Description
I was sitting outside a bar in Calabria enjoying a cold beer on a beautiful summer’s day in August. There were two groups near me at adjacent tables, and I was fascinated by the vastly different level of social interaction within each group. To my left were seven local men playing “La Briscola” (meaning “trump”) a popular card game in Italy. Four of the men were playing – two opposing pairs, but all seven were involved talking, shouting, laughing, and gesticulating as only the Italians can. In contrast to my right there was what I took to be a family group. Each member of this group had a mobile phone or tablet and for each this was the focus of attention. The level of interaction between them was minimal beyond discussing what to order from the bar. Mobile phone technology brings many benefits, but I found it sad seeing such a negative impact on a family get together.
