We all own a smartphone, but why do we need one?
The straightforward reply is to lead a normal life and not be a caveman.
Smartphones have radically changed our lifestyle in the past decade.
We can’t imagine a day spent without Google, bus timing apps, Amazon, social media, games, selfies, and the list goes on.
Every smartphone is a personal assistant bringing the whole world into our palms.
I am sure there could be no second thought to that.
Let me share a current piece of news, and be honest if you were aware.
The political scenario in the African country of Sudan is at its worst. As a result of 30 years of protest, people dethroned the government leader.
The army made use of this volatile transition and took control, shooting whoever opposed them.
Hundreds of innocent people were killed, and thousands are missing.
Countless women were raped, and their bloodstained undergarments were left hanging on flag posts.
At the time of writing this article, 40 dead bodies were floating in the river Nile. If you were not aware of this, please read forward.
Isn’t this burning news that deserves attention?
But, being unaware of this is not entirely our mistake. Most of us have a news app installed and check them regularly.
In fact, research says we are smartphone-addicted to such an extent that we check them 165 times/day on average without reason.
Still, our smartphones failed to bring this news to our attention. All thanks to our personalized news feed.
Mark Zuckerberg once said, “a squirrel dying in front of your house may be more relevant to your interests right now than people dying in Africa.”
We are losing our humanity.
Someone else is deciding what we get informed of on these little devices.
They are not our personal assistants, but spies working for someone else.
Let us acknowledge the fact that the smarter the devices, the dumber the users.
Have you heard of nomophobia?
It is a fear resulting from an addiction to smartphones.
Google it and don’t expect your news feed to explain it for you.
There is a statement in our GRT buses, which I like the most; “everyone deserves to ride with respect.”
I am waiting for that day to see the world becoming a GRT bus for these tech giants.
We are all passionate to create a better world.
With the University of Waterloo producing the world’s best science and engineering marvels every single year, I couldn’t think of a better platform to share my view.
