Can we find a middle ground here? Maybe not so far back as kicking tumbleweed down Main Street, but at least spending some quality time with the people in our lives and putting down our devices sometimes so we can be present with others and ourselves?

As we Tweet, post, like, share, and pin, are our brains registering our digital frenzy and shapeshifting accordingly? Preliminary research suggests yes.

Is it convenient to check email anywhere, any time? Yes. Is it helpful to be able to confirm arrangements, check locations, or find someone I am meeting? Of course. But I eschew these kinds of ease for the sake of something that means more to me.

As someone who both consumes and creates content for modern gadgetry, I've wondered: How might our family dynamics be different if we were forced, on a regular basis, into something as terrifying as a traditional conversation?

As someone who has been called a "media maven," and who participates in and contributes to practically every form of print and broadcast media out there, this is probably the last thing you expect to hear from me: Turn it all off. Unplug. Seriously.

In this age of anxiety, there seems to be, after all, a deep yearning for genuine human connection and real-life interaction devoid of electronic distraction. The question is, will future generations have the capacity to attain it and sustain it?

Someone told me that the average person, when asked how he/she is, answers with the singular word "busy." The sad thing is that no one questions this, everyone assumes it is just the way things are. We have lost touch with the sacred ritual of taking time for ourselves for renewal.