I do not NEED my mobile phones: An experiment.

A few days ago I asked my students to do this question for their essay:

Mobile phones are becoming a necessity today. Do you agree?

I shan’t get into the details of their responses but of the 54 essays I received, 43 said that mobile phones are a necessity. They went on and on about how it is a necessary tool because without it they cannot function (I rephrased but that is essentially what they meant.) 

 

I beg to differ. Is it a useful gadget? Yes, definitely. Does it help you do things faster and with ease? I would be foolish to say otherwise. Is it a necessity? I don’t think so.

Now when I said this to my students, they gave me this look which very clearly said, “Pfft! Yah right!”

I said the same thing to my colleague too and the incredulous look came at me, left, right and centre. In the midst of a discussion over this issue, a colleague threw me a challenge. (Say hello, Steven Teo. You got a mention in my blog J)

He said, “In order to see if the mobile phone is a necessity to you, why don’t you give me your phone and see how long you can survive?”

I accepted. Very bravely and with only a three-second hesitation.

So, ladies and gentlemen, for the next three days, I will go without my mobile phones (yes, I have two. *chuckles*). My communication with others will be in the form of face-to-face interaction and phone calls via the landline. I can use the internet to access emails, update my blog or talk to people via Facebook but only with the laptop in school or the PC at home. I will switch off my mobile phones and leave them in the safe hands of my cat. Or my mom, because both, I trust, will not turn it on and make long distance calls to Abu Dhabi just to spite me.

I can already hear the jeers and cynical comments. Patience, disbelievers (Yes, I’m talking to you, you teenage students of mine who BELIEVE that you will die without you mobile phones). I will show you that the only reason we think we need the phone is because mobile phone developers are very good at giving us a false impression of its ‘necessity’ in our lives.

To my friends and colleagues who would like to contact me, please email me or leave a note at my table (I’ll clean it, don’t worry). Don’t think I am dead because I don’t reply to your Whatsapp and sms okay? Wish me luck!

Note: Three brave girls from 4N7B have decided to join me in this experiment.

To Masturah, Efi: Hwaiting! We can do this!

To Afiza: Even if you are willing to only try it out for one day, you have earned my respect. Go, go!