Smart love

Do I love my smartphone? Yes. Can I go without it for a few days? Definitely. How about forever? Probably not. Today, the smartphone has overtaken our lives. It’s the Holy Grail of everything-in-one device— calendar, clock, address book, notepad, camera, video recorder, movie theater, music player, fitness tracker, translator, dictionary, encyclopedia, calculator, weather tracker, map, navigator and so much more than we, human beings, could have ever imagined to be compressed in one device.

But are smartphones making us smarter? Or dumber?

We only need to snap a photo of anything we want to remember—a street sign, a storefront, a face, a memorable quote. The ability of this device to document anything we want to file away into our memory seems perfect.

But when we shift the responsibility of remembering from our brains to our devices, do we actually enhance our memory capabilities? Or do we diminish them? When everything can be stored on our phones, what else is left in our brains?

Are smartphones making our lives better? Or worse?

Smartphones have succeeded in diminishing our attention span due to the breakneck speed with which they deliver information to us but they have also increased our ability to multi-task.

I can do my job from anywhere around the world and even while I’m on a speedboat on the Mekong River. But when a device makes you available 24/7 anywhere on Earth, there is tragically no end to your workday.

Are smartphones making us healthier? Or sicker?

It’s been said that our brains get a hit of dopamine or serotonin—chemicals linked to happiness—every time our phones beep or ring. Some notifications do bring me joy. But some days, I just want to turn them all off—because some days, I need some space and silence.

Sadly, in this digital age of instantaneous communication, workaholics like me feel foolishly compelled to view and respond to notifications when we hear them. But even our nervous systems need some downtime.

Are smartphones aiding or enslaving us? Smartphones have become ubiquitous personal companions and assistants. They’ve made themselves indispensable so that without them, we are almost incapable of functioning. Why do we experience separation anxiety when our phones are out of sight?

I love my smartphone. And I can definitely go without it for a few days. Some days, in fact, I actually want to toss it out the window. But I’m not likely to do that because my smartphone has brought me a lot of joy and I now sort of feel incomplete without it.

But I just realized that this device, despite the stuff of dreams that it has given me, has a dark side. I can no longer live without it, though. And it escapes me why when I did perfectly well without it—before it came into my life.

Strangely, this feels like love—but not for a phone.

Smartphones have succeeded in diminishing our attention span