Hello? Hey, I'm Invisible

A funny thing happened on the way to the communications revolution: we stopped talking to one another. The landlines and mobile phones used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel? 

Every advance in communications technology is a setback to the intimacy of human interaction. As almost every conceivable contact between human beings gets automated, the alienation index goes up. You can't even call a person to get someone's phone number. Directory assistance is becoming increasingly automated. I am no Luddite. I own a mobile phone, a voice-mail system, an answering machine, an e-mail, website, blog, and an account to almost all social network. Giving them up isn't an option. They're great for what they're intended to do. It's their unintended consequences that make me cringe. My day won't even be complete without logging in to facebook. More and more, I find myself hiding behind e-mail and the phone to do a job meant for conversation. I am also using the web for a presentation to our clients instead of doing it personally. 

If all this technology is meant to help us to keep in touch, why is it that it only makes me lonelier? Should I put myself on technology restriction them?