24 Hours without My Smartphone: How I am dealing with Smartphone addiction.
I removed the two Sim-cards, slowly realizing that I had no extra phone to accommodate the second Sim-card; still I did not let that discourage me. This was me on a beautiful Tuesday morning, sick and tired of the ‘distractions’ and ‘isolation’ that I was adjusting to by being almost addicted to my lovely smartphone.
Mobile data costs have crashed in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, in about a year prior and even the present rising cost of acquiring a smartphone due to the unfavorable exchange rate, has not in any way affected the number of people jumping on the bandwagon of ‘distraction’ and ‘Isolation’, that the smartphone offers.
At first, it was cool and it quickly became a way to kill boredom, as you can virtually get connected to anyone, anywhere around the world, sharing pictures, videos, tweeting, voting and protesting. All these however are the crux of it; as I suddenly realized how lonely I have been despite being amidst people, how distracted I have been while watching the TV programmes that I used to love and how my health has been suffering because I still lay in bed with my phone at moments when I am meant to rest! It was like being addicted to drugs! My heart was always longing for the smooth touch of my sleek phone every evening after work. It got so bad that it affected my once-vibrant reading culture; I get constantly interrupted by this technological beauty (or beast as It turns out) often while trying to read up any book.
Anyway, I got tired of the ‘BS’ and I got rid of the phone-I gave it out to someone in need of it; a good gesture right? After all, it is written that we should give and we will get more in return. Funny, I think I know what you are thinking right now *laughing*. So, here I am 24 hours after, ruminating on my actions and thinking of how I should have done it better. I knew very well that my career is solely built on technology and that smartphone has been the mobile window serving as its interface. Well, I was back in the year 1997 while living in 2017 and I my decision to get rid of my phone was one taken too far!
It occurred to me that we are the first generation to experience this particular type of major technology shift and it’s been hard for us to adjust because we had experienced a life without these gadgets-a sane life. What then is the way out? Discipline!
Discipline:
1. To ensure that I do not do anything with the smartphone at anytime past 10pm at night and before 7am in the morning.
2. To ensure that I do not touch the phone when in the middle of a conversation with anyone (I must place it in flight mode).
3. To ensure that resting for me does not involve lying down and operating the smartphone. I don’t even want to take the phone to bed anymore!
4. To ensure that I keep my smartphone away whenever I am in church (I might have to leave it at home before heading to church).
The truth is that smartphone and internet connectivity has become a necessity and no longer a luxury to us in Africa and the rest of the world as well. Therefore, we must find a way to live with it.
Technological advancement has made our lives easier, but it shouldn’t take living away from us.
We need to make sure that our humanity and sanity remain intact in the wake of the technological breakthroughs. Therefore, I am suggesting that we have boot-camps (maybe outside of city centers) where people can come together without any technological gadgets (especially smartphones), every quarter or so, to connect and gain perspective, pretending it’s the year 1997!
I feel much better writing this article as I am without my smartphone as at the time of writing this. I saw my career and life from another perspective without my smartphone.
Please comment if you are in the same shoe or you disagree with me or you can simple like this if it resonates with you.
