I never enjoyed those zombie movies. Somehow I found the idea of zombies itself disgusting. I mean, they are ugly, technically dead, but also not completely senseless. They aren’t free humans; almost like something possesses them, and they remain unaware of it.
When I see younger humans (that counts even children) today, a lot of them remind me of those zombies. They are oversensitive, impatient, addicted to instant gratification, etc. Now, before you presume I am overreacting, hear me out.
Technology makes information increasingly available with each passing generation. Printed newspapers used to be the primary source of information for my dad’s generation. Internet remains the major source of information for my generation. The next generation will witness even richer sources augmented by artificial intelligence. What’s clear is that, as time goes on, locating information will become significantly easier with a rise of artificial intelligence.
But information is not directly proportional to knowledge. You can have an abundance of information without knowledge. Information only becomes valuable when it helps you to make sense of some phenomena, and then it becomes knowledge.
Someone once pointed out that Albert Einstein did not know the speed of sound.1
In response, he said-
“I do not carry such information in my mind since it is readily available in books. He also said, “…The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think”
We should welcome societal advancement in principle, as it is a prominent sign of prosperity. But the advancement comes at the cost of losing humanitarian abilities. We need to introspect if we are on the right path of advancement.
When I read about incidents around the world, more importantly, when I see younger people around me behaving like zombies, I tend to lose confidence in the collective prosperity of humankind. Yes, a minute percentage of people will prosper, but for the vast majority, it remains a grand challenge.
My concern is primarily for young people aged 5-20. After all, they are the ones going to drive the culture of tomorrow’s society. When you spend time with them you realize the fragileness of those teenagers.
What gives them hope? What makes them sad? What makes them worried?
Realizing the answers to such questions will go a long way to determine the future of the next generation.
I will discuss three major points which causes this zombie phenomenon among younger kids.
The Parenting dilemma
What’s the common thing I observe among today’s children?
They all use gadgets, and most are addicted to screens. When I say all, I meant even children under the age of 3. But how can a 2- or 3-year-old child become addicted to screens (specifically smartphones and tablets)?
The answer lies how they grow up since birth. Children learn most by observing adults, and one thing they observe common among most adults around them is how they value their smartphones. In fact, I have seen firsthand how adults these days hand over their phones to a toddler. The phone has become the new toy for children.
But is the phone/tablet just a harmless toy that one can give a child?
Most parents these days think the phone as a harmless toy, at least that’s what is my experience. A phone by design has been made to make you addict. So addict that you can’t not use it. A phone gives visual, hearing, touch, and many other sensory experiences at the same time. The colorful apps, the stunning screen, the amazing camera, and the ability to scroll social media apps infinitely can captivate anyone, even a toddler.
When an adult gets addicted to his/her phone and its apps like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. it slowly starts taking away the actual real world meaning from life. So much so that people find it difficult to differentiate between virtual and real world. The survey and research carried out by Instagram itself showed that teens who are using more Instagram struggle with mental health.2
Paradoxically, most people today are aware of the ill effects of excess smartphones usage, and yet they feel helpless. Similarly to how zombies seem possessed, many people seem possessed by technology. Spend a Sunday without using your phone (unless you need to call or text), and you’ll realize if you’re addicted or not.
My point is that if a full-grown adult have hard time properly handling a smartphone, what do you expect from a child or teenager?
There is a valid reason Steve jobs did not let his children use iPad from an early age or Bill Gates prohibited his children from owning smartphones until they turned 14.3
The addiction of children to screen is more of a parenting problem than a cultural one. When parents are not aware or serious about problems of technology in the growth of a child, then who will think about those children.
The Evil Tech Oligarchs
What is Oligarch?
It’s a word that refers to wealthy individuals who don’t just hold power and money but also control enough resources to influence politics or government. The word oligarch is most often used in the context of Russia, where a few business owner became supremely powerful after the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991.4
However, almost every country has oligarchs, not just Russia. The top tech companies in the world like Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, etc are not companies but empires. Just like the East India company once ruled the world, these companies today rule the world.5
Just like most empires of the past, the aim of today’s empires is expansion, to maximize profit. To maximize profits, they’d willingly compromise the quality of human life and they are doing exactly that.
The research carried out by these companies time again portrays the ill effects of excess technology usage, but these companies would never allow such news to become mainstream in the public domain. Consider, for example, Microsoft’s research showing the decline in cognitive skills associated with excessive use of generative artificial intelligence.6
The authors concluded-
“Higher confidence in GenAI’s ability to perform a task is related to less critical thinking effort. When using GenAI tools, the effort invested in critical thinking shifts from information gathering to information verification; from problem-solving to AI response integration; and from task execution to task stewardship”
Does that mean Microsoft would advise their customers to use technology more cautiously?
No, never. The primary motive of Microsoft or any other tech companies is higher revenue and not people’s welfare. So its problem when they get addicted to scrolling apps on their phone. Tech companies will keep on making their products more addictive. Millions of dollars are paid to thousands of Silicon Valley engineers, neurobiologists, designers, and others to create tech products so addictive that users should neglect everything else in their lives to keep scrolling their phones.
Even the governments will not come to protect anyone because these tech oligarchs already control a significant portion of policymaking in various government departments. Only you possess the capacity to preserve your mental well-being and cognitive functions by being mindful of using technology.
Losing Touch with Spirituality/God
Adhyatma, a Sanskrit word, best describes spirituality. ‘Adhi’ means above and ‘atma’ means spirit or soul. Adhyatma signifies a higher self, a connection to something beyond the self. When we observe someone spiritual, what we mean is that person has found a higher connection that’s bigger than his selfish individualism.
The point of being spiritual or Adhyatmic is to transcend the duality of happiness and sorrow, good and evil, with equanimity, to live life more or less in a detachment mode, to work not for achievements, but out of duty.
To develop spiritualism, one needs to build the habit of inquiry and critical thinking, one needs to question and look inwards for answers. A zombie by its nature can never be spiritual, it has no ability to introspect or critical thinking. The more we give control of our lives to algorithms and screens, the less we engage with the intuition and insights that nurture our spiritual selves.
No wonder when you observe people around you, especially younger people, you find some common characteristics among most- they get bored easily; they are super emotional; they are highly anxious; they care little about manners; they are less compassionate and more selfish, etc.
The constant release of dopamine in younger brains from morning to night highly correlates with all of this. There is a culture arising today that normalizes the excessive phone/tablet/gadget usage, as if there is no other option. But there are options, and a lot better ones.
To establish any sort of relation with your higher self, one needs to observe and appreciate the mother nature and its intricacies first. Only by indulging in activities in nature we can find solace in our true identity. No artificial intelligence can do that for us.
It is high time we realize the tech culture, with its constant notifications and demands for attention, is producing more zombies than fully aware humans. Unfortunately, the pace will only speed up in the coming days. I fear a future dominated by a few powerful tech oligarchs, their control over information and technology shaping human desire and culture. In such a world, only your awareness and a zeal to protect your humanness can save yourself.
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Reference
- Memorization, Facts and Learning to Learn ↩︎
- Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls ↩︎
- Bill Gates and Steve Jobs restrictions on wireless for their kids ↩︎
- Russia’s Oligarchs ↩︎
- Google Is Now the East India Company of the Internet ↩︎
- Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition Atrophied ↩︎
Hi Jay
As always, this time also I enjoyed reading this masterpiece. You have nicely explained. The usp of ur writting is that simple language. You have truly tried to pointed out the point that parents are equally responsible for their children to get addict by smartphones. Smart phones are smartly stealing the playfull childhood and pushing them towards the world of zombie. Parents must be more aware in this case.
Thanks for such nice afticle.
Khokan
Thank you for your thoughtful words, Khokan. I have always believed in simplicity. Parents are the most important defense lines when it comes to protecting children from becoming tech-zombies. As I cited the example that Bill Gates or Steve Jobs did not allow their children to use smartphones from an early age because they knew it was not a harmless toy for kids, but a recipe for disaster if not regulated or handled with guidance.