Social anxiety, face-to-face communication, digital devices, and the art of saying "hi"

Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP, and Pamela Crooke, PhD, CCC-SLP

There is no bigger compliment than giving our attention to another person (when desired, of course). Whether the focus is brief, sustained, or undivided, we crave the acknowledgment from others. The flip side is what we might call the “anti-compliment” of a split and splintered focus between technology screens and face-to-face focus. This on-and-off, back-and-forth attention communicates a strong message: I’m interested in you—sort of…and sort of not. A recent report, Social Media, Social Life: ..