Is your Smartphone taking over your life?

A week or so ago, I had a dream that I lost my smartphone. This is vaguely what happened.

I am starting to realize that maybe my Smart Phone really is now smarter than me. I have to admit, it’s an addiction.

I was rushing to catch a flight to somewhere and during the security process or something the unthinkable happened. My smartphone was either misplaced or stolen. And I boarded the aircraft feeling vulnerable, exposed, frightened, and very lonely staring at the headrest in front of me in complete disbelief. Because a smart phone is not just a phone anymore. It’s your diary, your appointments, your GPS, your entertainment, your alarm clock, your picture album, your flashlight, your weather gauge, your computer, your beacon, and your best friend. And mine was gone. Forever. Life without my smartphone was unimaginable – or so it then seemed.That’s when it occurred to me. I don’t think I can live without my phone anymore and it’s slowly taking control over my life. With the advent of the Smart Phone has come the beginning of our journey toward becoming paperless and relying on fewer gadgets. I started to think of the many uses that I now use this one gadget for as compared to the paper and other electronic gadgets. I am starting to realize that maybe my Smart Phone really is now smarter than me. I have to admit, it’s an addiction. However, I choose to see it as a good addiction. My theory is as long as I don’t check it while I am having a meal or visiting with friends or even while at work, I don’t have a problem. If I am at home, it usually sits in another room from where I am at, so I am telling myself that I can be without it at my hip.But, the important question is, can I really live without my phone and is it really smarter than me? I have illustrated a few points to figure that out.

1. Remembering birthdays and other important dates: Without my smartphone I would never be able to remember the birth dates of many close friends and family. I would also never remember a meeting, special occasion or any other important date in the calendar

2. Better memory than me for sure: Most people I know easily have problems remembering things. So a phone actually does it for you, better than you ever could. That could be a photo, text message or email. I could imagine you walking into work on a Monday morning knowing that the obvious question is coming, ‘what did you get up to at the weekend?’ You’ll often freeze at this point and remember maybe three of the possible twenty points of interest from your weekend. Later on your will head to the photos and texts on my mobile and remember it all! Isn’t it true?

3. It’s your alarm clock: Gone is my bedroom clock. My favorite function is the fact that I can set alarms for different days. So weekends I don’t worry about forgetting to turn 

off my alarm, as I set it 5 months ago to not go off on weekends

4. Music Player: gone are my old sources for listening to music. Everything is loaded on my phone which I then play though my car stereo system. Also gone are any physical CD’s and their cases. We took those to the library and donated them about two years ago.

5. Besides the above, there are days when people don’t actually converse face to face with anyone but actually have long conversations ONLY over text messages. Then of course, there is also the GPS or the maps which completely outdo your own navigation skills.

Obviously, there are many more Smart Phone applications available that are replacing physical things with a digital equivalent. You just need to look to see what interest you or will make you more efficient, productive and less likely to carry more stuff. Truth be told, if I have to admit, I would say that my Smart Phone is smarter than me and maybe I really cannot live without my phone. But I am also thankful as it is allowing me to spend more time with my friends and family because I now only have to worry about ONE very smart gadget!