In Relationship with ‘my phone’….

There is no denying that technology has made our life simpler, faster and easier. I remember the days when a telephone was meant only for calling and talking. My child will never know that world. A mobile phone has become indispensable part of our lives.

But in the process of making our lives easier, hasn’t it also become a type of handicap for us. It has for me; I have forgotten how to do simple math calculations mentally. I don’t remember phone numbers at all. I have an app to help me list down tasks. Another app helps me prepare a shopping list and yet another one to track my periods! I mean when I did not have a smart phone, I could put my brain to better use. Are my brain cells dying due to lack of use? Or do I need to download yet another app to check the functioning of my brain or stimulate the brain cells?



By having internet on the phone, it has become an extremely addictive gadget. We have Google at our finger tips, we don’t have to go back to dictionaries, encyclopedia or other books to get any information. And to add to all the number of Social Networking sites of which we all a part of. I spend too much time surfing random thing on Facebook. I do not think I will deactivate my account, because it does have some helpful groups from which I can get information, but I definitely need to detox.

Another app taking up the most time is WhatsApp; I cannot imagine my life without it. I am connected to family and friends from other side of the world due to this app. Making phone and video calls, sharing images is so easy, why would I want to give it up? Because, I spend time wondering which profile picture to upload, which image to put up as my status?

I don’t usually spend a lot of time on the phone at work, so when I get back home, I spend a lot of time checking the notifications on most of these apps. I think this is my “Me” time. But is it really? What is the value add to my life of this 1 hour I spend surfing on the phone, doing nothing. Sometimes I read interesting articles, but how often does that happen?

I ensure that I keep the phone away when my toddler is asking for my attention. I do not want to miss the moments, when he is doing something interesting and looking at me with expectation and I am buried in my phone. That would be a major fail as a mother, as a parent. These years when he is growing up, he needs me and my undivided attention. The least I can do is giving him that.

This scenario of being in relationship with our phones must be quite common am sure. I realize the same thing happens with my husband, and his working hours are longer than mine. On weekdays, we end up spending more time with our phone than with each other. The worst part is, we WhatsApp each other about when we are in the same house. In my defense, I do it, since I know the message has been read and responded! Sad but true.

I read an article about a guy who did not touch is phone after 8PM, for a week. I am sure there are many such articles out there about such experiments. But the amount of time you realize you suddenly have, when you don’t have the phone around, is surprising. I guess I need to make some deadline for myself. It will ensure I have time for reading, playing with my kid and helping around more in the house.


Some digital detox required, and if I am successful at it, I shall definitely post about it.

Comments

  1. Yes, a common phenomenon in today's world.
    For me, it affected my concentration. I would invariably check my FB account every 5 minutes; not that there was anything worthwhile to check. To break the habit I deleted the FB app from my phone, been 6 months now,and my world hasn't fell apart by not seeing another open letter on one more issue!

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