People are getting dumber while
phones are getting smarter. It’s a known fact. A funny saying these days goes
such – “It’s important for man to be honest. Even phones are smart these days.”
I had blogged about this here. The author, Parthajeet Sarma, looks to address
this notion. Or so it seems by the title of the book – Smart Phones Dumb People?
Parthajeet Sarma is a fan of free
markets and technology. This is evident from what he writes about. The author
has slotted his thoughts into 5 main categories:
- Technology
- Innovation
- Entrepreneurship
- Priorities
- Corruption
The author’s writing seems
inspired by Gurcharan Das and the likes. He presents a holistic view of India
and its citizens in each chapter and provides relevant examples to justify his
view points. He reminds us of how lucky we are because mobiles phones and
vehicles are affordable today viz-a-viz 2 decades ago. He focuses on how technology
is being leveraged to make common man’s life easier. Examples include travel
portals, e-commerce websites, banking and ATMs (which he predicts may turn
mobile soon) and more. He laments over the attitude of students joining IIT
(simply to adhere to society’s or their parents’ norms); how Facebook has reduced
the amount we interact with real friends. He does this in anecdotal ways – some
funny Facebook updates and incidents between his friends and him.
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| Smart Phones Dumb People? |
Parthajeet Sarma believes
innovation occurs mostly in the west and not in India. I would beg to differ.
Jugaad Innovation points out how innovation is increasingly gaining speed in
emerging nations (including India). The western world spends millions of
dollars on innovation and invention with precious little gained from it. On the
other hand, Indians invest lesser money and achieve results to address issues
plaguing their people more effectively. Resource usage is optimized in India
and other emerging nations more than in western countries today.
While the author talks about
using 21st century tools to address 19th century issues,
I wish he would focus more on how smart phones are hampering productivity of
man today. He could have touched upon more aspects relevant to the title of the
book. While some humans have used technology for the enhancement of society,
most of us are distracted by it. E-mails, chats, Social media and more keep us
so distracted that we refuse to spend even a few minutes by ourselves. In fact,
someone I know wants m-indicator, an app which suggests train and bus timings
in Mumbai, to start suggesting which trains we should catch to reach work on
time. Our increasing dependence on technology is scary. The book can also do
with more concise writing. We Indians are guilty of framing long sentences;
trying to put too many points in one sentence. That, however, adversely impacts
the attention span of the reader. I’m sure, with time, Parthajeet Sarma will
become more adept at writing (or he’ll find a better ghost writer ;) ).
The book is a breezy read; one
that can be finished in a few hours. It doesn’t beat around the bush. Instead, it
briskly covers a lot of points. ‘Smart Phones Dumb People?’ is a good read for youngsters
who would like a bird’s eye view of how India has progressed over the ages.
However, voracious readers may find it a little wanting in language. I wish
Parthajeet Sarma all the best and hopes he keeps coming out with better books.
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