Next time you leave your house, look around you. What are people doing? What are they paying attention to as they go about their lives? If you asked that question 20 years ago, they may have been looking around them—at least where they were going—or they may have been conversing with others. But, if you ask that question today, the odds are that the vast majority of people—even young children—will be interacting with their phones or a similar electronic device in one way or another. People text and walk, text and drive, and even text while “spending time” with their near and dear ones. It’s difficult to comprehend the degree to which the technology has crippled humanity…… an artificial shallow connection replacing organic conversation.
Today, we rely so heavily on our smartphones that the endless alerts and distractions are stopping us from forming new memories. We have outsourced a part of our memory to an external device. Are we losing our ability to remember things – from appointments to what we are about to do next – because we expect our phone to do it for us?
Of course, I agree, contribution of technology is making life easier and more convenient. Today, technology has transformed everyday life in unexpected and sometimes ironic ways. Digital technology has made it easier than ever to stay in touch with friends and family, no matter where they are in the world. Online banking has made it possible to check our accounts as well as Online marketplaces and e-commerce platforms have made it easy to purchase goods and services from the comfort of our own homes. For many, the online world has become an extension of their identity. People share every aspect of their lives on social media, from what they eat for breakfast to their most intimate thoughts and feelings. The digital world is no longer just a tool, but it has become a place where people live work and socialize.
But everything is good but at its saturation point. If Technology is used within the limit, then it will give great returns to a person. There is nothing wrong in using external devices to augment thought processes or memory processes. But we are surely doing it more and more, using them for everything. It has become very convenient, but convenience has a price. It is time that we do certain things in our head too. With the internet, humankind has shifted its thinking and way of thinking. As we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, although it may be exciting to imagine how technology will continue to shape our lives in the future, it is important to remember that technology should serve as a tool to enhance our lives, not control them and not as a replacement for real human experiences. The digital world can offer incredible opportunities, but it’s up to us to navigate it wisely, ensuring that it enhances our lives rather than consuming them entirely. I agree the digital world is here to stay but it is our task to make sure we use it in ways that benefit us, rather than let it define us. Somehow, Technology has made us lazy. The line between the real world and the digital one has begun to blur. From televisions and laptops slimming down as we bulge out to mobiles actually getting costlier and more and more thin, technology has surprisingly affected us in ways we may not have expected, thus encouraging inactivity, disrupted sleep and created a cycle where convenience leads to less real-world engagement, despite devices promising more connection.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the world was defined by physical experiences. Music played from records, family memories were captured on films and letters travelled slowly through the mail, each one a physical connection between distant places. It was a world rooted in the tangible, the physical and the predictable. We turned the dials on our radios, waited for the evening news on our televisions and manually calculated numbers on our calculators. The day started when we woke up, not when a mobile buzzed. Conversations unfolded face-to-face, not on screens. The world was defined by physical experiences. Information was passed from person to person, not through an invisible web of connections that now define our lives. We used to use our Brains. But AI/Google has made us lazy as it answers all our questions. Maa Ka Haath ka Khaana [Mother’s hand cooked food] was something that we always relished. But now, Zomato and Swiggy are ruining Maa Ka Khana (mother’s food) by shifting focus from authentic, homemade meals to processed/restaurant food, exploiting restaurants with high commissions, creating deep discounting wars that hurt quality and making customers reliant on apps, thereby losing the traditional value and health benefits of home-cooked food and leading people to choose convenience over quality. Today, I see five-year-olds, wearing bulky glasses, continuously playing games on their parent’s smartphones or personal tabs for hours at a stretch. They will eat, drink, talk but the gadget wouldn’t move from their hands as if their fists are pasted with fevicol on the phones. I feel pity that how they are missing on an amazing phase of life, by focussing on an illusionary artificial world. Today, it’s a tab in the Notes app. Gone are the days of scribbling on a piece of paper in the kitchen, often taped to the wall or fridge, updating it as items ran low. Groceries weren’t ordered online; back then, you’d go to those ancient places known as “markets” and “supermarkets,” a few of which still linger. We continued writing letters to each other, with love letters being the most memorable, now it’s a few voice notes and a DM on Instagram. In fact, people take out their calculators even for the simplest of calculations. Before smartphones, our heads would have held a collection of phone numbers. Today, people no longer do all the thinking when there are phones with the ability to store contacts. As a result, people’s mental ability is reduced significantly. Yes, Of course, for older generations, the whole world of smartphones, social media and those never-ending notifications feels like landing on an alien planet.
Of course, one should embrace the benefits of digital technology, but one should also prioritize the essential human need for connection and social interaction, thus maintaining authentic human connections for our emotional well-being and personal growth. Let us not make technology a slow poison for humanity. Technology isn’t necessarily the issue in our life. It’s our choice to consume.
Don’t get me wrong, I love taking pictures of my family. I even print out our yearly album. But I am also learning to go out for meals and activities where we don’t take any pictures, or just stop after a few. We feel the need to present curated versions of our lives, shaping experiences to be more shareable rather than meaningful. Because we choose what goes on the page, no one really knows the full picture. It’s like posting a beautiful picture of a sunset on the beach with the garbage neatly cropped out.
Also, though there is a lot of good content on social media however most of it is literally garbage, providing no real value. It is a breeding ground for frustrated people as well. It makes you feel bad about yourself by showing an incomplete picture. People only post their positives on social media; nobody shares their struggles and negatives. This makes you believe that your life is terrible as compared to others. Sometimes we are so much into our phones liking pictures on FB and insta that we forget we are sitting on a table with lot of people. Mobiles have given us a bad habit of ignorance. If we don’t like someone talking, we open our phone. It is the device that can make you waste hours. Here, the problem is not the technology. The problem is how people use the technology. People choose to use their gadgets even when unnecessary because they do not want to leave their comfort zones. Social media has killed the value of friendships, morals, relationships and privacy. It has allowed people to make anonymous posts that can be very hurtful to some people. Our brains practically drool with every notification from our phones, buzzing away. I have seen people who simply cannot live without their cell phones. I have seen them freaking out when there is no network or when the battery is dead. Our notifications can wait. It is not necessary to check every notification, especially when we are at work or focusing on something important. Checking our cell phone in every 5 minutes has become an addiction. Some people have absolutely no idea what to do with their life when they keep their mobile to charge. When we do not have these devices available with us, we feel like a smoker without a light. But when we do have access to it, like the smoker, we are totally consumed by it.
But the fact is, as we grow more “connected” via our devices, and spend more time engaging with them, the less time we spend in the real world, absorbing the beauty nature has to offer or experiencing organic and truly meaningful relationships. Other priorities fade away, as we escape from reality. Thanks to the internet, and the subsequent erosion of these traits, we have entered an era infected with laziness and unproductivity. We have been disconnected from reality—from the world around us, from each other and somewhere from God too. An entire generation is dependent on access to a world of shallow connection and mindless entertainment.
At this point, it’s out of our hands. The genie is out of the bottle, and there is no going back. All we can do is wait and see which direction it steers us.
Let us put down our devices for atleast an hour a day to find as much meaningful human connection as we feel we need, to truly escape the psychological impact of the digital destruction of our minds. May be, while you were busy scrutinizing your smart device, you might have missed:-
- Your Mom waiting for those kind words to make her feel valued and loved
- Your Dad waiting for feedback for the cake that he made for the first time
- Your brother wanting to share something with you.
- Your partner wanting to spend some valuable time with you
- A flock of geese flying overhead in formation.
- A child laughing at a balloon.
- The opportunity to help your neighbour juggling packages.
- The man who smiled at you as he passed by
- An older man with a cane, who would have reminded you of your grandfather.
- The puppy and the boy who hugged him.
- Your child’s glance in need of encouragement during the cricket game.
- The woman with a Survivor T-shirt sitting next to you at the counter.
- The facial expression of your husband assuring you that everything is okay.
- Your shy friend who wasn’t able to join in the conversation.
- The cloud shaped like a swan as it floated across the deep blue sky.
- Your daughter’s disappointment when you failed to notice her accomplishment.
- Your heart longing for the soil on your feet and sun on your face
- The pleasure of walking in the pathless woods
- The intense joy, peace and spiritual ecstasy found in the untouched, quiet beauty of nature.
- Children playing in puddles and a sense of “happiness all around”.
- The sound and smell of wet earth
- The falling of the Raindrops – just a nature’s way of reminding you to pause for a while
And so on……………….
It is time, we reflect on what actually brings us happiness, away from the constant distractions and influence of technology.
