By: Neerja Caprihan
It’s a world brimming with screens right now. If you are reading this, it is quite likely that you are looking at one right now. Like all technology, they keep evolving – for the better (or perhaps worse?). What was once a CRT, became a Plasma and continued taking bigger strides with LCD, LED, OLED and their tribe, as each one got a chic makeover given the progress in technology and the passage of time. As the mounted TVs become bigger and classier, the screens held in hand get smaller and sleeker. The computer monitors and video games have seen a similar trajectory. The irony is, that in the midst of these advancements, other things that also became small are the levels of patience, attention and retention of the consumers. And the one thing that continues to get worryingly smaller is the average age of a large number of users of these products.
The term ‘couch-potato’ has been around for more than 20 years, if not more. And it is still relevant, given the variety of screens that have invaded our lives, integrated themselves into our daily routines and made us into sedentary creatures who reach out for one at any time of the day out of force of habit. Health specialists everywhere are trying to underscore the importance of reduced screen time in favor of an active, healthy and otherwise fulfilling lifestyle. Parents and psychologists are equally unnerved about the impact of screen time on the younger generation, that is leading to a worrying disconnect with reality, and an alarming range of mental, social, behavioral or psychological problems.
In The Terminal 1, the protagonist is stranded at an airport terminal because his country is no longer officially recognized due to political strife. The way the world is going, a more plausible occurrence to cause a similar outcome would be if the technology involved in the processes simply failed. If the screens everywhere turned blue one fine day, the aftermath would be rather gray. It’s not a sci-fi scenario, but a real possibility. As a recent episode 2 reminded us. The industries that rely on specific tech, certain companies and ubiquitous products that have penetrated deep into our lives, are too many to count. It is outright disturbing how we are increasingly held to ransom by a large proportion of tech devices that we are supposed to have the power to control.
Technology outshines itself admirably with each passing day. It continues to be a source of livelihood, convenience and excitement to all. It makes for great investing – check out Technology (index-tracker), Technology (stocks), Digital Innovation, Telecom and other such IA offerings like in the field, that encompass a vast range of portfolios from different providers. The awe-inspiring advancements in science and technology are a tribute to the human intellect and can-do attitude of the human spirit. Like most inventions, the problem does not lie with the screen, or the gadget, or the technology. A funny way to describe the core issue is by drawing a parallel with what is known as PEBKAC in the IT world. Essentially, the problem is the user; you and me.
So let’s be objective and honest. As we allow a variety of tech to make its way into our homes and routines, in a bid to make life convenient, or simply move with the times, we have forgotten where and how to draw the line. The thing we need to change slowly then is not a less-than-perfect screen, but our own pixelated and myopic vision.
Footnotes:
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terminal/
2https://edition.cnn.com/business/live-news/global-outage-intl-hnk#h_4ceaf8404a838b4955f80821619c33ac
PHOTO CREDIT https://www.shutterstock.com/g/gorodenkoff
VIA SHUTTERSTOCK
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