Why real connection matters more than ever
At some point, connecting with others became more about convenience than real interaction.
We started swapping real conversations for memes, using likes instead of catching up, and assuming that if someone sees our post, they know we’re okay. It’s fast and simple, but it doesn’t give us the real connection we need.
After COVID, many of us emerged changed—quieter, more hesitant, more socially anxious than we remember being. Lockdowns taught us how to retreat inward, how to communicate safely from behind screens, and how to keep the world at arm’s length. For a while, that distance was necessary. Now, for many of us, it has simply become the NEW normal, especialy as some people are still, or choosing to work from home
And normal doesn’t always mean healthy.
Don’t get me wrong, Memes are funny. Texting is efficient. Social media keeps us loosely tethered to people we care about. But none of these replace the sharded laughter, the pauses, the eye contact, that happens when you sit across from someone and really talk. Real connection lives in the unscripted moments—the ones you can’t edit, delete, or send with a reaction emoji.
Talking face to face feels harder now because it asks more of us. It asks us to be present, to listen without multitasking, and to risk being seen as we are rather than how we curate ourselves online. After years of uncertainty and isolation, that vulnerability can feel uncomfortable. Sometimes it feels easier to send a joke than to say, “I’ve missed you.”
But reconnecting doesn’t require grand gestures or perfectly planned reunions. It starts small. A coffee instead of a comment. A phone call instead of a voice note. A message that says, “Do you want to meet?” instead of “We should catch up sometime.”
Old friendships don’t need to be revived with explanations or apologies for lost time. Most people are feeling the same quiet distance and waiting—often hoping—for someone else to make the first move. Reaching out is not an inconvenience; it’s an invitation.
We don’t need to abandon technology or pretend social media has no place in our lives. What we need is balance. Memes can make us laugh, but conversations help us heal. Texts keep us in touch, but presence builds trust. Screens can connect us—but only people make us feel connected.
As we move forward from a period that taught us how fragile and isolating life can be, there is value in choosing connection on purpose. In showing up. In being a little awkward. In sitting across from someone and remembering what it feels like to be fully there.
Sometimes, the most meaningful thing you can do is put the phone down, look up, and say, “How are you—really?”