Keeping Contact
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 17 Jun 2024
Dr. Ravi P. Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service
One modern method of keeping contact is by having a mobile phone and talking to your friends by it or sending messages on it. The messages can be in the form of written language (words) or photographs which may be single photos or videos on today’s wonderful apps.
The popularity of MB (Mobile Phone) can be estimated by seeing people using it whenever and wherever — even before they are going to sleep. Of course, one carries MB when going out — while driving one’s vehicle — car or bike or even a bicycle.
If one is travelling in a Metro train, the sight of people with their MBs close to their ears is a fascinating one. Most of the twenty or twenty five passengers in a coach are busy on their MBs — not aware of the other passengers on the train. If you happen to ask them why they are not conversing with the other passengers, they reply by saying what is there to talk? People are only interested to talk about money matters or talking about a scandal which they may have seen or heard . So if a person has an interesting story or event to share, they converse with fellow passengers — otherwise keep quiet except on their MB.
The sight of people busy on their phones in a public place is becoming common even at homes. In a family you talk only briefly about what you want or what you can share — otherwise you keep quiet even to the other family members. If you remark about this situation, most people will just shrug their shoulders or just say something briefly and then revert to their mobiles.
Most people are aware of this situation and don’t feel uncomfortable by this lack of communication.
One wonders — are these mobile phones for Keeping Contact or just for display of expensive gadgets . Some of these phones that people like to display are quite expensive. If someone asks for their price, you can be assured that your friends or contacts are impressed by these expensive gadgets. These gadgets — phones are doing great . They help you to converse and they help you to demonstrate your importance — by displaying these expensive gadgets that you possess.
Life changes — your methods of keeping contact also are changing.
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Dr Ravi P Bhatia is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, an educationist, Gandhian scholar and peace researcher. Retired professor, Delhi University. His new book, A Garland of Ideas—Gandhian, Religious, Educational, Environmental was published recently in Delhi. ravipbhatia@gmail.com
Tags: Cellphones, Communication, Mobile phones
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 17 Jun 2024.
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