Category: Club House Discussion

28 Nov 2015 01:10

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Tuned in, tuned out - how gadgets are making us disembodied entities

Nowadays everyone with a mobile phone or iPod seems to be tuned in to their devices, but tuned out of what is happening around them don't you think? That is, they are so fixated on checking out messages and browsing on their smartphones or listening to music on iPods, they are not really in sync with what's going on around. For example, let's say you are chatting with a group of friends. At least one or two of them will surely be fiddling with their smartphones. Suddenly, they will ask, "What are you laughing about?" This will be like about a minute after something funny has been said and, naturally, they were not attuned to the conversation at all. It is like as though they are disembodied entities not physically present near you!

As I mentioned in my other thread, it is really good to have a landline phone to which one cannot be physically so attached that one loses track of things going around you in real time.

#23233

28 Nov 2015 16:56

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While I agree that there has been an increased attachment to the gadgets, I am sorry to differ from your contention that a land line phone is better than a mobile phone. A mobile phone has a lot of practical usages, but it should be used judiciously. The very fact that you can communicate with the people you would wish to while on the go should be the numero uno point.
Maybe it's a prejudice, but I feel you have a few misconceived notions about mobile phones and allied gadgets. They are not only for selfies and songs. There are lot many benefits they can offer. They help you in navigation when you visit new places. I, for one, always use the feature whenever I visit an unknown location.

Live....and Let Live!

#23234

28 Nov 2015 20:29

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I think what Vandana means to say is not about the features, but the way gadgets are creating a distance in the emotional relationships. Out of no reason people have started ignoring the one in front, and is always involved in something which can be attended later.

The focus of life has shifted from real and personal state of affairs into virtual and impersonal ones. People might have become too timid to commit to any emotional involvement. People are been replaced by gadgets as companions. And this state of affair isn't going to lead us anywhere good. At the end of the day, one would keep feeling dissatisfied, as real human interactions are becoming rare. That is the "disembodied state" she is talking about.

#23236

29 Nov 2015 01:35

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I can very well understand the underlying thoughts behind Vandana's comments - I don't think I can buy that part of the response which compares a land line to a smartphone. A smartphone is always way ahead of a land line. I agree that there are people who have been too much centred around a gadget. But does the thread not appear as if we are blaming the devices for being " tuned off" than doing so with the users?

Live....and Let Live!

#23237

29 Nov 2015 04:34

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Timmappa, Anwesha got what I was trying to say. I am not comparing the two in this thread in the sense that the landline is better in terms of its functionality. I am speaking in terms of how at least a landline is not such that we need to constantly check it like is done for a mobile phone. The landline does not interfere with simple things like having a conversation or enjoying something together.

To elaborate: A family sits down for a meal. Instead of enjoying the meal and talking about sundry things, somebody or the other will be checking his/her mobile phone. Same occurs when watching a TV program together. Even in a college canteen, one often sees groups eating & chatting, but in-between they will be constantly checking out their devices. Why not just enjoy the company of friends?

Regards,
Vandana

#23241

29 Nov 2015 20:06

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@Timmappa, as Vandana said, she isn't comparing about the benefits of having a landline phone over the mobile.

Now as you say, that, it is the user who makes things go wrong is mostly correct, but I think there has to be something wrong in the technological make of these gadgets because of which almost every user is more or less behaving in the same manner.

Though I am nowhere related to science, but common sense indicates that the electro- magnetic waves in the mobile phones must be having something to do behind such behavior. And from that aspect a landline is hundred percent safer a gadget for the overall good of human race, though it isn't "a super smart and convenient gadget".

So keeping in mind about the user's responsibility, this thread hopefully has the potential of creating and spreading some awareness so that people don't fall into the trap of the addictive waves of smartphones.

#23242

30 Nov 2015 00:08

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I doubt the addiction as such has got anything to do with electromagnetic waves! I just feel that since it is a device that can remain nearby and is portable, as against the landline phone, it is always within reach. In my house, if we are watching a TV program and the landline phone rings, none of us move if the program has reached an interesting point!! We simply ignore it and let it ring till it stops. We know that whosoever it was is likely to call again a few minutes later. In the case of the mobile phone, what I find is that if my sister's mobile phone rings and it is within reach, then she will answer it. However, if it is in another room, then she may not feel compelled to get up right away and go find it. She will wait till the ad break comes in the program. So perhaps if people did not keep their mobile phones near them or keep them switched off altogether while eating, conversing and the like, it would not be such a nuisance as a distraction from what is happening in the present.

Regards,
Vandana

#23244

30 Nov 2015 02:35

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Points:	19194

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Yes of course Vandana. Any gadget should be used like a gadget and we should not be slaves in hands of them. The modern trend has forgotten the alert that was created so uniquely and so correctly through the story of Frankenstein. Today, we are becoming a puppet in the hands of technology, whereas it should have happened the other way round.

#23245

30 Nov 2015 06:13

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I do agree to what Vandana has been pointing out. But, at the same time we should not forget the need for staying connected. So switching your mobile off will not be a good idea to solve this issue.
The biggest culprit is the mobile Internet and the so called selfie craze. The initial crazy addiction to selcies has now been more aggravated and turned to be become more vicious. Switching off the mobile data for a fixed amount of time can help you stay connected to your surroundings. As far as my personal experience goes, I make it a point to switch the mobile data off for specific periods of time. And since the data is put off, the mobile stays quiet at a corner without beeping intermittently with notifications after notifications. And I just don't feel like picking it up to check it out.
But, yes - you need to have a strong resolve to keep the data switched off for a particular period. It's just like you would try quitting a bad habit - email the addiction to tea, coffee or smoking. You need to steel yourself for a couple ofrom days initially and once you succeed, you can be sure of keeping up with the resolution.

Live....and Let Live!

#23248

30 Nov 2015 21:14

Joined:	24/03/2013
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Points:	6911

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Yes, switching off the device will help one tune out. I find it especially startling to see how people are so careless of their own safety while, say, crossing a road, so intent are they on checking out their mobile phone. Their head will be down, looking at the screen, rather than checking if it is safe to cross. This is yet another example of being tuned out to external happenings.

Regards,
Vandana

Tuned in, tuned out - how gadgets are making us disembodied entities

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