The biggest problem with our dependence on gadget is that it has to do with our work. Whenever someone questions us or asks us why we are on the phone all the time, we just tell them that it is work-related. Although, when we do pick up our phones, we are doing a hundred things, like check emails, posting on Instagram, reacting on Facebook, which is why we end up spending more than 10 hours a day on our phones or laptops. An artist recently drew some illustrations to address our addiction.
Who’s the weirdo?
If you commute by trains or subways, you will see that most of the people are always on their phones. Even people who are not alone and are travelling with friends, end up staring into the phone instead of talking to each other. But if someone does choose to stay away from their phones or read a book, or just be alone with their thoughts, he or she is considered a loner or a weirdo, when they are just being completely healthy.
Where’s the tan?
Perhaps the funniest art you will see all week, this picture shows us how we are glued to our phones, even when we are out with our friends or families or are trying to get away from work. This man acquired a nice tan on the beach and yet the area near his ear where he held his phone did not catch a tan as it was covered with the device.
What’s live about it?
Here’s possibly the most inane part about technology. It is, in a way, killing the magic of live performances. Whenever you go to see an artist perform live, you pay a great deal of money to see them in the flesh. Does it make any sense to spend the entire time recording the performance? When you paid money to see your favourite singer live, does it not make more sense to take the experience in?
Where’s the magic on a plate?
Let’s say you are in a great restaurant, possibly in a new city, and have an exotic dish in front of you. Tasting it should be the foremost thing on your mind. But in the Instagram generation, an experience is not worth anything unless it’s shared online. So, you see people spending a lot of time getting the right shot of a plate of food - time which could have been spent savouring the meal.
Alone with your thoughts?
Do you ever wonder how we are almost never alone with our thoughts? We carry our phones everywhere, from bathrooms to our beds, and whenever we want to escape the burden of our thoughts we can just pull our phones and scroll through our favourite apps. And we can continue this behaviour from the moment we wake up to the second we go to sleep so that we never have to be alone with our thoughts, which is an important process and moulds our behaviour.
Playgrounds are empty
Playing Fifa online is the newest sensation, and every other sport has an online alternative, from cricket to tennis. As a result, most kids just stay in and indulge in playing the sports online, alone or with their friends. They don’t get any outdoor activity and almost no one gets the right amount of exercise, which is of course, very unhealthy for growing children.
We are dependent on them
Have you ever tried to stay away from your phones for hours at a stretch? We mean total isolation, that means you don’t get to check mails, or messages or any notifications. Most people, especially working people would never do that and thus, are unable to stay away from their phones, as it is the source of all communication. In a way, our apps have tied us down and we only feed our addiction when we refuse to spend more time in the real world.
Our lives are made up of them
If you think about it, you will see that most of the things in our lives are a result of our technological addiction. From the film on your laptop, to the food on your table, and even your boyfriend are the product of a streaming app, a food delivery app and a dating app respectively. Although they have brought the world to our fingertips, it is not impossible to survive without them. You can of course, still buy food, and films and meet people in a real world, but never choose to do so.
Summer vacation?
Is it really a tropical vacation if you don’t make the most of the beach? You will notice that most people today go to a beach with an umbrella and with their phones, and that’s obviously a missed opportunity. Your technological addiction is not only ruining your vacations but also your experience.
Where’s the romance?
The one thing technology is effectively ruining is relationships. You will notice that any club or restaurants, couples spend more time on their own phones than they do with each other. This is something experts have been lamenting for a while now. In fact, couples avoid talking to each other and having meaningful communication, and instead just spend alone time with their phones, even when they are sharing a space.
It’s killing art
How exactly is Instagram killing art? You must know than even a decade ago, people would extensively travel to see some historical sculpture or a cathedral or soak up the culture at a museum. Moreover, people would spend thousands on a single piece of original art. But after the emergence of fast technology, people can now get cheap prints of famous pieces of art, and though some people still go on art tours, most people do not spend money on original art anymore and it is hurting the industry more than you think, especially since your favourite painting is just one Google search away.
What about the service industry?
The era of apps is wreaking havoc on the service industry. Think about this, you can have your dinner delivered at your home, even if you are celebrating, you don’t really need to go out to eat. You can also have your lunch delivered to work. This might make your life a whole lot easier but it is killing the service industry. People have also stopped traditional forms of shopping and most people just shop online. This is obviously having a negative impact on overall economy.
We never sleep anymore
Our addiction to social media and binge-watching is effectively harming our health. Do you know you are supposed to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night? Thanks to technology, most of us end up staying up till 3 or 4 am. More and more reports are suggesting that social media and streaming portals are leading to messed up sleeping patterns. And that can be dangerous for teenagers, especially, as they need a substantial amount of sleep everyday.
The danger of FOMO
One of the most widespread fears that technology has given people is the fear of missing out or FOMO. We are always expected to keep up with everything, and everyone, especially since technology has made it so readily possible. But the stress of this is causing some heavy anxiety among people, so much so, that therapists are advising their patients to deal with their FOMO separately, so as to not let it disrupt their lives.
It is making you boring?
Don't Forget to like comment and share :)
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon