Editor’s Note: Nishit Agrawal is a writer for www.thestorylane.com
Imagine living through a pandemic some 100 years ago! Truly very difficult for the human mind to comprehend. An age without technology, without physical meetings and most importantly without instant gratification.
Today, the phrase “Technology has brought the world closer” is rather an understatement and underestimates what technology has been capable of. We are not only being brought closer but are being provided with our desires, needs or wants, whatever you want to call it, with just a few clicks and swipes. Are you hungry? A few clicks and you have your food delivered to your doorsteps in a matter of minutes! Short of clothes? Few minutes of scrolling and you have a beautiful dress for yourself! Feeling lonely? A few swipes and you have a date!
Technology has affected us greatly and the digitalization it has brought along has made it so much easier for anyone to access it, from literally anywhere. Today, who cares about looking for real answers? Google has easy answers to each and everything. Sitting or maybe even laying on a bed in a very uncomfortable position doesn’t matter until and unless you are lost browsing the endless length of Internet borne digitised content.
For the youth today, digital content in itself is enough for every entertainment they sought. Movies, music, singing songs together, playing games, communication, specific meetings, learning, teaching, streaming, earning money, starting a business, acquiring skills, everything is possible with a single click, single touch or a single swipe on the screen.
It’s only when smartphones either run out of battery or are not accessible to us, we give ourselves a break and the mind takes one heavy breath of relief and resorts to nothingness. There is a fine line between robots and humans and the line that distinguishes the same is the creative side of a human mind. Humans get tired, of learning, of having fun, of studying and of constantly being occupied.
We need to learn to distinguish ourselves in a more formidable manner and make sure we understand nothing comes with only advantages. Every element in human life has its own set of pros and cons and the same is in the case of Digital Media. If this is the pace at which the youth keeps consuming digital media, unfortunately we are in for a very one-sided growth in life. It is high time that we understand we are much more than what we see in the online bubble and creativity blooms only when the regular stops.