Growing up as a millennial has been an interesting journey. Lot of things changed since the early 2000s, but one significant change is the way we interact with technology. It barely came to our notice how it evolved so rapidly and exponentially. In the past decade, we took huge strides in technology.  My first PC had 512 MB RAM. My current laptop has 4 GB; soon I look forward to upgrading to a new laptop with nearly 8 GB of it. From Nokia 2100 with barely 1 ½ inch of black and white screen, I have come all the way to the 5 inch touch screen phone. We have all come a long way from where we were. Things have changed – for better or for worse. I often wonder, now at the receiving end of nomophobia, if I am the master over technology I once was. Am I using technology for better or is technology getting the better hold of me?

Have we become a generation of tech-slaves?

Technological advances in last decade and a half have brought the world to our fingertips. They have made the world accessible to the masses. With the prowling and expansion of e-commerce websites, we can buy whatever we want straight from our living rooms. We Netflix-and-chill and YouTube whenever we want. We’ve got to be the most entertained people throughout history. They say world has become a better place. But, has it? Well! Yes, and No. Yes, because the way technology has been made things accessible to everyone, we are equipped do certain things more easily that we could have done two decades ago (Read what Billy did with it!). No, because in the midst of all this advancement, we as a society have become more hostile towards each other, more polarised in our opinion, more hateful, and lonely. Our prime time is hate-filled towards particular people. We see people lynching (and others garlanding them and applauding) because of misinformation (or agenda!). Even (or especially) on Facebook, everyone is hell bent on forcing their opinion down the others throat. We have created new ways to seek pleasure (and revenge!) and entertain ourselves but we yet are sitting right on the top of the peak of dissatisfaction. I don’t imply that the world was a beautiful place since the beginning of time (or maybe it was?) and it has become hell only in the present times. Its just that in an already chaotic life, we have caught technology by its head and have let the child in us play with the knife as it may. There is bright side to the evolution of technology and the way we interact with them. (Watch: Vishal Mangalwadi talks about Scientific Revolution) But, there is also a dark side to it. It is very important for us, especially in the current times, to invite a moment of pause and reflection. If we don’t, technology will become a tool in the hands of the carpet of our emotions which will fly places we have little control over. Often, when one is late, the damage is so bad, that only a miracle can heal it. Do you also see what I see? Have you tried to take a vacation from your mobile phone and failed at it, miserably and repeatedly? Do you find yourself capable of doing it? I’m here to put up a new challenge today – Hashtag No Nomophobia!