The following is an excerpt from an article by Allie Caren of NPR’s All Tech Considered.

Of all of the things that were a big deal as a sprouting toddler, learning to talk was one of the major milestones.

“Ma-Ma,” we uttered, wide-eyed, to camcorder lenses and disbelieving parents. “Da-Da.”

Talking is a big part of who we are as humans: as families, as business partners — as a society. It’s arguably one of the most powerful forms of expression, alongside writing and art. We use our voices to ask questions, to deliver bad news, to tell someone we love them.

But the way we talk to each other is changing. The uniqueness of our voices is being drowned out by the pitter-patter of keyboards; we’re always typing, texting, responding.

“People use these technologies to sort of fill in the gaps around the communication that they do with people,” Aaron Smith says.

He notes that sometimes there are things that are hard to tell people in person. Shooting them a text or an email is often just easier, more convenient and more efficient.

But that “time-sensitive” expectation — being “too reachable” — can be stressful.

Technology has added to the already-silent staleness of elevator rides, subway commutes and cross-country flights so much that it’s almost more awkward not to be holding a phone than it is to be looking around, observing, hoping for someone to say “hi” to.

According to a 2012 Pew survey, 67 percent of cellphone owners found themselves checking their phone for messages, alerts or calls — even when they didn’t notice their phone ringing or vibrating; and 29 percent of cellphone owners described their phone as “something they can’t imagine living without.”

Can you relate to the habit of excessively looking at your phone? In the age of smartphones, are we growing increasingly addicted to information? To learn more about the effects of smartphones on communication, read the rest of Allie Caren’s article over on NPR.