In the heart of a buzzing city where the rhythm of life synchronizes with the pulse of technology, everyone is glued to their phones.
It's a scene that unfolds daily. Individuals walk the streets with their heads bowed and their eyes fixed on the glowing screens cradled in their palms.
From the moment we wake up, we reach for our devices, eager to reconnect with the digital world that awaits us.
At first, it was just a few minutes here and there — a quick peek at our emails, a quick scroll through social media or a short game to pass the time.
But soon, those minutes turned into hours and hours turned into days.
The average time spent daily on a phone, not counting talking on the phone, has increased in recent years, reaching a total of 4 hours and 30 minutes as of April 2022, according to Statista. This figure is expected to reach around 4 hours and 39 minutes by this year.
With a swipe or a tap, we unlock a door to infinite possibilities — a universe of information, communication and entertainment all at our fingertips.
On crowded sidewalks and busy train stations, the sight is everywhere: a sea of faces illuminated by the soft glow of screens and fingers dancing across smooth touch screens.
Whether we’re checking emails, scrolling through our social media feeds or watching the latest viral videos, everyone is absorbed in their digital bubble and oblivious to the world around them.
Even in moments of relaxation — a quiet coffee break, a stroll through the park, a walk with a hyperactive dog — phones remain ever-present, it's a habit engraved in our daily lives.
Phone usage has become a natural human instinct. As time progresses, it becomes a step in human evolution rather than just a bad habit.
Our phones are robotic extensions of us, we take pictures and videos for all big moments in our lives so we “don't forget” rather than relying on our own memories.
Moments that are supposed to be intimate — going on a date, celebrating a birthday or attending a funeral — phones are in our hands.
People spend a little over 76,500 hours of their lives staring at a cell phone screen, roughly 8.74 years, according to a Nov. 24, 2020 article by The Hour.
People became so engrossed in their virtual lives that they forgot to look up, to connect or to experience the beauty of the world outside their screens.
But what forces us to remain tethered to our devices? To sacrifice moments of solitude and connection for the virtual world?
For some, it's the dopamine rush that comes with each like, comment or share.
For others, it's the fear of missing out or the anxiety that accompanies the thought of being disconnected from the digital world.
Amid the endless scrolls and swipes, there exists a profound sense of disconnection.
Despite the illusion of intimacy fostered by social media, I find myself feeling lonelier and more isolated than ever, craving genuine human connection in a sea of digital noise.
And yet, there are moments — brief moments — when the spell is broken, when we lift our eyes from their screens and rediscover the beauty of the world around us.
In those moments, we see the sun setting, feel the gentle breeze, see couples holding hands and hear the laughter of children echoing through the streets.
It's a gentle reminder from the universe that life exists beyond our devices.
True connection is found not in pixels and algorithms but in the shared moments and the simple joys of human interaction.
And so, as the sun sets on another day in the digital age, there remains a glisten of hope.
I hope that amid the endless chatter of texts and tweets, people will remember to look up, disconnect from their screens and reconnect with one another to embrace the beauty of the world outside their phones.
