Some Sundays are my lazy Sundays, and, on these days, I almost depict attributes of a snail. I do everything at snail’s pace which may include a very slow breakfast, leisure reading, sitting in balcony garden or in the swing for long time and depends on how much of a Snail I want to be. This Sunday happened to be my Lazy Sunday (I must tell you these days are not planned; they are rather impromptu-I just follow it). The snail in me chose to sit on a bench at a busy park and look around.
I was enjoying this lovely lazy Sunday morning that was filled with refreshing smell of air along with the sounds of chirpy birds. Though I was in Snail mode everyone else around were in Hare or Cheetah mode -Theory of relativity was at its peak! So instead of just looking around I took an extra step to hear what humans were talking. Most of the lone walkers were with their headsets, rest of them in either pair of two or group of three or more were using their vocal cords and phones for exchange of information or narrating their lives.
Very interesting topics surfaced up – ‘Elections’, ‘cricket’, ‘What to eat and what not to eat’, ‘How many steps should be completed in a day’, ’Vastu tips by an influencer from Instagram’, ‘What is good for a child’, ‘future education plans’, ‘Uprooted trees and heavy rains’, ‘Tips for managing diabetes’, ‘Mantras to chant’ – and this list can go on. What was fascinating is that most of their conversations were driven by social media. Some people walking together peeped into their phones every few minutes while talking to the person next to them. This is an epitome of multitasking-walk, talk, discuss and also use phone or keep scrolling it with fingers-all at same time! I must say at least 95% of the people at park were with their phones in hand.
Not that I have not seen this before but for some reason I was a little scared! If you notice carefully phones or tabs have become integral for human living globally. First thing one does on waking up is watch phone! When you step out for a family dinner or even a date at restaurants you will notice many people on their phone in pretext of taking pics, uploads on social media or checking work emails etc. They are there yet not there for the people who accompanied them! Phone is part of multitasking and its everywhere-while driving car, riding bike, eating food, working on laptop, talking to friend or family, it even accompanies a person in toilet! Some parent's handover phone for distraction to children as young as six months old. Few months ago, I noticed a lady at a stadium, she had two phones with her. She was talking to somebody on one phone which was held in right hand and scrolling the other phone which was in her left hand. I have also seen some people who keep scrolling their phones while watching a movie on television. Scroll, scroll, scroll and more mindless screen scroll!
How is it that more than 90 to 95% of people depict same behavior with their phones? Gosh are we living amidst “Scroll Zombies”! Is it a pandemic that we all are ignoring under the pretext of automation? Whatever this dis-ease is, it needs to be addressed on SOS basis before it kills relationship, physical health, emotional health and mental sanity. Is it the excessive information that leads to this screen scroll virus or there is something more under the carpet that we cannot perceive. It’s an unnoticed yet prevalent mass addiction out their which many of us are not even aware of. I don’t think the phone addicts have an iota of awareness of their addiction! The impact of screen addiction is equivalent or perhaps more than drug or alcohol addiction itself!
Well, the snail in me went inside the shell at realization of this horror. Only consolation was that I walked into the park without a phone, but it did spark a question “Am I scroll zombie too”?
This issue is way too deep rooted. While I will come back to you on this topic next week, perhaps detailing addiction behaviors and issues that arises out of phone/screen addiction, Iam also going to run few checks on my phone usage behavior this week. Until the next read I want you to observe “What do you do as soon as you wake up”? and also ask yourself "AM I A SCROLL ZOMBIE?
The author has eloquently highlighted the pervasive issue of phone addiction with keen observations and relatable examples. Their vivid portrayal of people engrossed in their screens, even in social settings, underscores a critical societal problem. By labeling this behavior as that of "Scroll Zombies," the author effectively captures the alarming nature of our collective obsession. The call to self-reflection at the end is a powerful prompt for readers to evaluate their own habits. Overall, the author's insightful and thought-provoking writing raises important awareness about the need to address screen addiction
Vijaya, this one calls for self-reflection on phone habits, urging readers to assess their own digital behaviors. Generation who are engrossed in their phones. It underscores the pervasive, unnoticed dependency on screens that disrupts real-life interactions, health, and mindfulness.,
Must say very Apt !