Daily Times

In the days of the trunk call, when international calls were placed via an operator, most of our time was spent repeating “hello”, and “can you hear me?” By the time one could get a clear audio link, the standard three-minute call time was up. That was how most Pakistanis kept abreast with their loved ones living abroad, that too, sparingly. During the 80s, not everyone in Pakistan had a landline connection so people in the neighbourhood flocked to the one home that had a phone number, often at odd times to make ‘emergency’ calls to their family members, annoying their PTCL wala padosi (neighbour). Back then we knew less about our near and dear ones but were perhaps more tightly wired through connections of the heart.

Smartphones have made our lives supremely easy — bringing the world to our fingertips. However, they have also eroded our self-dependency on vital human features, including memory, analytical skills, sharpness, and even genuine affection.

Today, the memory of a phone, its size, shape, thickness keeps metamorphosing much like the dictates of Pakistani couture. One can simply never keep up with the trends unless one buys a new phone after every few months. Pakistan now ranks amongst the top five countries worldwide with the cheapest telecom services. The offered packages are great, especially when compared to the deals offered in the west.

However, our citizens have not necessarily become more intelligent as a group or have picked up new traits. Besides our own phone number, we hardly remember any digits, which is not a good thing in the case of an emergency or even a natural disaster within our own area that affects electricity, which is vital to charging our phone. Or let us imagine a worst case scenario: the dreaded Taliban have abducted you, they confiscate your beloved cell phone and after some time, you get a surreptitious access to make a phone call but lo and behold “ap ko to koi number yaad hee nahin hai” (you don’t remember any numbers). I am so dependent on my mobile that the mere thought of misplacing my iPhone disturbs me. My mobile is pretty much an external, chargeable brain that I lug around with me everywhere.

Those mushy birthday wishes that everyone receives every year are only possible because of the birthday reminder features on our phones and social media websites. It simply is not the same as someone actually remembering the day. The previous culture of memorising such details out of sheer affection is now lost.

For the year 2016, two smartphones were mainly in the news, one for its ability to blow itself up, much like a suicide bomber, and the other for its high price, new camera and swanky look. The latest Samsung and the iPhone retail in the market for over 80 thousand rupees. Yet, people continue to purchase them to keep up with appearances, and to minimise the social awkwardness and pressure of not having the latest telecom gadget. Sitting down with a Blackberry Bold 9900 model in your circle of friends may make you the butt of many jokes.

Ideally, one should only change their phones when the old ones give way or become too slow to operate, but a blingy smartphone has now become a status symbol. In our class-conscious society, it serves as a mini bank statement, which itself is a dumbing down of the human species by keeping them tied to regressive ideas of prizing wealth over intellect.

Using google for everything has also served as a double-edged sword. The truckload of information and misinformation accessible to one has dented libraries and the centuries-old ritual of simply picking up a book. In fact, our attention span has shortened so much that we are unable to focus on one task for long with any sense of commitment.

Too many apps have spoiled the mental broth. A minute for WhatsApp, two for Twitter, and playing peekaboo with Facebook keeps people fooled into thinking that they are actually contributing to the world by heightening their own sense of importance and involvement. Social media addiction, which is what most smartphones are invariably geared towards, is a real issue now. People are excessively connected to others almost to the point of being disconnected with their own selves. Virtual world excites all our senses. It even forces us to believe that some better options can replace our spouses or friends. So we often see people pouring their heart out to complete strangers online or making up a fake life to excite others about their existence.

Let us not forget the selfie, a smartphone phenomenon, which has made us selfish. The pouts have been perfected, replacing the warmth of a genuine smile. Looking cold in pictures is the new thing. A couple of months ago, a selfie went viral on WhatsApp, it was a grandson posing with his grandfather’s corpse in the graveyard, as the family lowered the dead body into the grave. So any place and occasion would do as long as it gets us a compliment, “Wow, looking nice at your dada’s(grandfather) funeral.”

The writer is a freelance columnist with a degree in Cultural Studies and a passion for social observation, especially all things South Asian. She tweets @chainacoffeemug