Social Media: Connecting us or furthering our isolation?

With all the social media marketing tools out there, I have to wonder whether or not those in charge are simply trying to distract us as much as they possibly can from the world that we are surrounded in day in and day out. With an outreach to every corner of the globe, how many of us actually take interest in our community. We are constantly trying to escape through this virtual world that offers us nothing but instant gratification for minimal amounts of time. I look at people who go out to restaurants with their friends and family and it startles me how many of them are on their phone looking at their facebook or playing "words with friends" instead of interacting with the person right in front of them. Take a look the next time you are out and see how many of those near you are actually interacting with the person they are out with. If we are that bored with our everyday lives, maybe something needs to change.