Li-phones

Let's be frank, we cannot live without smartphones anymore, not until there are chips inside us at least. Smartphones have become a major part of our lives. Therefore, "life-phones".

We used to go out with a watch, a wallet, and a bag for heavier stuff; then we need just a phone, and now we need that, a power bank and a pair of wireless earphones. At first, it was the working class and the elderly were much irritated by it. They lost all the attention to something they don't understand. Once they, too, managed to get theirs, we see a different view. All of a sudden, we hear loud notification sounds, conversations on speaker, and video calls that sometimes are facing the wrong direction. Come third, was the children and teenagers that are always on mobile games. Imagine what comes next, when this phenomenon has finally reached the root of our society if they haven't already. We would be begging for attention, care even less, or no longer care about others.

This is a big topic so we'll try to only focus on the cultural effect this technology has brought us. The reasons we have become highly dependent on smartphones are as follows:

• work

Even if you try to fight against it, want to be different, or simply hate bringing this rectangular device with you, chances are, your job requires it. There was a time when you clock in, work, and clock out. You have private time, work time, family time. That's in the past and now they all mix. On the one hand, you get to be aggressive and it opens up some strategies you can use to be close to your clients, love interests, whatnot. On the flip side, you never really concentrate anymore, which stirs up many more issues such as family, relationships, and even mental/physical health.

• convenience

OK, you don't work or you're lucky enough to get past it for work. Wouldn't you want a one-gadget-fits-all? You call(barely), text(LINE, Whatsapp, Kakao...), make a purchase(if you have internet...but who doesn't), manage social life online(sad) and your actual life(all of the above). If anything more personalized, people should have one device for work, one for bills, one for relationships, and one for private relationships... oh wait, they already do that. Perhaps the tech companies will develop a way to literally connect different devices and create a giant one. That way, we don't need to think about getting a bigger TV every 6 months.

• business

Your job is about making money for you and business is about how people make your money. As long as there's room for more business, companies will give their best to come up with products, different versions of the same products, byproducts, potential products... and so on. When they run out of items, they'll create a revolution to replace all that you have. Sorry, it's just business.

• trend

Humans are fascinating. We must be aliens from another planet. if not, then explain why we always try to stick together just to stay apart. We always need a sense of belonging, to be in a group. Somewhere, somehow, your group starts/follows the trend, it's almost certain that you feel the necessity to do the same regardless of liking. Smartphones connect us, so we can keep off from one another until necessary.

Smartphones are great and by developing and updating applications, they're going to be around longer. As it does, we need to do the same before more problems occurred and made people in power make unintelligent decisions. We see minors be addicted to games, wearing glasses from an early age, and losing focus in real life; young girls abducted from meeting people in chatrooms; employment frauds. The fastest way people usually come up with is to ban it. No video games, and you reveal an already broken family; no online dating, and you violate the constitution; no freedom in employment, and you limit every other good company. Every time, someone will speak out the problem as the victim and we would be shocked. Someone else will demand setting up a rule or amending the law but they either don't work or won't happen. As time goes by, history will repeat itself and the people will become more and more indifferent.

Despite seeming overall negative, there is a silverling in which a balance could be found between progress and stability. Yes, you guessed it, education. That's where it all goes down. When parents fail to be parents, you get confused children who become more confused in school and society becomes confusing. As these children grow, that false concept has become their new reality, dooming us generation by generation until not one but many rises and say that "it's enough". Our hope lies in the faith that people always know what's right from wrong from the beginning. We get infected, polluted, and lost because it's simply easier to live that way. "Why preaching and starving when you could be taking advantage of the ignorant for some quick bucks? Everyone's doing it!". Unfortunately, it's becoming difficult to argue with that notion. Yes, we all have our needs for money now... but that's not why we're here.

It's not why we're here.

Don't let it control you.

#selfreflect