Shristi Rana
I woke up suddenly at night, it was still dark outside. What was the exact time, my hand spontaneously reached my phone and the timejust 1 am… a long way to reach the dawn, so thought about getting back to sleep. But as soon as I hold my mobile, muscle-memory takes over. Before I even realized it, I’ve checked my email, browsed through Instagram, scrolled through my Facebook feed, liked my friends’ funny posts and then YouTube and so on…..The cycle repeats now and then. I check my phone the first thing in the morning and it is my phone that I leave last right before going to bed at night. I feel anxious if my mobile’s battery is under 10%. I feel desperate when electricity goes off or WIFI becomes unavailable even for a few minutes. Most importantly, I miss it so badly as if it is my vital organ when I forget to carry it when I am out. I tap the screen, play and scroll through it unwittingly whenever I am alone. I check my phone during lulls in meetings, even in the middle of my favorite shows. It’s embarrassing to admit all of this, but I have a feeling that I’m not alone. Am I the only one to feel like this or some others feel the same?
The world is heading ahead so rapidly towards advancement with progression in science and technology. There has been so much progress in technology which has appeared in the past five decades that it is virtually impossible to list them out. The series of discoveries and inventions come into existence in every other second. Communication tools offer one of the most significant examples of how quickly technology has evolved. Over the years, simple handwritten letters, sending faxes and audio calls through wired telephone were the best ways to communicate with people at a remote distance. Now, communication is unbelievably fast and convenient due to advancement in digital technology. It’s incredible to look back and see how much easier communication has gotten over the years. Well known examples of digital technology include social media, online games, multimedia and above all the smartphones. Along with this, the availability of the internet provides us with ready access to information anytime, anywhere. Today we have many more efficient options at our fingertips to connect with people. We can send them a message on social media, text them, video chat, email, or put a call or a conference call at a click on smartphones. With all of these revolutions, technology has also made our lives easier, faster, better, and more fun.
Mobile phones are the most commonly used device at present. Nearly everyone has a mobile phone and the vast majority of these are smartphones. Smartphones are friendly gadgets which have made everything reachable through a touch. According to the International Telecommunications Union, almost 4.57 billion people were active internet users as of April 2020, encompassing 59% of the global population. Most internet users (92 %) use mobile devices to go online. According to Statista, 45.04% of the world’s population owns a smartphone currently i.e. 3.5 billion users (Source: https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world). They have occupied such a huge place in our daily lives that it is no wonder that for most of us, a smartphone is the first thing we look upto in the morning and it is the last thing we see before going to bed.
Smartphones allow users to connect to the internet and social media, and run apps as well as sending texts and making phone calls. They help to connect with our relatives and loved ones who are physically far away. There is an opportunity to meet and interact with different people around the globe. We can spend our time wisely reading the news or doing some official work. Whether it is the latest updates of the weather forecast or daily market price, it is a click away on smartphones. Instant money transfer can be done through mobile banking. Clothes, food delivery, groceries, furniture, and more can be ordered through online. A cashless economy is not far at all. Not only that we can entertain ourselves with games, music, videos or movies but also online courses/training (e.g. distance education) in various sectors are helping people to upgrade their academic qualifications as well as uplift their knowledge and skills. It can serve as an educational material as we can collect all the information of any specific area. Books can be downloaded and can be used offline. Varieties of skills (household skills, medical skills, technical skills etc.) can be learned through online videos which are uploaded in apps like YouTube. Important national and international meetings and business deals can be conducted through online. People can use appropriate platforms to demonstrate their hidden talents and skills in different fields (writing, acting, singing, dancing, cooking, etc.) which could be very hard to get recognition in real context.
Smartphones offer several conveniences in our life, but on the other hand, it ties us. As too much of anything is good for nothing, overuse of smartphones can make us addictive. Mobile addiction not only has physical effects but also psychological, social and academic effects at the same time. Prolonged use of smartphones increases the chances of exposure to electromagnetic radiation which might lead to health problems such as a brain tumor and skin cancer. The screen of a smartphone emits HEV light that leads to severe eye-strain during long-time use and would slowly damage the retina. Listening to music on full volume for prolonged time on mobile may lead to hearing impairment. Spending most of the time on the phone creates headache, neck problems, impaired memory and concentration and sleep deprivation. Cell Phones act as a reservoir of bacteria as it is operated through fingers (primary source of bacterial infection).
Many psychological issues such as loneliness, being suspicious all the time, feeling self-centered etc. are caused by using a smartphone and being online, for most of the time. People are forgetting about their real life around them. The virtual world of smartphones is alarming to the mental and psychological health of people. The most concerning aspect at present is smartphone addiction among people especially adolescents. Changes in psychological behavior and social relationship are of main concern with smartphone addiction. People will have a rush of anxiety and fear (nomophobia) within a few minutes when they realize they are disconnected with friends, family, work and the world. Sleep deficit, anxiety, stress, and depression are common due to overuse of mobile phones and the internet. People become so dependent that they use mobile calculators even for basic calculations. The craze for smartphones is so much that people don’t hesitate to purchase internet packages to play games, watch online movies and many more. Not only this, precious time has been wasted when we are busy scrolling the apps from top to bottom and bottom to top.
It is said that cell phones and internet use bring families and loved ones together. But in the present context, most of the family members get so busy with their mobile, the essence of family time is missing somewhere. They have no time to share happiness and worries with one another. Too much time on cell phones make people socially isolated from the real world. Lack of proper communication between couples might create misunderstandings, if remained unsolved may ruin the relationship. Extramarital affairs, unwanted pregnancy, frauds are some negative consequences of online dating and relationships which is quite often these days. Likewise, texting and cell phone use while driving and walking on roads have been shown to dramatically increase the chances of motor vehicle accidents leading to injury and even death.
Nowadays children are introduced with smartphones as early as possible. Parents provide smartphones to their babies to divert them from crying or during feeding time. Children get entertained so easily with music, videos or cartoons. Parents are managing their time at work while children get occupied with mobiles. On one hand, children become smarter in operating the gadgets and are oriented with its functions while on other hand they are getting addicted day by day. Due to this, they lack engaging in outdoor games and physical activity. They are unable to concentrate in their studies as their mind becomes dull and face problems like difficulty in memorizing. Additionally, they are not able to filter the contents available in internet i.e. horror, crime, murder, rape, pornographic content, so exposure to such unwanted things, intentionally or not, affects a child’s growth mentally and even physically. By the time, parents try to deal with such problems, children might act stubborn and develop resistive behavior (arguing, shouting, crying, getting irritated, angry etc.).
Some people may indulge in risk taking behaviors such as smoking, alcoholism, rape, cybercrime, theft, robbery and even murder under the negative influence of internet through their smartphones. Chances of losing money due to fraudulence on the internet are common. Likewise, if the smartphone does not have an adequate, password protected, screen lock, then personal information may get leaked especially when stolen or lost could be really dangerous.
If we really want to reduce our emotional dependency on technology, there are lots of helpful strategies for breaking this bad habit. Self-motivation is the only method to get rid of this problem. Firstly, a particular time for using mobile must be scheduled. It is better to turn off the phone while driving, in a meeting, at the gym, having dinner, or playing with kids which keep us focused. Leaving the phone in some other place and spending quality time with parents, spouse or children helps in bonding. Healthier activities such as meditating, reading a book, or chatting with friends in person can be very beneficial instead of hanging on the phone when feeling bored. Break Free app can be downloaded that monitors our phone usage, tallies the time duration spent on the phone. It also gives us a daily addiction score based on which we can minimize their use. Sometimes, a trusted friend can be asked to temporarily change our passwords to reduce temptation. Keeping mobiles away at bedtime will help us to induce sound sleep and using a cheap alarm clock for getting up might prevent us from starting a day with the use of a mobile phone. It is wise to delete those deliciously addictive games and apps. Social media apps (Facebook, Twitter) can be removed from the phone so that it can be checked only from the computer. One important thing we must remember: what we see of others on social media is rarely an accurate reflection of their lives—people exaggerate the positive aspects of their lives, brushing over the doubts and disappointments that we all experience. Spending less time comparing ourselves unfavorably to these stylized representations can help to boost our mood and sense of self-worth. Apart from these, individual and group therapy can also give a tremendous boost in controlling the technology use. Cognitive-behavioral therapy provides step-by-step ways to stop compulsive behaviors and change perceptions about the smartphone and the Internet. Therapy can also help in coping with uncomfortable emotions—such as stress, anxiety, or depression—that may be fueling the smartphone use. Talking about reducing dependency among children, parents must play a role model by avoiding the use of phones in front of their children. They can motivate their children from earlier days towards creative games and arts rather than being exposed to mobile phones.
However, there are two sides of a coin. No harm can be caused by anything if you do not get indulged into it blindly. The wisdom lies where you take the positive and helpful aspects of anything and filter out the negative and unnecessary attachment to that. One should be careful and should not get involved completely into something. Hence, being aware of the pros and cons and having self-control could save you from many disasters, which is really necessary.
