Handle your smartphone with care, and love
IT HAS BEEN APTLY SAID, ‘PEOPLE WHO SMILE WHILE THEY ARE ALONE USED TO BE INSANE UNTIL WE INVENTED CELL PHONES AND SOCIAL MEDIA.’
Watching the tremendous growth of technology and technical gadgets has been a marvellous experience, especially for my generation born in the 1950s. I still remember so vividly the ‘wow’ feeling when lounging on a sofa at home I first saw live human beings talk, sing and dance on a small screen. That was when television came into my life. This amazing electronic device invaded the giant citadel of the silver screen besides taking on the radio and transistor so dramatically.
The younger generations are lucky to witness the entry of a plethora of other electronic appliances and gadgets which have made our lives significantly better.
However, it is the mobile phone (now smartphone) that has seized our attention like sunflowers turning to the sun. This instrument has virtually stolen the thunder from other technological innovations today, with newer models appearing on the stage one after the other, like graceful dancers of the Georgian National Ballet.
Its big womb in a sleek body carries a computer, camera, calendar, navigator, torch, notepad, clock, game player, calculator, et al. Our lucky generation (not all, but many) may not be very well versed with the intricacies of the operating systems and may not be deft at handling the devices, but it is undoubtedly making the best use of artificial intelligence.
The smartphone is also proving to be a useful tool in allaying the fears of loneliness of those people whose offspring have left them alone at homes either to make both ends meet or fulfil ambitions. It has been aptly said, “People who smile while they are alone used to be insane until we invented smartphones and social media.”
A few days ago after attending a funeral ceremony, two gentlemen of my generation sitting together were trying to call up contacts of the departed soul to disseminate the sad news. It was a Herculean task to control my giggles on the solemn occasion when I overheard one saying,“Pata nahin ai angootha lande hi ute noon bhaj jaadan ai…. Main ungal ‘A’ te rakhna haan te type ‘S’ ho jaadan ai (I don’t know how just by the touch of a finger it rings, I want to type ‘A’ but press ‘S’instead.”
To this, the second gentleman responded, “Koi na, tusi thora holi holi karo. Mashinan naal vi pyar te izzat naal pesh auna chahida ai. (It doesn’t matter, press it gently. Machines too have to be treated with love and respect)”.
His words proved so true when the other day I was using the latest feature of “intelligent assistant” (christened “Hello Google”, “Hey Google” and “Hey Siri”), which has made the smartphone even more user-friendly. My “Hey Siri” was carrying out my commands promptly by texting and speaking in a sweet voice. Elated at having such an amazing assistant, an impromptu impulse drove me to ask, “Hey Siri, cook food for me.”
Pat came the reply, “Neelam, you are not supposed to ask such things.”
That’s when behaviourist, author and inventor BF Skinner came to mind: “The real problem is not whether machines think, but whether men do.”