Internet Anguish

Dixya Poudel

Every now and then, there are articles and publications about how the internet is changing the way people’s minds work. Couple internet with a smartphone, and there seems to be a huge debate on whether it is beneficial to individuals in the long run. While previously we had address books to note down phone numbers and contact information, now we can tap them on the smartphone. Come across a difficult word that you don’t know the meaning of? Internet or to that matter Google has you covered. Want to book a movie ticket? Simply, go online and make use of the online banking system. Longing to listen to a song on repeat that you heard on radio? Just go to YouTube or Spotify.

 It seems the smartphone apps are proliferating at an exponential rate. Such apps cater to the requirements of the users and in turn for their services, they profit via ads. We are just consumers who are being spoon fed valuable information, knowledge, services, entertainment, and so on at the click of a smartphone. Life may have become easier but is it healthier? Let’s look at it through a methodical lens. We are using less and less of our cognitive ability due to the over-prevalence of the internet. 

We try not to tax our minds that much and instead delegate tasks to machines driven by data. We might have extra time in our hands but still we are using less of our brain and more of our smartphones. Our sense of memory particularly gets a pass as we continue to rely on smartphones and the internet to extract certain pieces of information. Google is here to serve but at what cost? Instead of engaging our cognitive abilities we are instead becoming over-reliant on internet, machines and algorithms for the simplest of tasks. There is even a term for it which is ‘internet memory.’ Consequently, researchers have been trying to understand if the internet is making us smarter or dumber. 

Although internet is highly advantageous, when it comes to facilitating our lives, we are becoming increasingly mired in it. As such, the combination of internet and a smartphone isn’t fading any time soon. In fact, it could get more technologically advanced (cue AI here) and even cannier. There is a lot of money pouring in the latest tech and human minds are nothing if not innovative when it comes to profiting from investments. Then there is social media, which is perused through the smartphone and a Wi-Fi connection. Studies have shown that it is imperative to be wise when it comes to social media. 

The mantra is, the less the better but such media are created to be addictive to the users. Initially touted as a form of communication and connection, social media have become a haven for users looking for a little rest and recreation (R&R). However, a few minutes of checking the pinging notifications turn into hours of doomscrolling during which time simply slips off the fingers. The fact is human mind calls for discipline when it comes to internet perusal, otherwise, it just operates on autodrive all the while taping likes and hearts and tuning to the next viral posts. It has thus become imperative to take back our autonomy when it comes to the online sphere.