Kids are glued to the tabs, adults on their phones! And now, even the elders are following the same steps. People are addicted to their phones, even me. What makes it so addictive that we spend almost 5 out of 24 hours on the phones?
I gave in a thought about it and did some research on how it all started in the first place. The story dates back to 1907 when the SOS came into as the distress signal during the San Franciso earthquake.
The Punch Magazine from Britain depicted a cartoon which showed a woman and a man not communicating with each other, and busy in different worlds with the antenna on their heads. It was printed in a broader meaning during that time, but it holds more importance and meaning seeing the current scenario.
Reality Check: Are Smartphones Making Us Smarter or Dumber?
Soon after that cartoon was out, after the passing of a century iPhone was launched by Steve Jobs. People were now able to educate themselves with a simple tapping on the phone and were able to listen to any song recorded from anywhere they are.
Smartphones have really changed the way we used to click a photo or call a cab for instance. It has taken over so many things! Yes, they have made the work easy but has it affected the relations and human interactions. Hell yeah!
I don’t know where to start it off, but with the rise in the smartphone use people these days are not remembering things. This has killed the creative side of ours and even replaced the daydreaming too. Parents too addicted to the phones are not able to pay attention to their child. They have made us vulnerable and more anxious than before.
America has reportedly said that the extent of Internet use has increased drastically from 11% to 28% in just 5 years time.
Even the ex-employees of Google, Amazon, Facebook have mentioned how badly the social media and technologies can affect the health, especially the young minds. Chris Marcellino, the person who developed the push notifications on iPhone has admitted that people who hook up on their cells use the similar neural pathway just like any gambler or a drug addict.
The Internet has lots of data but only a part of it holds meaning.
So, is it making us smarter or dumber? The answer depends on how you using it. Plan accordingly, schedule the usage time, and get the best out of the gadget you have got.
We can’t stop the Internet though, but instead, we can bring some more controls on how we are using them. What are your thoughts on this? Can there be some change in the future?