I boarded a tricycle last week and to my left was this mother and her son who looked between the ages of five to seven. The mother was carrying a few months old baby and had another heavy bag on her shoulder. Once the mother settled in, she remembered that she wanted to call someone and without batting an eyelid, she handed over her phone to her son and said “search for Aunty Comfort and dial the number”. And the boy did, effortlessly.
Image is mine||Edited on Canva
This got me thinking, what was I doing when I was around the boy’s age? Cooking food with sand? Playing 'mother' with my teddy bear? C'mon!
A brief backstory.
Growing up, I had a love-hate relationship with gadgets because my parents were more freaked out about the ills that accompanied owning one at a tender age than the advantages. As such, we got about thirty minutes of screen time on our kiddie tablets“everyday we behaved well” and that was it. Along with our short screen time came lectures on why gadgets weren't good for our general health and wellbeing.
Fast forward to my early teenhood and the day I got my first official phone. That day felt really surreal. “I've gotten the long anticipated gadget and now what? What do I do with it?” It took a while to acclimatise and figure things out but I did anyway.
so, where does my fealty lie?
I've had both the experiences that come with using a PC full-time and a phone full-time during my time on this green earth, and one thing I can say for sure is that they both have their perks and downsides. However, I wouldn't be discussing these pros and cons, instead I will be sharing with you where my fealty lies and why.
Let me start by saying that if I were to pick between a phone and a PC, I would go with the phone. These two gadgets are good in their separate ways and if we're being honest, a person who is or is vying to be tech savvy needs both to a certain degree. However, a good mobile device stands out for me any day anytime (emphasis on “good”).
First, the convenience. Over the years, the phone has evolved from just a gadget that aids communication to an all in one gadget. Ranging from photography to entertainment, the phone performs many tasks.
Take photography for example. Many of the photos I capture are outdoor photos. “A beautiful flower?” Capture. “Lovely clouds?” “Fun moments?” Capture! This isn't something one can easily do with a PC.
That brings me to portability. As an individual, I like travelling light. There was a day when I had to carry my PC to school for a group project compilation. The extra weight wasn't something I enjoyed. As if the weight wasn't enough, I also had to carry a wider bag just so all my other belongings could fit alongside the PC. The discomfort that came with carrying a PC while hopping from one public transport to another was nothing to write home about.
The phone on the other hand is very portable. It adds little to no extra weight and can easily be grabbed and used when need be. One can say that the ease of use of a phone on a normal day for a regular person beats that of a PC.
One thing that convinces me of my phone enthusiasm is how intrigued I am when a new model of a phone comes out. I usually just want to know about the specs and if there has been any improvements from the previous model of the same brand.
One of the most recent phones that has piqued my attention for taking the phone world by surprise is the Huawei Mate CT Tri-foldable phone(the world's first). This phone can act as a mobile device and also as a tablet with ease and that is just so badass! (excuse my French).
With all said and done, I would easily opt for a good mobile phone if given options and as such, I can say that I am more of a phone enthusiast than a PC enthusiast.
All images used belong to me and were taken with my “mobile device” :) except stated otherwise.
Love🤍