We send each other messages while sitting in the same room. We give likes instead of hugs. We look at the screen when a child asks to read a fairy tale. Technology has connected the world, but it has also disconnected people. Is live communication, what remains of our humanity, dying? Or is it just transforming? Let's not panic, but be honest. What We've Lost with the Arrival of Messengers Before, to talk to a friend, you had to meet. Or at least call. Now — wrote, read, replied an hour later. The magic of the voice has disappeared. We've forgotten how to listen to intonation, see facial expressions. A smiley can't replace a smile. Long conversations "about nothing" have disappeared. In messengers, it's only about business. Compliments have disappeared (who writes "you look beautiful today" in a chat?). Spontaneous meetings have disappeared. Instead, there's a note "let's meet on the weekend." Psychologists are sounding the alarm: Generation Z (born after 2000) is experiencing difficulties with "live" communication. They can chat for hours, but when they meet in person, they get lost, don't know what to talk about, avoid eye contact. This is called "social anxiety." In 2026, there are already studies showing that 40% of young people would prefer a text message to a phone call. And 15% are actually afraid to talk on the phone. What We've Gained: Technology at the Service of Communication But not everything is bad. Thanks to technology, we can communicate with those who are far away. Parents see their grandchildren through video calls. Friends from different cities play online games and chat in Discord. People with disabilities have found a voice through speech synthesis programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022), technology saved the psyche of millions: Zoom parties, online concerts, virtual museums. Without them, isolation would have been unbearable. In 2026, technology has gone further. Virtual reality (VR) allows "to meet" in a common space: you see your f ... Read more