How 'smart'phones continue to get the better of us

Not for the first time, I sit here in the fading evening light and ponder how a piece of metal can end up wrecking people's lives. Yes, I'm speaking of smartphones, our constant companions these days. Honestly, it is saddening how the masses have taken to this portal of endless distraction. Despite thoughtful 'posts' that occasionally pop up as warnings against the dangers it poses, we quickly disregard them, or give a 'like' and go on scrolling. So disconcerting to see people sitting next to each other, but totally ignoring their company,choosing the virtual ,momentary pleasure instead. Even the elderly, who take pleasure in moral policing the younger generation, now seem at ease with a cellphone in their palms. Everywhere you go, selfies are being taken in the most unlikeliest places you would have chosen a decade back, while doing the most mundane of activities. With a billion people willing to share every moment of their lives with strangers, how could social media giants like Facebook and Instagram not crash from time to time? It is laughable, if you look at it from a detached perspective.
In recent times, there has been an increasing awareness of how the exposure to manipulated images and manufactured lives on social media has caused or worsened psychological conditions like anxiety and depression, among teenagers and young adults. And in response, there continues to be a blizzard of inspirational quotes crowding one's 'feed' on a daily basis, to a level that is nauseating. But it also gives hope that there are some users out there who haven't entirely shed their humanity to better befriend their gadgets.
The emotional disconnect gradually necessitated by this fixation with smartphones reminded me of a song from Zoya Akhtar's latest directorial, Gully Boy:

Ab dekho toh hum paas lekin
Socho kitni doori hai
Ab kaisi yeh majboori hai
Ab socho kitni doori hai ...       ('Doori', Gully Boy)

Signing off in that contemplative mood for now.