Christmas day is unlike any other day for the crow community of Tali Park on the outskirts of the city of Hyderabad. People start streaming into the park in small groups from morning onwards, and as the day progresses, they occupy the lawns and have fun gossiping, singing and dancing throughout the day.
One of the crows of the park, Peter, has seen the celebrations for years. He wants to enjoy the day, watching the lively crowd, but somehow he finds the enthusiasm of earlier years missing in the present day group of picnickers. Now many of them just sit on the benches near the fence, silently looking at their mobile phones, instead of taking part in the activities of the groups.
Last Christmas, Peter flew around to have a sneak peek of what they were watching on the small screens of their phones. He saw that they were either playing video games or scrolling the screen with loads of photos and videos or watching pornography.
Thankfully, he had a flying encyclopaedia in his friend, Paul, at whom he could conveniently shoot all his questions as and when something piqued his interest.
It was just after midday and the sun started leaning towards the west. Paul perched on a branch of a tree and was having a snooze on the droopy noon. Peter gently pecked at his head.
PETER: Wake up, Peter! Is it a time to sleep? Exciting things are happening around you! I’ll tell something really amusing!
PAUL: Oh, you woke me up again! You’re such a pesky crow!
(Paul flew to the lake and dipped his head and came back.)
PETER: What nonsense are these guys doing after coming to the picnic? Is it the way to spend their Christmas? Watching mobile phones instead of enjoying their party! Then is there any need to come to the park?
PAUL: Oh, this is amusing for you and you woke me up for it! Huh! As if the sky has fallen! How does it matter, if they’re looking at their phones? If you don’t like, go poop on their heads!
PETER: I’ll do that another time for sure. You know, Paul, I admire your wizardry on human affairs! Just want to benefit from your understanding of why they’re so crazy about their phones. Would you please oblige me?
PAUL: For them, exciting things are happening on their smartphones and not in the parties going on outside! There they’ve internet, video games, social media, now artificial intelligence – everything you can imagine. It’s a parallel universe altogether. They’re in touch with people far away in America, England, Australia and that’s the order of the day! In fact, they’re online and others are offline.
PETER: What’s that? They’re online and others are offline! That’s too much!
PAUL: That’s the way it is! When you’ve a smartphone and you’re chatting through internet, you’re online. Now that we’re talking to each other, being present physically, we’re offline. In a larger context, that’s what technology does to you. If you use it, you’re on the track, or else you’re off the track.
PETER: You always seem to praise the humans, talking about all the great things that they’re doing! Tell me what good it does the world at large.
PAUL: Idiot, what good it’s for the world is determined by what good those phones do for themselves. It’s not for poor wretches, Peter and Paul. Now they’ve social media platforms – Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube – and so many apps on their screen! They can upload photos, videos in Facebook or Instagram and get them liked or commented on by people far far away from them, say, in London, Paris, Delhi and New York at the same time? Can we say ‘hello’ to a crow in America? No. But they can just by tapping on the screen.
PETER: Food is ready and their friends are calling them, but they didn’t seem to care! Is it really worth getting addicted like this?
PAUL: As with every invention, there’s a downside to it as well. If you’re in a tree and see fruits hanging tantalizingly from the branches, you’ll just peck at them, or eat or half-eat them and move to another branch and still to another and get stuck there for a long time. Likewise when they get those exciting stuff just by tapping on the screen, they move from one post to another, one platform to another and it’s difficult for them to keep it aside immediately. Then there’s algorithm set in the internet. Whatever they search for, algorithm ensures the same thing will be served to them again and again. If they’re interested in music, music will pop up on their screen; if they’re interested in pornography, pornography will pop up. That’s how it is! It’s magnetic; it grips them completely!
PETER: But with this obsession with social media, they’re ignoring people who are in front of them!
PAUL: That’s the sad part of it. Those who’re mindful of others’ sentiments will put the phones away in their pockets and pay attention to people in front of them – those who do not will offend others and will eventually be forced to learn some etiquette.
PETER: That means too many negatives and those may outweigh the positives. How many of them are mindful of others’ sentiments?
PAUL: Look, they have to live their everyday lives. How to deal with this everydayness – to talk to a distant friend, to dress well, to sing or dance and share it with others and be appreciated? Everyone wants to feel good about themselves. Yes, they often show off and may not be as good and happy as they appear on social media. And not only that! Being friends on social media does not mean they are good friends in real life as well! They may not even exchange greetings when they meet in social gatherings or pass each other in the streets!
PETER: Then? Only pretensions!
PAUL: Well, that depends on how they choose their friends on that platform. But then technology is a great leveller. Social media have reduced the societal gap between the privileged and the underprivileged because both are on the same platform. Now people are picking up new skills, new traits simply by watching others and are far smarter than before. As for pretensions, now everyone can make them – it’s not only for the rich and privileged. And if you’ve talent, you can be a mini celebrity in no time and earn money as well. There’re networking sites for professionals like LinkedIn etc. through which they can search and get jobs.
PETER: But what’s good there in watching pornography that they’re doing?
PAUL: Yes, that’s concerning! The situation is now worse because it’s in their hands and because of the deadly algorithm that I’ve talked about. That’s why they’re going for social media detox to clean up their minds.
PETER: If it’s so useful, why can’t we try to get a handset? I can just pick one when they’re not alert.
PAUL: Do you think you can pick up anyone’s phone and start using it? The phones are protected by password, biometric and all that. Besides, why to invite problems that we can’t solve? We’ve very small brains – let’s not strain them for something we can’t handle.
PETER: Oh, it’s already evening! People are leaving now. Shall we get something for dinner?
The two flew down to the lawns of the park where half-eaten cut pieces of fruits were strewn all over. It was evening, and the watchmen were asking people to leave the park immediately by blowing whistles. Peter and Paul were in no such hurry as the park was their home. They quickly picked up a few pieces of fruits in their beak and flew back to their nests. Their knowledge and curiosity entered too deep into human territories!
Trickles of Tales 