The last decade revolutionized our lives. Didn’t it?

In just 10 years we have wired ourselves to the world anywhere, anytime. We create, build and join large communities in a matter of seconds. We can reach, talk, see and connect with friends, colleagues and partners in real-time. We can virtually be present meetings in several continents at the same time – as long as we have an internet connection.

The 20th Century revolutionized our lives by the way we commute. Jet planes, magnetic trains and reliable cars enabled us to physically transport from place to place quickly enough to attend events at the opposite sides of earth in the same day.

The 21st Century has revolutionized our lives in the way we communicate. Internet technology enables us to be virtually at the same time in many places, communicating with people and communities in split seconds.

There was also a quiet change in the way we LOVE.

In the 20th Century the currency of love and friendship was attendance. When we spend time with our loved ones doing things together, it was an act of love. In the nineties, we used to say that we spent quality time with our kids, on the playground, at home, or at dinner – we were there fully attending and paying attention.

This changed in the 21st Century. Since the arrival of the internet revolution, attendance does not necessary mean attention. We physically attend activities with our loved ones while our mobile devices are connected to thousands or even millions who steal our attention. Connected to email, social networks and microblogs, we are virtually everywhere at the same time, except with the physical people we are really with.

Attendance does not necessarily mean attention. Attendance means nothing anymore. We have dinner with our loved ones while we are glancing at mobile screens reading instant messages. Emails reach us in real time shouting for immediate responses.

What’s next? Are we going to soon see waterproof mobile devices to use while showering or swimming? Will we use brain chips to reply to emails while we are sleeping?

Our loved ones scream for our undivided attention. In other words, they want us to be truly connected physically and intellectually, instead of the online world.

Our kids, parents, siblings, spouses and friends want us to be there for them fully, in mind body and spirit rather than with thousands of other unknown people.

Our real friends are not the illusive thousands in our Facebook account but those that are really close to us. They may even have troubles that we do not notice because of the constant noise of the wired world.

Love has changed its currency. “Wired” attendance is not enough to build relationships. Attention is needed to build real, lasting love and friendship.

When we are with our loved-ones and we want to love and be loved, we have to turn off our electronic devices and fully attend the moment with our spouses, kids, colleagues and friends. These are the people who create a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Attention is the new currency of love.