Ipods-Friend or Foe

I love my red ipod. But I have found that when I wear my ipod in public it is a bit like walking around in a personal bubble. At first this sensation is kinda addictive but then I realized that it actually takes me away from being present in the moment. On the subway when I’m not wearing it I feel shut out of everyone else’s lives. Everyone else seems to be rocking out to their ipod to shut out the world. I guess it makes it easier to deal with the icky parts of the subway..the smell…the people you don’t want to look at…the panhandlers…the performers who are not very talented. But it really removes you from the beat and vibrancy of the city. The good with the bad. How is a single girl to meet anyone at the trader joes or whole foods when everyone is shut up in their little ipod world. Not easy to start a conversation. The iphone has made this phenomenon even worse because it gives new yorkers an excuse to play with their phone at every minute of the day. What would happen if you were to miss an important text/pix/facebook status update/email/blah blah blah. I think all this new tech is tearing us from being human, being present, feeling our feelings.
How do you feel?