Twenty-years back, when hefty machines called ‘personal computers’ started making an appearance in homes, nobody thought about the hold they would have in our daily lives.
Today, it has seeped into our system so much that it has wiped out something we were attached to in the first 16 years of our lives — writing on a sheet of paper.
From our first ‘A, B and Cs’ on the school copy to the cursive writing classes and scribbling on answer sheets, writing was an integral part of our lives. But today, this aspect is limited to filling out mundane forms for banks and phone companies. With everything written either on the computers or electronic gadgets, has today’s generation forgotten how to pick up a pen? Arindam, a marketing professional, agrees, “Yes, I do find it difficult to write on paper now. Now-a-days we don't write a lot on paper and use it only occasionally, to take notes or something.”
A reason for this change is that people find electronic storage safer, more convenient and damage-free. And with options like spelling and grammar check, people have just let their laziness reach new heights. “I can’t write on paper now even though I have started using the laptop only three years back. I feel lazy and uncomfortable,” says Suchi, a professional. “I guess this is normal and is the case with everyone,” she says.
Of course, if people are not in the habit of doing something, they would feel naturally uncomfortable doing the same. “Earlier, we used to write everything on paper whether it is a study report, an article or a friend’s phone number. Now, we have so many electronic gadgets like computers and cellphones, which have substituted paper,” says Ashwin, a student. For many people, putting something down on paper is embarrassingly uncomfortable.
“I find it impossible to write in Hindi, now. Many a time, I have to think how to write the letters, which is utterly shameful because I studied the language for so many years,” says Abhinav, a professional.
Such dependence on technology forces you to question your own knowledge. What meaning does the language hold if finally the computer gives you the right spelling of the word and the cellphone keypad gives the possible combinations of letters?
“In a way, it’s good because it saves paper and trees which help in reducing deforestation,” says Ashwin.
So as far as this generation is concerned, all that is important is convenience. “And then there is the most important thing — The delete option isn’t there on paper,” says Suchi.
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