Connectivity in real life

As I was perusing the class blog and studying for our exam on Wednesday I was thinking about avoiding people by pretending to text, being on the phone, etc. I must admit, I am very guilty of this. I pretty much have my phone in my hand as I walk from place to place on campus not for this reason, but at the same time, for this very reason. But this also made me think of the differences in cultures.

I'm from Louisville, Kentucky and you will pretty much never hear me say that Louisville is in the South or is Southern even if many others from my hometown will say differently. I think I connect a lot with the east coast kind of mind set, but I never realized how Southern charm has been a part of my life until I've relocated 3 hours north as well as 12 hours east to Washington, D.C.

When I'm at home, I am very likely to say hi to a stranger, tell a person they're doing a good job on a running trail or just be more alert to my surroundings when I'm shopping or walking down Bardstown Road (a place with a bunch of stores, bars and restaurants). Whereas when I'm here at school, I have my phone in my hand all the time (as I said), I frequently put my head down to not talk to people I know let alone strangers and I can't even tell you the last time I randomly smiled at someone. Thinking about this, maybe this dis-connectivity in real life and clinging to our technologies is a direct result of our comfort level, our upbringing or just the culture that we're currently in. I think of Ball State as my home where I have my boyfriend, my field hockey family, and some of the best friends I've had in my life, so why would I not feel comfortable doing these things here? Is it because of the culture of being a little farther north or the culture of college?

College relationships of any kind are, now, very technologically connected, so maybe this is us just fitting in with the college culture, where in a place, like the South, hospitality and reaching out is a part of it. I guess people that go to schools down in Louisville would disagree with me completely, but you never know, maybe its our technology addiction or maybe its just the effects of surroundings and culture on us.