Opinion Graphic
The first thing I do when I open my eyes in the morning is reach for my phone — like a perfectly normal human being — which I keep right next to me during the night. Then I brush my teeth, and check it again, as if something groundbreaking happened in those five minutes I wasn’t online. During breakfast, you guessed it right, I’m still clutching my phone like a lifeline, regardless of whether I’m getting worthwhile notifications or not.
My phone is almost always on my person, and when it’s not accessible within a reachable radius for an extended period of time for some God-forsaken reason, I feel a sense of foreboding. I regret to say that I’m sure I’m not alone — we’re all obsessed with our phones. It is yet another addiction developing alongside the new age.
Last week, I walked into one of my classes a little earlier than usual, and the sight that greeted me wasn’t surprising — almost everyone had their eyes glued to a screen of some kind. Of course, I whipped my own phone out, intending to go through my social media accounts and messaging apps until the lecture began, thus following the unwritten social norm that was being religiously followed around me. Scrolling through Instagram or Facebook at every idle moment has become second nature to us. We can’t spend so much as an hour without logging in and checking up on what our friends, or the ones we’re ‘following,” are up to.
Interestingly, there are quite a few of these “online identities” that are present in our contact lists, but with whom we have never spoken personally. This is a foolproof setup for actions like cyberbullying and stalking, which can seriously damage the mental health of victims. People even create fake profiles, especially for dirty work like this. Facebook has reported about 170 million fake profiles, not including the ones they are unaware of. Social media has numerous ways through which personal information can be volunteered by users, which makes it a dangerous game when not played with caution.
That, however, is not all — our gadgets threaten physical health as well, by radiating frequencies that have the potential to permanently damage DNA. Prolonged exposure to these radiofrequencies can disrupt sleep patterns, increasing irritability and reducing the capacity to focus. Also, the glare of the screen, combined with a small font size puts a lot of strain on the eyes.
Phones were invented with the intention of bringing people closer and bridging gaps. Ironically, they’re the very things that are creating those personal voids today. Swiping incessantly across a surface is not really the best way to enjoy someone’s company and engage in quality time.
According to a CNN study, 80 percent of teenagers checked their phones every hour, and 72 percent felt the need to respond to their messages immediately. Young adults seem to prefer texting someone over talking to them face-to-face, and sometimes, even use their phones as shields to protect them from any form of social interaction.
I sadly speak from firsthand experience. I admit that the idea of texting someone seems a lot more tempting and less intimidating, as it lets us hide all of our vulnerabilities or true feelings behind a virtual wall. However, we are ultimately shying away from personal growth, and making ourselves more likely to develop social anxiety and, not to mention, dampening our abilities to communicate.
Additionally, cell phones pose as a massive distraction from our priorities in real life. In fact, according to a 2013 Technician news article, 80 percent of college students admitted to texting in class. We don’t realize that we’re missing out on valuable information being imparted to us by our teachers while we’re busy using our phones. I am guilty about how much I let my phone ruthlessly rob me of my time. It interferes with my ability to concentrate, leading to procrastinating on the unfinished tasks I have on my plate. It’s a vicious cycle — we say we’re going to take a short 10-minute break, but five hours later, we’re still aimlessly spinning around in circles in the vast black hole that is social media.
Texting and driving is another problem that’s an emerging cause of concern, with 40,200 deaths due to accidents last year alone. How did an obsessive compulsion gain precedence over our lives? We are becoming oblivious to the world around us in our constant uncontrollable urge to be available online.
As much as phones have simplified our daily lives, it is necessary to understand that we must use them in moderation. With technological advancements happening at lightning speed, the cellphone is only going to get better. It’s up to us if we’re going to make the most of it and improve our lives, or if we’re going to misuse our powers and let a blinking rectangle control us.