Social media has become the primary and favorable form of communication. Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook makes it much more accessible to stay in touch with family, friends, or whomever. Facebook replaces the need to sit down with friends if we can post our life story on social media.

Needless to say, social media usage has taken precedence over face-to-face contact. Take a glance around you. Are people fixated to their screen? Perhaps they look up briefly, but when their phone chimes with a notification, they are back in some sort of hypnotic trance.

What happened to lively conversations with friends and family at the dinner table? Kids are fixated to one of the many technological devices their parents bought for them, while adults periodically check their emails. Are we ignorant, or is social media making us antisocial?

I conducted a research study for an English class titled, “How Addicted Are You to Your Phone?” to determine just how dependent we are on technology. Eighty-three participants took part in the study. Surprisingly, approximately 30 percent of participants preferred staying in watching Netflix, rather than going out with friends.

It is both startling and unfortunate that Netflix is more of a priority, rather than making meaningful relationships. Additionally, 48 percent of participants had three to five social media platforms, and approximately 30 percent had five or more.

This poses the question: how much technology is too much? Have we forgotten to enjoy the little things in life, or are people more concerned about what “Bob’s Burger” character they are most like? There’s a reason shows like “Black Mirror” are so terrifying: it’s real, and it’s happening faster than we might think.

Technology allows us to disconnect ourselves from society. However, many fail to recognize the repercussions of an excess use of social media. At any given moment, we have the option to log off from whatever social media platform we may be using, but why do we struggle to disconnect ourselves from social media? Are we afraid to admit that we have become slaves of technology?

Extreme usage of social media inhibits basic mannerisms. We forget how to interact with each other. Go out with friends and take notice of the startling amount of individuals who use their phone when with family and friends.

It’s easy to use your phone as a social crutch in new situations, but you’d be surprised how much you can learn about the world by just starting a conversation with the person next to you instead of refreshing Instagram for the 42nd time that day. It can be as easy as asking someone where they’re from or what their major is. Don’t be that person who trips and falls because they were too busy staring at their phone.

Your friend’s Snapchat of her organic, vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO salad, has no relevance to your life. There is a distinct correlation between the more time one spends on various social media platforms with their declining social skills and mannerisms.

Perhaps, next time you’re out to dinner, you’ll put your phone down. Who cares what Stacy and John are doing? Socialize with others. Put the phone down and genuinely converse with the people in front of you. The number of likes on an Instagram post or the amount of Snapchats you receive has no real importance, and will never have relevance to your life. Make meaningful connections with others. Live your life.