Coming out of an addiction is not an easy task. Without a doubt, one of the toughest addictions to break is the ‘device addiction.’ To reiterate, it is ‘the device’ addiction and not ‘a.’ This is so because, face it, every one of us has this addiction to gadgets.
The most commonly used device is, of course, the phone. At this age, it is near impossible for anyone to not use their phone at least once in a day. Phones, also known as the ‘Weed of Gadgets’ (a clear reference to the substance and not the ‘plant in the wrong place’), are now an essential everyday item. We use it to call, text, play, listen to music, watch movies, and even to find love (Tinder, anybody?). We usually use the camera in our phones to capture memories at that moment because nobody in their right mind lugs a camera around all the time. This irreplaceable device is small enough to be carried around in your pocket, so it’s not an inconvenience to take it wherever you go (including the toilet, which is where people accidentally drop it while browsing).
The television comes in a close second place. Since its invention in 1927, the telly (as the British say) has now become a staple in almost every home and is useful for many things. The ‘baby-sitter’ (as many busy parents call it) can be used to keep a child occupied and to not come and bother them. Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, Roald Dahl does call it an ‘idiot box’ and says that it spews nonsense. I guess Mr. Bean just wasn’t his cup of tea. Many people justify their TV watching by saying it’s for informative purposes, but I’m not sure how much one can really learn from watching Fast and Furious 7. Maybe, it teaches not to drive cars off planes… News channels are also a reason why many turn on their TVs but that does not mean it has to be on all the time.
The computer is the device that has, in fact, won the bronze medal. Not particularly common among younger children and the elderly, computers are usually used for work.
PCs are used in almost all professions due to their dexterity and usefulness. There is, after all, nothing that cannot be done on the Internet.
Breaking such addictions are very hard and cannot be achieved in a day. Substituting one addiction with maybe a better one is a good method. To those device addicts, why not put down your phone and stop to smell the flowers? Maybe, you trip on nature and be a slave to its lasting beauty. Too much device time is boggling the minds of the youth of our society. Recently, my two-year-old cousin called a moth a butterfly. Must be too much of ‘Bubble Guppies’ which made him so.
Reading could also be a fair addiction to come out of devices. After all, that is what people used to do before the real onset of technology. Reading, by itself, can take you to different worlds and expand your knowledge and creativity. The activity is also very fun and to those who haven’t done it, let me take the liberty of recommending it.
To all those who are trying to break their addictions, you’ll need all the luck you can get. In today’s world, not using at least one device throughout the day is almost impossible. It literally can’t be done. If someone can do that, it’s amazing. I’m hypocritical enough because I myself probably can’t do that in a million years. Technological devices have now been incorporated into our everyday lives in such a way that we cannot ignore those even for a day. So, the mantra is like: grow one good addiction to kill a bad one.
