Here is a new word for you: technoference. This is what academics are calling the growing body of research on how modern technology is impacting upon our face-to-face interactions. But from an evolutionary psychology perspective why would we forsake close bonds with family and friends for the call of a Twitter reply or Instagram like from someone we might not even know?

University of Arizona psychology professor David Sbarra says: "The draw or pull of a smartphone is connected to very old modules in the brain that were critical to our survival, and central to the ways we connect with others are self-disclosure and responsiveness."

Essentially, at the expense of actual face-to-face conversation, we feel compelled on a deeper level to respond to our virtual social circles. We are, Sbarra argues, hard-wired to connect with others around us, more so when we form small, intimate networks built up by bonding with others. We do this in the digital world through sharing (and over-sharing) on social media.

https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/how-your- smartphone-affecting-your-relationship