• Sanjose A Thomas

Proliferation of technology brought us to a point that we are increasingly becoming ‘smart’ in almost all domains of life and in all spheres of human interface. Life has become so fast that we are equipped with digital technology in all spheres of action and we have ushered into the era of AI or artificial intelligence as well as advanced domains of robotics which revolutionised our life like anything. Man who relied on wired telephones for communication till the beginning of the new millennium is now equipped with a most advanced and sophisticated smartphone which enables him to do almost everything from online e payments to tele-shopping, online games and even surveillance. With the advent of AI there is almost nothing impossible if you have an advanced smartphone in your kitty. Play store as we call it is full of advanced applications (apps) which help us and at times guide us to select the best one suited for our requirement. Now we live in such a world that smartphones are glued to our hands that they can be rightly regarded as an ‘extended arm’ of an individual. A recent study by Yale University amongst teenagers revealed that 89% respondents reported that they cannot live without a smartphone and in every 15 minutes they check their gadget without which they can’t help it. Our eyes are glued to the screen in such a way that we for almost anything and anything use the digital pathways to make something done. Say for example instead of walking to a nearby restaurant and relish our lunch, we swingy it or instead of paying some liquid cash to our neighbour we may g-pay it which we feel is a convenient option. It is convenient in the sense it helps us to reduce human drudgery to a considerable extent. At the same time we become dependent on our gadget to that extend that we use it as the only option to get something done and not as an alternative. Eventually this leads to ‘hyper gadget mania’ which makes us screen addicts beyond redemption. The worst case happens in the case of kids below the age of 10 who consider mobile phones as a ‘toy’ and not as a device for communication interface. Parents supply smartphones to children to keep them engaged but exposure to light, heat and radiation of smartphones may eventually harm their brains and ruin their creativity. Study conducted by the University of Texas revealed a shocking truth that increasing number of brain tumours among children below 12 can be directly attributed to mobile phone usage which is going to become the biggest health hazard of the new millennium. Our sleep time got redefined by smartphone interface drastically as previously people were advised to go to bed by 10 or by 10.30 but today we find people ‘online’ even in late night hours which have several neurological as well as psychological effects. Screen – addiction has become a new psychological problem for which parents often consult psychologists as well as counsellors on a regular basis. In the meantime our kids as well as our grown-ups are missing all those funs of yesteryears which included hanging out with friends, basking in the sun, that evening play with friends, those sweet moments of togetherness and many moments which will never come again. Rather they are unduly locked up with the screen that has become their playground, their leisure time, reading room, talking space and even living space…..….list goes on. Social media has grabbed our virtual space almost fully and now we interact in FB, Instagram, Twitter and in numerous applications where we have thousands of friends who share, like and comment on what we have posted. But during the neediest hours of our life can we ever expect at least one of them to show consideration or compassion towards us? The term ‘smartphone zombies’ become real as we see people especially youngsters all around us looking only at their phones with eyes glued to it and not even looking around even while they are on the road. Majority of them can chat with their pals for long hours in the chat rooms but they find it extremely difficult to socialise with a new person or even with their own neighbour or relative as they feel shy and show withdrawal symptoms. Online gaming sites are found in plenty luring our teenagers as well as our youth who are ready to spend hours in gaming and which may even involve money and betting that spoil their wealth, goodwill and even life. The ‘BLUEWHALE’ story which claimed many lives all around the world including one in Kerala are quite alarming. At this crucial juncture, it is our responsibility to stay more cautious and watchful of ourselves as well as our family members with regard to their mobile phone usage and let us ensure that technology is governed by us and not the other way round.