Lalit Anjum
In the modern times technology has touched each and every aspect of human lives. Advancement in digital technology has made our life much better than the past. Nowadays we are dependent on sophisticated technology for our mundane tasks as well. By utilizing the service of smartphones, digital tablets, notebook laptops etc. we accomplish a full range of activities like reading digital newspapers, booking online travel tickets, shopping online and what not. Thousands of innovations and scientific discoveries have contributed positively to the betterment of the society & have improved our standard of living as a whole. We are as accustomed to these gadgets as we were never before. This in turn has made us addicted to digital technology.
Our addiction to digital technology can be gauzed by the fact that number of young people prone to road accidents is while talking on cell phone greater than accidents due to drunken driving. At public places we often find adolescents and youngsters seamlessly playing with their thumbs on touch screen of their mobile devices, as it seems their thumbs have grown brains for it. This exercise is so addictive that it demands their cent per cent concentration which makes them immune to the external happenings. God forbid, if somebody is dying they won’t be able to pay any heed. This clearly speaks volumes of our new-age addiction to technology and our degrading ability to think independently and reason critically to arrive at right decision.
Absent mindedness has grown manifold in the youth. Such is the overdependence on technology for instance; that medical professionals find themselves helpless in recognizing the ailment of the patient by physical examination alone unless compulsorily augmented with diagnostic tests conducted using modern MRI Scanners, X-Ray Machines, etc. Therefore doctor’s core competency is underquestion. On one hand technology has made human lives more comfortable but on the other hand it has given rise to the new age technology-addiction. As an old saying goes, “Science is a good servant but a bad master”. Following narrative elucidates the point.
Present era is deemed as an “Era of Information Technology”. Evolution of communication technology is one of the biggest achievements of science. In this age, information generation, its transmission and sharing is done at a speed of light. The old time consuming method of information distribution by manual means is long dead. The modern means of information dissemination is via thin fiber-optic cables,wireless routers, satellites etc. Today information flow is quick, easy and efficient. This has given rise to a flood of information.
Handling and processing such a huge amount of data within a short span of time is now causing information overload. This is felt in our personal lives too. We are addicted to continuously check our emails, frequently update online profiles and browse aimlessly through the ocean of World Wide Web wasting our precious time.
Internet revolution has also contributed to this problem. Every day we see numerous new software applications been developed and shared on internet. WhatsApp, Facebook are the best examples of software applications that are continuously intruding our privacy. Whether we are at home or at office, each WhatsApp ping frequently disturbs our concentration towards work. Digital disturbance is the truth of our present day lives. Our lives are no longer ours. Each and every like or picture we post on our virtual social networking profile has a global reach. The frequent notifications we receive in our inbox with never ending spams makes us more vulnerable to cyber-crime. Adding to this nuisance is the monkey business called Selfie Mania. Frequent uploading of selfies is regarded as a mental disorder. Often Selfie taken at awkward moments and at unusual places have left several people embarrassed in their real lives. Sometimes embarrassment causes development of suicidal tendencies in the person. Recently the Russian Government has issued the guidelines (do and don’t) for taking a Selfie in public places especially meant for the young people.
In the present scenario people are often glued to their virtual world to fulfill their unmet desires in the real world. Whether is it gaining popularity, knowing about foreign places, seeing a distant friend or relative, are done using virtual reality. Furthermore accepting virtual reality as an alternative to real world has triggered a negative behavioral shift in the lives of GenX. Digital addiction has raised the problems of loneliness and suicides among youth. Biggest culprit of this phenomenon is so called
Social Networking websites, in which there is nothing social about it.
We see kids and adolescents always playing with their hand-held mobile gadgets every now and then. Real social networking, teambuilding exercises and playing outdoors are becoming things of the past.
Shrinking physical space has also added to this turmoil. Google Maps Street View is the new addition to this monkey business of virtual reality. Young people are easily caught up in this crossfire. Being young & vulnerable, they are prone to fall in this honey trap.
New generation of kids belonging to this era of information & communication technology revolution has fallen easy prey to this digital addiction. They are born and brought up in this environment where information bombardment is happening to them from all directions. They are gathering inputs from all sides and in enormous amounts, thanks to their high-end gadgets. We observe that youngsters are more comfortable in handling digital technology than their parents and elders. New gadgets with enhanced features entering the market every single day demand high prices. The multinational corporations (MNCs) are developing innovative products for targeted buyers. Their main target is hi-end sections of the society. Therefore expensive devices are seen as a kind of Status Symbol. Often these devices are projected as a fashion statement and trend setter making it a “must buy thing”. However regarding their functional utility, all devices are one at the same. Lucrative advertisements and attractive schemes are often engineered for particular age group. Blame also lies on the Advertisement Agencies for misleading the public sentiments.
Therefore to check this epidemic of digital addiction in our society, we have to apply the ointment called Restraint and educate our young children about the golden rule of self-control. With this initiative we can successfully impart the much needed moral values into our youngsters, who are often delusioned by the glittering advertising campaigns and false promises made by MNCs. This chain of modern day slavery of gadgets is to be broken once for all in the interest of GenX. Now is the time to regain control of our lives and come out of this virtual world into the world of actual reality which holds wonderful surprises and plentiful opportunities.
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