people put down their technological devices to say “Hello” or “What did you think about that homework assignment?” Even a small smile is rare. With silence becoming a common form of (non)interaction among students, is it possible that the art of small talk is being forgotten due to our addiction to technology and preference for isolation?

Small talk, defined, can range from a simple “Hello” to a more complicated “How are you today?”

An example of the absence of small talk happens almost every day prior to the start of class. Your seat just so happens to be next to someone whom you have never met. What happens is both people sit in silence, usually on their phones or computers, or maybe just lost in introspective thought, until the class starts. Nothing is said; it is almost like a simple “good morning” is too much to ask for.

Small talk is meant to be simple. It is a way to communicate with others and maybe build a connection with them later on. Often young adults joke how their parents have so many friends, or make friends too easily. This might be true, however, a lot of times parents use small talk. It is way to pass the time and who knows what could come out of it.

Conversations used to be a way to pass the time while waiting for something. Now, we have our phones and iPods. With games and music at our fingertips, we use that as the preferred form of entertainment. Airports even have iPad bars; a literal bar filled with iPads for travelers to use while waiting to board their flight. Chit chat amongst passengers is infrequent due to the variety of personal entertainment provided during the flight.

Small talk is a skill that needs practice and can also reflect one’s personality. Someone who participates in small talk appears to be friendlier than someone who does not. By practicing small talk among your peers, you will find that small talk will come naturally in a more professional situation. No matter the occupation, communication is key.

Many graduates have the skills needed to perform their job correctly, but most often they are unable to communicate face-to-face or over the phone. Many young people would much rather carry on a conversation via texting rather than actually speaking over the phone. With younger generations being brought up with social media and texting, the population might forget how to effectively carry on a conversation.

Technology is allowing us to connect more with people, whether it is someone down the hall in your dorm or across the ocean. These devices make it easy and convenient to connect with others. A problem with these devices is that we are becoming much too reliant on them. People tend to be more comfortable emailing someone rather than calling them on the phone.

By becoming reliant on communicating with others indirectly, we forget how to carry on a regular conversation which should be be natural. By not being able to effectively communicate face-to-face, people may lose their chance to be hired, and employers may give the job to someone else.

Many relationships are being established through different types of technology. When communicating through these devices, we are able to pause and think of a reply. It gives us a chance to make sure we say the right thing. When face-to-face, we aren’t given that moment to stop and think. We will say the first thing that comes to mind. If we are not used to this style of conversing, we may say something that we may later regret.

Technology has allowed us to reach people from all around the world. It is a convenient way to communicate with others on a professional or casual level. But, we have become too reliant on technology to the point where it is overtaking the simplicity of conversing directly.

Next time you have a moment before class, start a conversation with your neighbor and help bring back the lost art of small talk.