Are You Really Communicating?

Talking face to face. Being able read peoples body language and what they really mean even without the need to listen to their words. Anyone remember what that's like? It's sad to say that this isn't what happens when we "talk" anymore. Talking is really writing and writing is really using every possible abbreviations you can to get your point across in the least amount of characters as possible. Communication might be more accessible but it has lost all meaning. Things get lost, and I mean very lost, in translation. Does an exclamation point mean that you want to emphasize your point or that the person on the other end would probably be screaming this out of anger in real life. You just don't know. (let's keep it  real, you now you've wanted to say "hashtag __________" in real life ha!)
There is nothing like sitting down with people and just talking. When I say I've talked to my fiends, it mostly means that I'm just sitting around picking up the phone every few minutes and typing away. But when you actually talk, it doesn't compare. Just a week or two ago, I went out to eat with my friends and we literally sat in the restaurant for 3 1/2 hours. We stopped eating waaaay earlier but being around people just makes the conversation flow in a way that you don't get through texting. You lose the emotion, the realness. I much prefer actually listening to someone laugh at my joke than writing back "LOL" It just doesn't have the same effect. 
As we get older and our lives start to change, seeing people in person can get hard. You move away, they're busy, you're busy. But to be completely honest, we've just gotten lazy. It's so much easier to send someone a quick message and get instant gratification rather than having to drag yourself to wherever you've agreed to meet - even if you literally live down the road from each other. I find that kinda sad. 
Call me old fashioned but I wish I could experience life when phones weren't around and you couldn't just text your way through life. Sure, it makes it easier to talk to me people half way around the world but getting so see that person, even just once, would be that much more special. I guess it would just be nice to know that someone wants to take the time out to actually communicate with you. None of that making yourself look better on the internet or giving everyone a snapshot of that one perfect second in your day - just true, letting-yourself-shine-through communication. 
Do you see people face to face anymore?