“C’mon! Talk!” their noisy silence gulps my yearning.
“Beep!” a smiley appears on my sister’s phone; she frowns.
“Beep!” brother-in-law types, “Dinner.”
“Beep!”
“10:20 already,” I mumble lousily.
“Awesome food,” declares sister’s timeline. Ah, there we’re connected!
“24 people liked our photo!”
**
Inspired by Yeah Write# 166 Gargleblaster : “What’s that sound?”
A Journey Called Life ... 
50 responses to “Socially Sound!”
That was a fun take!
That was the plan. 🙂 Thank you for the visit:)
Sigh. Did they also post a picture of the food, I wonder?
The last sentence is the first sentence uttered by someone from the family. ” 24 people..” I kept it like that.
Sometimes we seek validations from the external world without noticing happiness is free of cost within our four-walled boundary, with loved ones. That was the idea behind this story. Thank you for the visit. 🙂
Enjoyed this. Trying to siphon off my technology use for exactly the points you highlight here. Well done, Archita!
That’s awesome, Nate. I am a technology geek but I realized how important family is to me. That’s why I thought of writing this part-fiction-part-reality story. Thank you for the visit and comment.
Love the title. Hate the reality : )
One of the best comments I received this time. 🙂 Thank you, Kymm.
LOL – So funny if it wasn’t so annoying too. I HATE to go out with a friend and then watch them spend the whole time on their cell phone. Enough already! Talk to me – but no, they’ll wait till I leave, and then want to text me! Grrr.
Great response to the prompt!
Cheryl
Thank you, Cheryl. I know that’s little bit annoying.
great take on this post! i chuckled at the thought of it. people actually text each other in the same house?!
Some do, for sure. Thank you for the visit and comment.
It is so easy to get caught up in waiting for those ‘likes’! You captured the moment perfectly.
Thank you, Tina.I agree. It’s just that I observed moments like this one a lot; I wanted to portray how we feel and how we make others feel while chasing social networking during family dinner.
I’ve gotten caught up in this myself, especially when I post something I am excited about on Facebook, and it doesn’t get much action. So silly! I make a point to silence my phone most of the time, and I wish other people would too.
I agree with you. It’s fun and annoying both. 🙂 Thank you for the visit and your lovely words, Marcy.
This is fabulous! Very clever and insightful. 🙂
Thank you, Suzanne. 🙂
I agree, the title is brilliant. That first line, too, really says it all about our need to feel “connected” and approved…
Ya, especially during family reunion, family dinner. Otherwise virtually people are connected by memories, words, situations or technology! Your words about the title and the first line made me glad. Thank you. 🙂
Now that’s a sweet one, Archita. It’s dollop of fun cutely told:)
Thank you, Vishal. 🙂
A sad commentary on going out to dinner these day. On an encouraging note, I was having a conversation with a friend and when our phones dinged or beeped, we both ignored them the whole time. A very refreshing way to have a conversation.
That’s how we give importance to the person and the moment, right? My phone is silent during conversations, meetings, dinner, movie-time, trips! Thank you for reading, Patrick!
You are correct Archita, that is how we show the other person is important to us. Normally my devices would be on slient but this was a “drop by any time” visit…which I find are usually the best.
I concur! 🙂 Phones are not my best friends.
Virtual heart”beep” – great entry, Archita, as always.
Yes, that “beep” sound! Thank you, TIZ. Such a pleasure to see you here. 🙂
The annoying disconnect in reality. Well said. Wonder if this too shall pass 🙂
This won’t pass, I think. We have to give in, it’s a social pressure. Instant likability, easy communication, “because my friends are there”- many logical explanations. 🙂 Thank you, Shailaja, for the visit and comment. 🙂
You know, I think everything has its time and for me, personally, Facebook has lost its charm. I still share updates, posts, comments on that platform, but I am moving away to something more meaningful. Using it as a social tool instead of a crutch may be all the difference 🙂 But, I certainly agree that there is pressure. Whether we succumb to it is the real question. 🙂
There are so many tools and platforms to network. They all are good to build relationships and sustain. I love pinterest ideas, picture stories on instragram, instant twitter feed to stay updated. But not at dinner table. You’re absolutely right:”Using it as a social tool instead of a crutch may be all the difference”. My dad once said ” it’s an easy escape from reality.” I think, it is, at times. In a room full of people, heads are into devices, fingers scrolling up and down. I wonder what people talk without saying anything to each other right there.
“Ah, there we’re connected!” – subtle but so powerful message. Painfully true dinner story nowadays!
Painfully true! Yes. Thank you, Ree. 🙂
The dilemma of my life these days. the disconnect these days even with all the connections!
You’re not alone! So many of us are with you. 🙂 Thank you for the visit.:)
Technology everywhere…FB/Whatsapp/Viber etc etc etc etc and the list is endless….
Yikes! All those names make me sprint to library and take a deep breath! Thank you for reading, Amit. Lets talk about every other technology! I’m in!
Hahaha I loved this.
Yay! So happy to read it. Thank you. 🙂
Ah the sounds of life in today’s world. Full of beeps and tings and other ringtones! Loved your take…it made me smile and yet, saddens me a bit…
I was thinking of all the ringtones that ring at the dinner table, get-togethers, social meetings! Your comment made me smile too. Thank you. 🙂
Yep! A slice of today’s life. Nice write!
Definitely, a warm toasted slice of life nowadays! Thank you for the encouragement. 🙂
Modern life, eh?! Great direction with this prompt. We are constantly communicating yet rarely talk 😉
Absolutely modern life! 🙂 You said it! I wish we all could have talked more! Thank you for the visit and comment. 🙂
Absolutely clever and the title is complete perfection!
I was sure of the plot, but not the title. Your encouraging comment fixed my doubt. Thank you, C.C. 🙂
Two thumbs up from me! The title of the story says all.
I remember writing an article on this for the first time here and someone commented: “First World Problem.” I thought of using that as title. But, well, I think this one suits the best! 🙂 Thank you, Arka.