With the advent of technology in our lives, the world has become small and simpler. Communication is the key to human existence. Every person has the need and desire to be social and have people around. The invention of mobile phone has made connecting with friends and family so facile. In addition to this, conversion of phones to smart phones have made social networking reach fingertips thereby reducing the distance virtually. Facebook, twitter, skype and watsapp are all applications that allows one to make thousands of friends and connect with them anytime and anywhere. But, have these high tech applications and devices made us slaves of technology? Is it possible to live without our phones for some days and survive on old school communication techniques like writing letters and face to face communication? Living low tech for one week without my phone has given me a chance to understand importance of personal interaction and its different modes.
Lambert (2016) elaborates how the very first form of communication was voice and years later writing was invented. For far away communication, smoke signals were used by American Indians ("HISTORY OF COMMUNICATION", 2016). But, its use was very limited. Being able to express oneself is one of the greatest requirements for a human which can be accomplished through different modes. People used sign language until alphabet was invented in 1600 B.C in Lebanon and Israel (Lambert, 2016). It was only after alphabets started coming into use that proper use of language began. Many ancient world civilizations used papyrus or parchment for writing (Lambert, 2016). Development of alphabets resulted in designing of fully grown languages which gave birth to means of effective communication. Language opened paths for verbal and written interactions between people. It was now possible to communicate with people far off with written messages. Civilizations of Egypt, Persia, Rome had postal systems to deliver messages on relay of horses (Lambert, 2016). Messages were carved on stone pillars in many civilizations to let it run down centuries ("HISTORY OF COMMUNICATION", 2016). Cave paintings and drawing was another creative way of expression by early men ("History of Communication from Cave Drawings to the Web - Creative Displays Now", 2016). They used fruit juices and natural products extracts to create paintings on the walls of the cave to depict their lives ("History of Communication from Cave Drawings to the Web - Creative Displays Now", 2016). This is a long lasting way of communication as it remained preserved to be discovered later by future generations.
A person without smart phone essentially feels like going back to the same era when communication and its ways were still getting invented. Locking phone in a closet and living a week without connecting virtually to people opened new gateways for me to be in touch with others. Not only I thought of newer and innovative media with which I can interact but I realized it is a more fulfilling experience. I got a chance to meet my friends and family in person and tell them how I am feeling. In other situations, I would have just opted to message or update my status for the world to know my thoughts.
During the week without phone, I used methods of written communication for contacting people who live far. I sent postcards to some of my friends who I generally talk through phone. Also, I wrote a couple of letters to my dear ones to express my thoughts and to know about their well-being. It was a pleasant break from emails and SMSs. I used face to face interaction method for most of my communication. Conveying things directly instead of on phone added so much more value to what I wanted to say. Phone has become a huge addiction these days. Life is not easy without this device but an opportunity to discuss your feelings directly with your friends rather than on phone messages helped me express myself better and connect well. The world of social media gives you the advantage of talking to any stranger via comments or tweets. In the low tech versions of communication, the way to interact with strangers is verbal. Going phoneless gave me a wonderful chance of talking in person with those people I had only interacted online through internet. If you have to make any enquiry, one would just call the concerned office and will get information. I visited information centers or offices to get my answers.
The overall experience of this experiment was enjoyable and helped me grow as a person. Although there were points in time when I felt frustrated without phone as even a small piece of information had to be given in person by me. Mobile devices have certainly made our lives very easy. It is possible to send a message to so many people at once. You can contact any of your near and dear ones in no time using phone whereas with letters and postcards you have to wait long before your message reaches them. The part when I was not able to tell my whereabouts to anyone as I was without a phone was positive as well as negative. I could be so much myself as people cannot trace me everywhere I go. But, at the same time it was a hassle as there were times I wanted to contact my friends and family but could not.
There were two most interesting aspects of going phoneless. First, when I wrote my feelings and sent them through post. It was after long that I used this medium to communicate with anyone. Letters are old school but have a charm of their own. Not only writing letters was a good experience but expecting a letter in reply from the recipient is fun. Second, I got a chance to talk to strangers which we may also call online friends. Real world interaction helped me make some new real friends and let me understand other person effectively. This experiment taught me the difference between knowing somebody online and offline. It gives you a chance to spend time with people and talk to them. It lets you do what is known as actual communication.
In today’s digital world, survival without smart phone has become extremely difficult. Everywhere you see, people are either calling or texting. My one week without a smart phone was tough but rejuvenating. It feels like I was on a break. You don’t worry about replying to long list of chat messages, call people and give your location details, click pictures of unimportant things or waste time checking what other people are doing in their lives through social networking sites. The low tech world of communication is unfeigned. The pleasure of interactions, responses, discussions and expressions can be best obtained through verbal and face to face mode. It let me eat in peace as I was not waiting for a chat reply while having dinner. It allowed me to have a good sleep as I was not using phone in night which actually disturbs sleeping patterns. I was able to concentrate on the road while crossing because I was not texting. Life was real and different.
Imagining life without my phone was not possible but I somehow managed. The experience was enriching and liberating. I learned new things about life which this device can never teach. I read books, met people and talked to strangers. These all helped me raise my confidence. I also paid attention to the tone of the voice people use while communicating different emotions. I feel this has made me grew as a person and understand other people’s feelings. Though the usual communication methods were not followed and it put me in difficult situations at times but, I could get over the smart phone addiction and got time to experience real life. With smart phone in hand, we always worry about taking best pictures, putting location check ins, updating status and chatting but we forget the real meaning of communication. It is being able to spend time with family and people you love. This experiment proved to be fruitful for me.
References
HISTORY OF COMMUNICATION. (2016). Historyworld.net. Retrieved 26 April 2016, from http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa9
History of Communication from Cave Drawings to the Web - Creative Displays Now. (2016). Creative Displays Now. Retrieved 26 April 2016, from http://www.creativedisplaysnow.com/articles/history-of-communication-from-cave-drawings-to-the-web/
Lambert, T. (2016). A History of Communication Through The Ages. Localhistories.org. Retrieved 26 April 2016, from http://www.localhistories.org/communications.html
