The Age Of The Screenagers
Can you live a day without your mobile phone or browsing the Internet? Sambhu Sankar says we all may be Screenagers.
On May 30, 2010
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SCREENAGERS. Sounds unfamiliar? It’s the new name for all those of us who cannot take their eyes off screens, thanks to technological advancements and the ever changing time.
The other day, I happened to come across a newspaper article talking about how youngsters the world over were getting addicted to computers, mobile phones and other x-generation gizmos. The paper claims that one out of every eight American teenager is a compulsive technology addict. The numbers may not be the same in the Indian scenario. Nevertheless, it is quite alarming. Experts have concluded that this is yet another behavioral disorder and the term given to this silent killer lurking behind your electronic screen is ITAA (Internet and Technology Addiction Anonymous). In fact, it represents the unforeseen dangers awaiting the generations to come. If you take some time to notice, you may even find the symptoms in you. Haven’t you noticed that you can go without proper food for days but not a day without browsing the Internet? Doesn’t it seem easier to break up with your girlfriend than your mobile phone? Don’t you recognize your friends better by their chat room nickname or their voice over the phone? Time has come when there is not a single day you can do away without these electronic devices. Here are some more to fuel your thoughts - How long has it been since you wrote or received a handwritten letter? How long has it been since you gave a cute love note to your lover on a Valentine's Day? How long has it been since you visited the park or the beach with your friends? No. I'm not trying to patronize tradition. But it sure makes me feel good to get a letter or a birthday card. Still better would be to see my friend’s handwriting and his creative doodles in it. The very feel of that glossy paper in my hand gives me euphoria. I keep getting messages and greetings through emails and social networking sites like Orkut and Facebook. Sadly, I cannot find a personal element in any of them. My best friend and a chat friend send me the same "Wish you a Happy Birthday". After going through about a dozen such greetings on my screen, I get this creepy feeling that all were sent by the same person under different names (or creepier still, my computer itself!). I guess it’s better to just leave it at that before I get carried away! |
 Fiddling with a laptop, a mobile phone and an MP3 player
Online newspapers and e-magazines are
gaining popularity over printed
ones. The same holds true for almost everything else--music, movies...
If you take a closer look at the scenario you will see that it's not
just the magnetic cassette tapes or the handwritten letters but there
are other things that have disappeared. It's a social culture; a way of
life that has vanished or rather being vanquished. We are moving towards
a lifestyle in which reality is no longer physical but virtual. We have
more virtual friends than friends in flesh and blood. Even when we try
to keep in touch with a dear one, the medium we use lacks an amount of
human touch to it. All of us, in our daily life, seem to be leading a
virtual life than a real one. We have our friends and family in the
screens of our laptops and mobiles. We see them there. We communicate
with them there. Except for the fact that we have a biological body,
most of our social life seems to be confined to these screens.
The result... all of us seem to be developing a compulsive addiction to these inanimate electronic gadgets. Feeling lost and misplaced if you forget your mobile phone when you go out is nothing unfamiliar to most of us. We feel so handicapped without these things. I still remember the day I went for work forgetting my mobile phone. It was difficult for me to concentrate on work. All day through, my mind was preoccupied with the thought of my dear Sony Ericsson handset resting on my study. I never realised that I was showing the symptoms of ITAA until I read this article on the newspaper. ITAA is posing a real threat to the healthy lifestyle of children and youngsters the world over. The changing times have changed our perceptions and attitudes towards technology. We no longer deny or resist the presence of technology in our daily life for we are very much dependent on it. I am never against technological advancements as I am well aware of the comfort and simplicity they have brought to our lives. But here is my question—on a larger perspective, are our lives really becoming better? Sambhu Sankar
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Comments
very true,a couple of weeks back i had to appear for an examination. It was as if I had forgotten how to write with a pen, took me a few minutes to figure out how to hold it properly.
And the very fact that D@rky is my screen name.
D@rky,
on Jun 01, 2010 02:43:04 AM
D@rky,
on Jun 01, 2010 02:43:04 AM
Very true! Holding a pen seems to be some kind of a gymnastic act. And pencils... Do we sill recognize a tool like that?
Sambhu Sankar,
on Jun 06, 2010 01:12:31 PM
Sambhu Sankar,
on Jun 06, 2010 01:12:31 PM
interesting article. I recognise all the symptoms in me :) and ending up in a nice question i shld say. To be very honest after an entire article saying one side asking that question leads to a very biased opinion :)
PS : my best friend still calls me up on my birthday rather than a scrap. if urs deosnt dump him :D or on second thoughts give him/her a kick :)
Phoenix,
on Jun 18, 2010 05:46:16 PM
Phoenix,
on Jun 18, 2010 05:46:16 PM
@Phoenix - Thanks for your response. And I didn't mean to be biased. But eventually, I think, I did sound a bit biased. Will try to look into issues more objectively.
Sambhu Sankar,
on Jun 18, 2010 06:52:17 PM
Sambhu Sankar,
on Jun 18, 2010 06:52:17 PM
Another nice article Ekan!
This article reminds me of a trip to my embassy recently. I went there to get my documents certified and the fella did not even sign it manually. His name, position and signature was on a rubber-stamp!!!
Liz Feurstein,
on Jun 22, 2010 05:16:09 PM
Liz Feurstein,
on Jun 22, 2010 05:16:09 PM
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