The Silence of Society

      In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, the narrator of the story pretends to be deaf and dumb while in a psychiatric ward. While I read this, I thought how terrible it would be not to be able to speak in society today. However, it was then I realized all the things we can do without actually speaking to someone:

• We can text on our cellphones instead of talking to people. Texting has become a convenient way of communicating with people all throughout the globe, and even my swim team coach texts the team when practice is cancelled or she has an important announcement. 
• We can order things online instead of shopping for them in stores. From food to clothes, almost anything is available for purchase online today, and you can get it without having to talk to anyone.
• We can take school courses online, instead of in the classroom. ITT Tech offers online college courses, and so does our high school (psychology, economics)
• We can use social networking sites on the internet. Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace all allow us to stay in touch with friends on the internet, without talking.
• We can get money from ATM machines instead of talking to a bank clerk.
• We can buy songs on iTunes, instead of going to stores and having to communicate with cashiers and salespeople.
• We can do college interviews online. Wake Forest University has a required interview in order to apply, and one option to fulfill this requirement is to answer a couple short answer questions online with a time limit per question.
• We can meet our significant other online, instead of having to meet them and talk to them in person first (eHarmony, Match.com). 

      All of these examples show how much society today has diverged from verbal communication. We can do almost anything without talking to anyone, and this lack of communication has caused many people to become socially awkward in person. I believe we should use these new technological advances, but in moderation. Who knows what will happen if we rely too heavily on technology to avoid social interaction with others in the future?