Mobile phones – a blessing or a curse? #Apna Perspective

If you’re reading this, you most probably own a computer or a phone at least. Nowadays, technology is rather a necessity than leisure. It’s a NEED.

Need a cab? Ola/Uber.

Need to message? WhatsApp/ Hike.

Need to read? Quora/Reddit.

Pay bills? PayTM/ Mobikwik.

Shopping? Amazon/ Flipkart.

Television? Hotstar.

Socialize? Facebook/ Google plus.

E-mail? Gmail.

Navigation? Google.

Food? Swiggy.

Camera/Alarm/Radio/Flashlight … and what not

Life seems so easy and fast with present technology. No need to wait for letters/telegram, No more queues for bill payment, No more bargaining with Auto rickshaw drivers, No heavy charges for calling, messaging and internet. A 5 -inch device which costs as low as 3,000 rupees can do the job!

But, are there only advantages? I doubt….

Nothing in this world is perfect. So does smartphones.. There are several disadvantages and harms associated with smartphones which could be much more harmful to life than their positive effects.

Some adverse possible are:

1) Teen Tendonitis

>Excess messaging can lead to Teen Tendonitis which involves:

>Pain in the hands, back and neck

>Poor posture.

It can also lead to impaired vision and even arthritis down the line.

2) Stress

We’re like a metal piece and our cell phone is like a magnet, it attracts us whenever we’re doing anything productive. It tempts us to spend all day talking or texting, instead of doing anything productive.

3) Sleep loss

We have a habit of sleeping next to our cell phone to respond texts or calls, or to surf the internet. It leads to sleep interruption and disruption. We also become irritable when we are sleep deprived and it affects our performance and memory too.

4) Accidents

Apart from road accidents Indians have the most number of deaths in the world … ‘Selfie deaths’ actually. This sounds funny but this is really sad, it implies that we’re acting stupidly (too much) which needs to be stopped as soon as possible.

5) Cyber bullying

We find it really funny to record videos/ take photos of our friends’ embarrassing/ awkward moments but, due to the presence of vast Social media access, we sometimes end up bullying our friends unintentionally. Cyber bullying is prevalent after the deletion of Section 66A from Information Technology Act, 2000

6) Cancer

Before purchasing a cell phone, we check processor display, RAM .etc but what we ignore most of the time is the ‘SAR’ value (Specific Absorption Rate) of the phone which measures the rate of radiations energy that body tissue absorbs during cell phone use which causes cancer. It is advised to sleep away from your phone to avoid it.

7) Anxiety

Using texting as a primary mode of communication can increase anxiety. Texting is instantly satisfying, but it also produces anxiety. The instant reply by the friend can bring joy. But in case of delayed response or no response, this same pleasure turns into disappointment or misunderstanding which highly affects our social life.

Writer:- Shubham Sharma, JIMS Noida