Driving through the city, I saw two children walking together. One texted on a cell phone and the other played a Game Boy or some device. They were walking together, but not talking together. Later in the day, I heard a teen yell to another, “Don’t come over, send me an e-mail or text me.”
Before the invention of these electronic gadgets, children communicated and occupied their time differently. My friends and I were always looking for some type of physical activities or table games when I was growing up. During the colder months, we had sled riding and other winter activities. Some might even say that the exercise helped prevent the childhood obesity problems faced by some present day electronic gadget children. A well-developed finger muscle, acquired by playing an electronic game, is not a great physical workout!
We did talk on the landline phone, but we had face-to-face conversations most of the time. All of these activities inadvertently taught us some interpersonal skills. Some of the activities, like football, taught us that you could be a star by yourself, but working as a team won the game.
People can use electronic gadgets to communicate with other people. This does provide interaction, even if the other people are not physically present. Gamers will contend that a teaming effort is required to win some of the activities, and that involves interpersonal skills.
Is electronic participation as good as being there? That is a matter of opinion. We all see our world through our own lens or life experience. It is possible to learn interpersonal skills in many different ways. Developing these interpersonal skills makes us aware of human behavior–good and bad.