Friday 30 October 2015

Smartphones are only making us less smart



Quick! When was the last time you remembered the birth date of your best friend without consulting Facebook, or name of the movie you liked till a year ago without browsing through IMDb, or exact location of the new restaurant without clicking onto Google maps or when was it that you phone called your friends instead of dropping message on the Whatsapp? Surely, smartphones make our lives easier, but as per many experts more they are only distracting us from truly and fully living our everyday lives—and the more we rely on Google for guidance—the less we’re forced to tap our own brainpower.

Smartphones are crafted and promoted by world-wide media, so that it almost seduces your mind to an enough level where after you would feel miserable if you don’t buy them. But, what happens when you succumb to this very attractive invention? You end-up shutting door to the rest of the world in order to fully embrace the very expensive device.

I too am guilty of adoring my smartphone, no matter what. But, that’s how it is for most people now.  Do you remember the last time you travelled in a city metro, how many people you didn't find with their eyes glued on their digital screens, listening on to some new random track and shutting-up themselves from everyone standing around swinging on the running metro?  We lose a lot of chances of appreciating true and raw beauty, whenever we resort back to our smartphones.

So, what happens when mistakenly your smartphone slips into the toilet seat (because, of course nowadays pooping without smartphone has become a boring affair) while pressing the flush? You end-up mourning about the blunder like soap-opera queen!  Sounds ridiculously funny, don’t it? But, actually this is why we all really need to work-on our smartphone addiction because it is actually affecting our ability to focus and organically think.

We have become bad at spelling words correctly without using auto-suggestions- Don’t you observe your embarrassing moments, when you fail to type-out simple words correctly? You were better in English dictation unit tests than what you have become now!

We have become bad at nailing exact locations using signboards- So, you should accept the fact that you won’t be able to make it to your destination if in case you lose your smartphone on the midway of a highway.  

Our capacity to think organically is simply fading away- We just end-up reproducing what is already out there on the Google.

We are getting disconnected with the people in our offline-lives- When was it last time that you had dinner laughing and smiling carelessly  with your family? Are you sure you weren't browsing popping smart phone notifications?

We are raising our kids wrong- We are letting our kids quench their curiosity-thirst by using smartphones and tablets, instead of teaching them to play with colours, clay and outdoor games, so that they could learn ways to socialise, experiment and find joy in little things.

Our handwritings are going bad- Funny to me, is the idea that one day maybe we all will give-up writing because we will only be typing most of the times.

I suggest, don’t let smartphones overtake ability of your brain. You are meant to explore, learn and enjoy raw life rather than clicking selfies wearing fake emotions to impress and seek approval of fake-heads. So, pick the keys from the drawer, shut the phone back down and go live life. 

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