A little more than a decade ago, when there were no smartphones, everyone was living a perfectly functional life. Slightly less productive, but functional nonetheless. Now that smartphones have taken over the world by a storm, it seems impossible to visualise life without them, and not just because hiding behind the screen is convenient than having awkward conversations with strangers; but because there are so many aspects of people’s lives that have been made easier with the advent of smartphones. So let us see why humans are overly attached to these devices.

From helping people to wake up in the morning to reminding them of day to day tasks and events, these phones do it all. Even activities like shopping, paying bills or buying plane tickets can be controlled by smartphone applications. There is no need to be physically present in malls because of apps like Daraz.pk that help customers shop directly from their phones. Then there are apps like Cheetay.pk that enable people to order food from any restaurant to any location. Since people place high importance on convenience, they have been adopting new technology eagerly.

Smartphones are the tiniest of gadgets that have substituted all old school sources of entertainment and information. Rarely do we see people with a separate music player, camera, or even a book, as everything is present in these overly intelligent devices. There is no concept of getting bored because people can mindlessly scroll through their Instagram feeds if they have nothing better to do. Most importantly, telephone conversations have now been replaced by social media apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, and countless others.

At work, smartphone applications have managed to raise the overall productivity levels of employees. A PowerPoint presentation or a Word document can be prepared quickly on one’s phone. Any communication gaps that previously existed are now eradicated because of round-the-clock connectivity. No more missing out on important work emails because having a smartphone is equivalent to having a high functioning computer in your pocket.

These handheld devices have even made studying effortless. Students now have access to so much information that no one could have imagined in the past. There are productivity and note-taking apps like Evernote that have streamlined the entire process of studying. Taking notes with a pen and paper is slowly being taken over by these gadgets.

Smartphones now play a central role in everyone’s life that it is nearly impossible to imagine life without them let alone detach oneself from them even for a single day. But moderation is always a good idea, so there is no harm in dedicating an hour each day to no phone usage.