Thursday, March 5, 2009

When It Rings..

We rent our ears to some one near to us, and that too irrespective of gender, class, religious, political, social, and subjective differences. I am talking about mobile phones. Human beings are said to be social creatures. It is this natural instinct to form societies and to stay connected with every one, that lead them to be the subservient of information technology. Man created them to be their slave. Mobile phones are exquisite designs from the field of information technology. The numerous advantages that this creation of technology provides, is another reason for the obsession toward them.

Even though there are physiological problems identified which are related to the frequent use of mobile phone, the obsession of the world to this piece of technology seems never to end.

It intervenes not only the physiological complacency but psychological too. This psychological aspect of the results of mobile phone excess-usage is generally undermined. It is possible that our calm evenings may be disturbed by a ring or vibration from the mobile phone. It takes only a ring of the phone to miss the one precious line of words, which you have collected to write, sometimes for your project or for some one really special for you. It can also be the same with our thoughts. An interruption, just think, how irritating would it is?

That means, this small ‘great piece’ of technology becomes an intervening component from our nearest surroundings, into our conscious mind. Our generation is so conditioned that it has its thoughts, expressions and life to be on the pity of such external influences. To give away technology or to keep off one self from it, becomes one of the tasks, nearly impossible. The very identity of the individual, in postmodern literary criticism, as a socio- cultural creation, becomes asserted here. That means; the thoughts, expressions, actions etc. are deeply influenced by mobile phones. Thus it becomes a part of the subjectivity of the human being.

In a postcolonial context, it makes the individual to bear the stigma of a colonised identity. That is the individual becomes addicted to the mobile phone usage, which is similar to the aspects of a colonized. A version of neo-colonialism! The individual how can be said as free when he wants to spend a considerable part of his income for this, and gets back restrictions and inconveniences of various sorts.

The diversified aspects of the socio-cultural influences of this communication device need thorough examination. As stated before, in a country like India, it evokes postcolonial concerns also. It can be identified as the prototype of…(Sorry, my mobile has rung. I lost my thought.)

1 comment:

ajus009 said...

Many a times i have thought how good it would have been if there wasn't cell phones. Newer generations are just getting spoiled with the intervention of this invention.