My Phone, My Tool, Not My Master

We live in a digital age, and if someone were to ask me how long I can stay without my phone, my response would depend on what I'm doing and where I'm. And that's because the era we are presently in is run by technological devices, such as our phones, computers, and the like, and we must come to the understanding that as we go deeper into their current evolution, that phone isn't just for texting or making calls; beyond that, it has become a core part of our daily lives, and to respond to today's prompt, I'll share my response to the questions presented, so without further ado, let's get to it.

Personally, I must start by saying that my phone is very important to me in many things, such as as a means to communicate with my friends and family, write and share my thoughts as a blogger and content creator, do research and use it as instructional materials for my students as a teacher, and keep important information such as documents, photos, and the like. And that's why on many occasions I can pick up my phone with the intention of doing just one thing, and before you know it, I've deviated into other things, like watching videos, strolling through social media, and many more, to name but a few; however, that doesn't mean I'm not disciplined or can't control how I use my phone and related devices.

In fact, to be honest, there's nothing bad in using technical devices, as they were created for the exact use; the problem lies when we let them carry away all of our time and not do necessary things because we've been overly engrossed on the phone. It's also a problem when you are literally uncomfortable whenever you're not with it or unable to press it. There are people who become reckless because their phone battery dies or because they're forbidden from pressing it. That shouldn't be the case because it's called a cellphone and doesn't mean we should let it lock us up like we're in an actual cell.

Talking about myself, I actually believe I can go hours without touching or pressing my phone, especially when there's no notification coming in and I've something important to do, like teaching, spending time with family, or reading. But that doesn't mean I'm not a heavy user of phones. Being a content creator and a teacher means I have to use my phone and computer more often. Why? Because those two jobs require me to use the phone to get the job done; for instance, I need my phone to write my thoughts to be shared on my social media, and I also need my phone to do research in my subject. Being a computer teacher, we all know digital stuff evolves by the day, and I need to stay up-to-date to be able to share quality information with my students and not outdated ones.

So in a nutshell, I can go without my phone for house, but when I'm less busy and have nothing to do, I often have the temptation to pick it up. Even when I've got no notification during that period, I might get bored due to not doing anything and need my phone to entertain me via movie, game, watching movies on it, or just strolling through the internet to get the latest news. Most important for reasonable usage of these devices, we all need to find time to disconnect from these devices, and such moments can be spent without family, reading books, taking a walk, or just sitting quietly to observe our environment or rest our eyes from too much screen time.

The reason why many of these technological devices were made is to make life easier, not to control our attention, so don't be too dependent on your phone. Personally, I'm not dependent on it because I always strive to strike a balance between screen time and off-screen time despite the fact that my job revolves around it, so let's all work towards how to strike a balance when it comes to using these devices. We should make use of it without allowing it to be used instead.

All photos are generated using ChatGpt.