IS SMART PHONES TAKING AWAY OUR LIVES?

"IS SMART PHONES TAKING AWAY OUR LIVES?"

Buzzing phones, beeps of messanger, status updates, photo uploads, flaunting the newly bought phone having exclusive features, checking out profiles of people are sufficient enough to describe this generation where phones are “smart” but people are “dumb”. We are a part of such society where everyone is supposedly busy but when it comes to checking out the notifications in our phones we always have time.

Undoubtedly “Smart” phones have added a pace to our lives and it has speeded up the communication process. No longer do we need to send letters or spend hefty amounts on phone calls to relatives sitting abroad. Thanks to the internet packs as we are accessible 24*7 to our acquaintances. They can find us on watsapp, hike, we chat, line and the list goes on.

But a deeper thought reveals that smart phones are more of a syndrome. Smart phones addiction is even worse than the addiction of nicotine or alcohol and has even more dangerous results physically, mentally and emotionally. We live in a virtual world where there are friend lists exceeding hundreds and the likes or comments we get on our posts affect us. The moment we are offline, there is a erratic feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world. The “last seen” features of various applications have invaded into our privacy. Instead of spending  our vacations peacefully and rejoicing the natural beauty, we are more exhilarated to upload the albums of the trip. The time that should be “me” time or “family” time is now eaten up by this wicked electronic device. Games like crocket and soccer are now played sitting on the couch and stuffing ourselves with food with eyes glued to the screens. Whenever there is some time free there is a sudden urge to look at our phones. Health, education, family everything takes a backseat if they come between us and our phones. Scientists state that the social media addiction affects our actual social life either directly or indirectly. People are living under the same roof but do not converse because it’s their online social lives that’s making them “unsocial”. Because everything starting from shopping to ticket booking can be  done over the phones, our lifestyle has become sedentary. So in a nutshell, using phones shouldn’t be banned because they are a part and parcel of our lives but one thing is a must that their usage should be limited. Afterall technology was made to work for us and serve us not the other way round.