Do you own your phone or does your phone own you?

Do you own your phone or does your phone own you?

Recently, I was driving back from office and I came across a very peculiar site where many people were surrounding something and making videos. Intrigued, I inched to have a closer look and was shocked to see a man lying in a pool of blood and his friend were desperately crying for help. Although, there were many men present at the site, nobody came for help. What was even more surprising was that instead of helping the injured, they were simply making videos on their smartphone, only to share it on social media later.

Fortunately, after all this ruckus, an ambulance arrived at the spot and took the injured man away leaving me alone with my thoughts pondering if we have become more of a netizen and less of a citizen?

Well, we are living in the 21st century and we have good global connectivity that the ‘Internet’ makes possible.  

Information, data, videos, everything you need is available with just a click. This has, to an extent, changed the way we think. It has put us in an ‘always on’ mode as if the things happening right now are valued and everything in the past or the future has become irrelevant. It has pushed us towards the ‘immediate’. Every question that we need to inquire about needs to be answered ‘now’ and every fact or idea is as fresh as it takes time to refresh a page. As a result, it not only makes one impatient and mean but also resentful, short-fused and reactionary.  By surrendering to this sense of ‘immediacy’, one might think they are ‘speeding up’, however, it is the other way around. They’re becoming less productive, less thoughtful, and less aware of the surroundings. People can be seen uploading videos, images on social media just for ‘thumbs up’ and then shoving themselves in their smartphones which deny them the access to enjoy the intricacies of life. It is this sense of distraction, disconnection and a sense of urgency to satisfy the ‘smart’ and always ‘chirping’ devices that make it so aggravating. The ‘dangerous’ radiation emitted by smartphones makes it deadlier.

As per the data shared by a popular website, there are as many as 2.7 billion smartphone users worldwide, that means 1 out of every 3 persons owns a smartphone.

A recent survey which appeared in a national newspaper said, children are spending an average of 23-hours a week on smartphones and other gadgets,which is twice as much time as they spend conversing with family and friends and screen time is the third most frequent source of conflict between parents and teens which does not come as a surprise as nearly 58 per cent smartphone users do not go even an hour without checking their phones (Source Nielsen). However, the first study of the impact of digital mobile devices on different aspects of family time in the UK has found that children are spending more time at home with their parents rather than in shared activities such as watching TV and eating. 

Scientists have also reported adverse health effects of using mobiles including changes in brain activity, reaction time, sleep patterns, anxiety and depression. Although, we cannot deny the fact that using a smartphone is beneficial due to its wide range of applications; there are some disadvantages as well. Currently, the addiction of smartphones among students is roughly around 28 per cent but it is increasing rapidly.  

With such an increase in usage of mobile phones, its adverse effects on health cannot be neglected. Recently, The Washington Post reported that researchers at an Australian university found that in an X-ray of 1,200 patients, one-third of patients between the ages of 18 and 86 had bone spikes protruding from the base of their skulls. These spurs were more common in youngsters. What was even more interesting was that the researchers suspected these growths are caused by poor posture when we use handheld devices.

Ideally, the relationship between a user and mobile should be of mutual exchange. The problem is not the phones or that we have addicted to them, but our mindless use of the device. Is it really necessary to live for a ‘thumbs up’ rather than enjoying life? It is high time we ask ourselves, “Do you 
own your phone or does your phone own you?” 

Tips to spend less time on the phone

  • Turn off notifications
  • Find out how much time you are using on phones and if possible try to restrict the usage
  • Set phone-free periods every day
  • Take a ‘tech break’
     

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