Here is an editorial published in my newspaper on March 27: click on this link.
They are saying it might be a good idea to buy basic phones now.
Nishant should have a good laugh over this - he remarked 'smart phones are for dumb people' almost a decade ago!
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4 comments:
Well, sir, I have become one of those smartphone-wielding morons myself. Pardon the French, it's just that I have been re-reading Brave New World, and surely the reference to Epsilon (semi-morons) is stuck in my head now. I had enough reasons (excuses) to convince myself to buy a smartphone, after pushing it off for as long as I could. Nowadays my “struggle” is to keep the apps on it to a minimum and maintain physical distance from it so that I don't look like one of the mice in the lab constantly indulging in reward-seeking behaviour (i.e., checking it ever so often for no logical or discernible reason).
As I have mentioned the book, I might as well add how prophetic Huxley seems now, seeing as he had written it in 1931! People perpetually distracted by soma and feelies (Twitter, Insta, Youtube and their “You might be interested in ...” algorithms), conditioned to be never found alone with their thoughts, resembling the human characters from the film Wall-E. Before I had my first cellphone (the Nokia brick-phone), I had at least ten numbers, those of my closest family and friends committed to memory. Now, I sometimes misremember my own! I definitely have become more scatter-brained: I find it harder to indulge in “deep-thinking” for extended periods of time.
The only silver lining is that I try not to carry the smart gadget around if I don't absolutely have to. Hence, going to the gym, running outside, grocery-shopping and such are somewhat sacred. I have often rearranged and consolidated thoughts while running, and written them up in the past. The mere act of writing these reasonably long comments is also quite satisfying.
Sincerely
Nishant.
P.S.: Thanks for citing me :D
Don't flagellate yourself, Nishant: we have all become more or less dependent on that gadget now, if not addicted (very recently the WHO is pondering whether to label excessive gaming on the phone a definite disorder). It's almost become like electricity or the internal combustion engine: you simply cannot exist without them any more. The only sane way to live is to remember the past, as you have done - what I find absolutely terrifying is that most educated people below 40 these days won't have a clue as to what you are talking about when you mention the likes of Huxley, even if they can vaguely recall Wall-E - and try not to let the thing entirely swallow us whole. Allotting some me time daily, off the net, is vital if you want to stay sane. It is telling that the phone and IT-companies are themselves offering apps that help to limit your screen time. My 25-year old daughter, though she works from home, keeps notifications off on her phone for many of her waking hours. Using a basic phone for the most part, and checking the 'smart' one only a few times every day, for only a few minutes, might also be a good idea. And I'm sure those of us - always a few - who both want to and need to do some deep thinking will be compelled to find ways of taming the demon: the way you are doing, for instance, and by reading and writing serious stuff on a regular basis.
Take care, and good luck.
Sir
Dear Sir,
I also try to even delete certain apps from my phone for extended periods so as not to be distracted by them.
I have observed another funny thing in my college in rural upstate New York- many students who are liberal-minded are addicted to smartphones but most students from conservative, gun-wielding families who prefer being outdoors, usually hunting and fishing, use very basic phones. However, the latter group is also more vulnerable to peddling fake news and conspiracy theories.
With regards,
Saikat.
Ironical as well as sad, isn't it Saikat? Apparently good and bad, clever and stupid come in tightly bundled packages!
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