Internet has made us slaves

I am a 90’s kid. Things have changed a lot since then. Not only in technology but there has been a huge shift in the attitude of people too, along with the advancement of technology. In the earlier days, the open field used to be our playground whereas these days we see a child glued to their desktops for hours laboring their fingertips to play all the games that they play.

I remember reading comics, playing cassettes and listening to radio. These things are almost obsolete in this generation. Earlier, friend requests were carried forward by our fellow mates rather than facebook and good news were brought to us through letters on a cycle by a postman rather than by emails. There used to be a time where there was only one television in the whole neighborhood rather than five televisions in one single house. Even though there was only Doordarshan,  people were content with whatever they had. Same was the scenario with telephones but these days on an average, everybody has their own private cell phone.

Internet has changed the whole traditional way we lived our life. It serves as a boon as well as a curse. People stay glued to their cell phones and desktops for hours browsing the social media and neglecting the real world outside. Online games are very popular these days. Children and adults too sit back at home and play for hours with people they don’t even know. But internet has gifted us with instant knowledge of anything and everything that we desire to know. It has given us a platform to share our views, opinions and talents. It has given us the space to expand one’s business and much more. But it has snatched the warmth of friendship and relationships. From citizens we became netizens and live a virtual life; a life guided by our cell phones and desktops. We are highly dependent on these machines for our day to day living.

We have become slaves of the technology we mastered. It gives me a chill when I see the park outside so quiet with no children outside and the swing’s standing still. Are we really turning into a generation of dummies with the virtual world taking us over fully? The question is still left unanswered.

Abhirup Chowdhury

(PG MEDIA 2015-2017)