Androidfamily: A Substitute for Blood Relations? - Moses Okebiorun
“There was once a united family”, Jason thought. His mind
flashed back to when they all were young, how they would all camp themselves in
his mother’s room, sharing a love that was in abundance. It was ten years ago.
He remembered how he enjoys teasing his mother in their
usual family conversations. His sister would decide to support his mum, as they
both ganged up against him. The dad, who was usually smiling to himself during
these periods, would every now and then chip in some sarcastic statements. His
house then was a dream place for most kids. They had no secrets between them,
everything, both small and big was discussed without hesitation.
Suddenly, his mind dashed back to the present. How did they
get here? He hasn’t seen nor heard from his sister, since a year ago, when
their parents divorced. How did it all happen?
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It all happened when android phone invaded their house. He
and his sister were the first to get Android phones. It became a common habit
for them to keep being busy with their phones in those once-lively family
conversations. They began to learn how to laugh to their phones more than they
laugh to family members, how to type more than they talk.
As their hands get busier typing, their mouth kept getting
their tighter. They shared emotions with ‘virtual’ friends and withdrew from
‘real’ family. Of course, their mum, sensing the danger Android phone was doing
to her family, warned, but they had their way of waving it off, calling her
‘old school’.
Long story cut short, their Dad joined them in the Android
spree, and that is when things fell apart! He reduced his communication with
mum, till he hardly spoke in the house. To worsen things, he got into online
dating, which was the last straw that broke the camel’s back! Divorce! Now
Jason is living alone, his sister had gone with his mum, and his dad is nowhere
to be found.
Dear readers, the story you just read is a fiction fast
becoming a reality in the daily lives of many. It’s pathetic to know that
technology is fast replacing the humanity in many of us every day. For many of
us, our phones are now are best friends. We’ve traded our families for our
phones.
In Economics, we learnt that opportunity cost is alternative
forgone. The real price of an item is not the amount with which it was bought,
but that which was neglected for its sake. Sad enough, the opportunity cost for
many of the phones we use is our families – our blood. Let’s make a change
today, let’s make a change every day. Let’s decide this, that technology will
not replace family, for only then will we be humans, and not robots!
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| Written by Moses Okebiorun |
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