I don̢۪t want to follow my friends on Twitter or write on their Facebook walls. I want to talk to them, see them and spend time with them. After all, I became friends with them in the first place because I enjoy their companionship.

It seems that each day brings new technologies into our already technology-dependent world. Many of these advances, such as ones in the medical field or the business world, enhance our society. Others make our everyday lives more convenient. How did we ever get by without cell phones and e-mail?

But where do we draw the line? When has it gone too far? With a struggling economy, free babysitting may be nice, but at what price are we willing to let a television or computer raise our children? Parents, not MTV or friends on MySpace, should instill children̢۪s morals and values.

Gone are the days of playing a neighborhood game of dodge ball or riding a bike to school. Instead, children sit at their computer and instant message each other. Teens stir up drama and post racy photos on MySpace. What happened to supporting the high school football team or socializing over ice cream?
College students stride obliviously through campus, music blasting through their ear buds, in a world all their own. Heaven forbid they bump into someone they know, forcing them to have an actual conversation that doesn̢۪t involve a keyboard.

Young people, who spend countless hours text messaging on their cell phones and computers, instant messaging, tweeting and making “friendsâ€Â on social networking sites, will soon lose the ability to establish real relationships or even hold a decent conversation.

There was a time when standing in line at the grocery store meant striking up a casual conversation with a friendly stranger. Now those five minutes are spent thumbing through our beloved handheld devices, following peoples̢۪ every move on Twitter.

No matter where we are or what time of the day it is, we are constantly connected to our work and social lives. The office travels in your purse and your friends and family are only keystrokes away, on call for interruptions and distractions day or night.

These technologies are not negative. Our society̢۪s dependency on them is. These advances have transformed our social and work lives. Social networking sites have enabled us to contact people long gone from our lives and stay in touch with everyone we come in contact with. They allow businesses to grow. They open opportunities for friendships, relationships and professional networking. People have even received their big break after hours posting to YouTube.

But careful not to fool yourself into thinking you actually have 300 friends or that they care when you are taking a shower or what you ate for lunch. True friendships and relationships are built over time by spending time with a person. If you must rely on a Web site such as MySpace or Facebook to keep in touch, maybe the importance of these relationships should be re-evaluated.

We need to take a walk outside without our thumbs glued to a cell phone. Better yet, we need to call a friend or our mom, not text them and make plans for dinner. Then we need to leave our phones at home.

Our society is on a slippery slope toward becoming disconnected from the real world and solely connected to a virtual one. It̢۪s time to slow down and take a step back from our computer screens and cell phones and enjoy the world around us, rather than the one at our finger tips.