By Paul Philip Bucog
Perhaps it is time to say, “Our parents and grandparents were right.” I am referring to what they have repeatedly told us: “You are always on your phone!”
The echo of that line from my mother still resonates in my ears. Yet, she was right all along. How could we have ignored them? How far have our pride and ego as a generation led us astray? We ask our elders to be open-minded, yet we are often the most close-minded group of people. How shameless it is for us to criticize others as hypocrites without looking within ourselves!
It is time to acknowledge that we are not free in our use of social media. We are not. Definitely not. If we cling to the idea that we are, then we become its slaves. We have allowed ourselves to expose every detail of our lives to the vast information network, and much of this data is sold to third parties without our awareness. How far have we fallen as screen slaves that I would not be surprised to see content featuring someone’s boomerang video of stepping into a muddy puddle? Seriously, how deep has our desperation gone?
Every mundane moment — most of which should indicate privacy — does not need documentation for online posting. Are you at a basketball court at ten in the evening? Unless it’s a fiesta, what are you hoping to achieve? Someone might ask, “OMG girl! Where is that?” What will you respond? “Just near our home, but thank you for the free attention! Goodness, I am so thirsty for that!”
“Hey, let the girl do what she wants,” but that is exactly the problem. Rather than addressing the core issue, it all boils down to petty flexing of what is not. Instead of enjoying a meaningful dinner with your family, you post a picture of your “happy family” because the attention it garners seems more valuable than the conversations you could have had. We have digitized our lives to such an extent that the phrase “We’re going to our phones to escape reality” is being replaced by “We’re going outside to escape our phones.”
The internet is not all bad. As one author put it — though I cannot recall their name or where I read it — “The internet has solved our long-distance communication issues in exchange for endless access to psychological insecurities.” I would add “stimulation” after “psychological insecurities,” as we seem to prefer being spoon-fed endless amounts of dopamine while waiting in line or commuting rather than meditating through observation of the outside world. It saddens me that this trend stifles creativity and social interaction with the world around us, yet our screen slavery denies this truth!
Let us now be mindful and aware of the addiction we face with the digital trends that have become our worst enemy. We have become slaves to the internet; we are not using it to our advantage. Alas, if this continues, how can we adapt to the rise of artificial intelligence? If we refuse to confront these realities, how can we remain truly human in an increasingly digitized world?