Robots

Ok so my first semester at K-State (Spring of 2010) I started noticing a trend as students walked to class. It all started when I was walking by Ackert Hall and I could vaguely hear the old Pringles commercial song...you know the House of Pain's song "Jump Around".  Anyway, the closer I got to Waters Hall, the louder the song got.  I thought, there must be an outdoors event going on or something.  However, to my surprise, down the steps came a guy with a huge boom-box on his left shoulder.  As I got close to him I smiled and and said, "That's awesome man!"  To my surprise, everyone around me continued walking, looking down, no expression on their faces. Maybe they said seen him around and we're now unaffected by the display, but this made me start observing students more.
  I had been at other campuses where it seemed like people were more lively.  I had lived in Mexico where you greet people and smile; when you're leaving a restaurant you say to those who are staying "Provecho" roughly translated as -"have a nice meal". Anyway, I started noticing in classes that very few if any started conversations with people next to them. To avoid awkward eye contact or silences, people seemed to be on their phones.
  The interesting thing is that I know all these people who walk around like robots, afraid of possibly breaking any social norms, are updating their facebook statuses at least once a day. I'm sure that at least 40% have a blog, so I know they have a voice, but for some reason I will never hear it unless I go read it through a text...through media.  That reminds me of the contrast between talking to someone online and talking to them in person.  Is it that they're too shy to let their true selves show? Are we becoming poor face to face communicators because a majority of our communicating takes places through some form of mediation?