The observation I made is that I spend just as much time with people face to face as I did pre-smartphone. Today I just have additional conversations running in

The observation I made is that I spend just as much time with people face to face as I did pre-smartphone. Today I just have additional conversations running in the background, which is why I sometimes take out my phone. I think that's the only thing that has changed. We converse more online but not on the expense of real conversations. And - sorry for sounding harsh - if your girlfriend is checking her phone when you are going for a walk then this probably just isn't the relationship she was looking for. Same goes for people who take out their phones in groups, maybe the discussion just died off, maybe more friends are joining in, or some other reason. What did we do before we had smartphones? We just stared impatiently into the void, waiting for someone to pick up the conversation again.