We need to be aware of how it has changed us over the course of generations.
ISLAMABAD: The introduction of the mobile phones revolutionised the way humans communicate and interact with each other. They have become an ecosystem through which man can escape reality and enter into the virtual world. However, these devices have posed much drawback. People, especially children, are constantly on their phones and it seems as if they have escaped reality altogether. In most cases, children spend their whole day glaring at the screen. It is as if they have become as necessary as oxygen. This ecosystem has integrated everything together, from work and studies to creative ventures such as art and drawing. Everything can be done now with these devices at hand. The World Wide Web has also incorporated all information onto one platform which can be accessed at the click of a button.
Relations with family members have changed greatly. They too have become virtual. Birthdays, anniversaries and weddings are celebrated for the purpose of posting pictures on social media to let the world know and receive validation. In newer generations it can be seen that when children see their parents and the people around them using their phones constantly, it automatically pushes them to play with these devices at a very young age. There was a time when children would receive toys or bikes as gifts but now priorities have started to change. The first thing any kid dreams of having is the latest phone or gadget.
Such technologies have opened the door of communications and expanded the horizons of the things we can achieve. But we also need to be wary of the cost and change that comes with it. We need to be aware of how it has changed us over the course of generations.
Neha Shakeel
Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th, 2020.
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