Phone Space
I regrettably don’t have enough physical and psychological space from my phone.
When i wake up, it’s here.
When i go to sleep, it’s there.
When i do anything, it’s everywhere.
It would be easy to blame this on years of marketing that have artificially entangled me emotionally to a 6-inch brick — but that would be unfair.
Regardless of the marketing, the manipulation, the preying upon my human psychology; it’s my own fault.
I permit my phones proximity, thus only I can deny.
It fucks with me to think that it has such a grasp over my mental wellbeing — but it does. I’ve had a smartphone from 14 years old, so naturally i’ve become accustomed to it’s presence.
But just because things are doesn’t mean they should be.
In this case, the status quo isn’t helping.
I doubt i’m the only one suffering; it’s an epidemic that’s infested the world over. Everyone I know, everyone I see, everyone period, is addicted to their smartphones. What’s worse is we all know how bad it is yet we can’t stand to peel ourselves away for a morsel of true alone time.
I firmly believe that smartphones are the root of a plethora of problems in our society — procrastination, pornification, mental-health problems, anxiety & more.
It’s a drug like no other, only the marketing’s slicker and the side effects are less perceivable. LOOK a new camera!!! LOOK a new processor!!! LOOK a brand new shiny brick!!!
Nothing’s marketed like the smartphone.
The advertisements illustrate a joyous picture in which we use our smartphones to capture serene moments of connection with friends. In reality, smartphones are primarily used for scrolling through social feeds, distracting ourselves from the real world, and violently jacking off to a pixelated screen.
Luckily, my addiction’s less severe than most.
My average screen time sits around 3 hours, i don’t have any social media (bar this) and i abstain from porn.
I know of those much worse, and of those much better.
I aspire to be better.
This post was never meant to inspire, to inform, or to educate. It’s simply a reconciliation of my innermost thoughts as i struggled to pull myself away from my phone this morning.
The problem with smartphones is the paradox they present; you need them for almost everything but they inhibit any real progress of anything.
They’re built to distract and divert, to direct your attention to the newest, best, most exciting piece of content that’ll keep your eyes on the screen for long than you ever imagined.
Oh look here’s something shiny, what’s that over there? Clickbait headlines? Eye-catching thumbnail?
They’re the antithesis to focus. If you didn’t have ADHD before, you do now. Smartphones are the king of instant gratification and with them so indelibly involved in your life, you’ll never be able to think long-term.
For me, it’s time to look away for a while. It’s time to boot-up the old flip-phone; let’s play snake and forget about TikTok.
I need some Phone Space for a while.
As Always,
Yours Honestly,
Commodore Pipas
