THE SMART PHONE

 

Mobile phone market seems to be bigger than television or computer market as every adult needs a mobile phone and it ought to be replaced every four to five years. Despite vast domestic market there are very few names in the Indian mobile market. Their market share is less than a quarter, thanks to government’s policy which didn’t allow electronic industry to prosper.

Eversince mobile phone became smart phone , it is not just phone. It is your camera, alarm clock, mini -computer,video game provider, GPS Naviagator, entertainment provider. It is everything. No one finds an exception to the usage of smart phone. People of all ages from seven to seventy are addicted to mobile phones. Elder population , they themselves get stuck with phones blaming the younger generation for mobile addiction.

Youtube takes first place in the utility of smart phone, it is the first and last resort for anything under the sky. Youtube has taken away book reading habbit. Viewers prefer watching a video to read a book or newspaper. It is providing new avenue for content creators, but majority of viewers loose first hand or original information. Print media and news channel in India are known for their biased reporting, youtube and social media made it possible to reach the masses with an alternate narrative. Elder population tend to watch spiritual discourses on screens rather than exploring the scriptures themselves.Youtube is the last night resort for students , but it is not a replacement for classroom teaching. Thousands of volumes of books in libraries are lying untouched as most students rely on youtube assisted last night preparation. If youtube is utilized as additional tool it would give beautiful results rather than complete reliance on it. 

 With the explosion of OTT platforms and the variety of content that is produced, every one choose their form of entertainment to watch at their convenient time in their smart phones. The joy of family sitting together to watch something in common interest is lost. These days family members need not fight for sake of remote control(TV). Soon households may lift television sets from their houses as consensus regarding what to watch is becoming a difficult task. Everyone watch their interesting video with earphone plugged into their ears. There are good olden days when a movie is telecasted on Doordarshan once a week for which entire family would wait and come together to watch. With the enormous content available today on televisions or digital media , discretion of the users plays a key role. Unless we choose the subjects judiciously and limit the time we shall end up in mess.

Whatsapp/Whatsapp Business have become stress causers as they are used for professional communication. Being a member of a dozen professional groups and half a dozen famly groups, phone keeps beeping every minute increasing your heart beat.  Usage time on social media (facebook or twitter or instagram )is limited when accessed from a desktop on a browser. But smart phone changed the scenario. Obsession for social media apps is increased as one can stay logged in 24*7. And the craze for creating reels or tik-tok videos and the likes they bring is unexplainable.

The generation is suffering from self created insomnia caused by smart phone. After a day-long work at corporate office staring at excel sheets and power point presentations on  computer screens, smart phone seems to be the only choice of relaxation. Spending quality time with family is becoming difficult. Everyone want their own ‘space’  hanging with their smart phones spending time on social media updates till late night delaying their sleep. Ophthalmic health is at stake with day long exposure to computer and mobile screens. This is also leading to increased sight issues in children.

Children’s  addiction to smart phone from small age has many implications. Those who watch lot of animation live in a false world far from reality. Those who got used to games on phone have very good chance of getting addicted. It is difficult to get out of the addiction. Parents are allowing kids to use smart phone owing to their long working hours and nuclear families. Addiction has gone to the extent that some children themselves download apps from playstore themselves to play the games. Surely we don’t wish younger generation to be broughtup like that.

Most of the data used is in the form of wireless data , mobile data or wifi. With the increasing data requirements  and data to be available at such high speeds and at cheaper rates the amount of internet usage is overwhelming. The amount of radiation pollution caused by transmission of huge data is least spoken about. The data requirement for professional work causes burden for low end employees. The employer is not interested in refunding the internet costs claiming cheaper data rates.

Smart phone has become a necessary evil which one cannot avoid. Smart phone is making human dumb in many ways. However a device which can be used for hundred good things can also be used for a thousand unnecessary purposes. The problem doesnt lie with the platform but the way it is used.