As technological advancement progresses from making life simpler to sensorial, are our lives going to be happier, enriched or wretched? These sensorial experiences consist of engaging our senses to make virtual world as real as possible. For eg: traveling in space wearing the head gear while sitting at home or playing a game of soccer in your bedroom with artificial intelligence competitor. The latest in the list is the skin interference which allows you to not only see the virtual reality but experience it by being a part of it. If by wearing the glasses or a headgear sitting at home, you can see a jungle with animals, with skin interference technology, you can even feel the grass of the jungle or touch the bark of the tree, all while sitting at your home. While the above technologies are quite naïve at this stage, if they develop deeper, we would find ourselves trapped in excessive sensorial stimuli constantly triggering our senses. The mobile phone is one example of how we are tied down by a device that triggers our mind, eyes, ears, and seek our attention all the time. This has caused us to wean from the real surroundings and remain soaked in the virtual world that fulfills our insatiable cravings. We feed our egos and seek love virtually. We try to fill the gap created by our real lives (full of expectations & maybe incapability) with the virtual world which satisfies our longings and desires. Hence, we choose to conveniently negate our incompetency in real life which get direct competition from the success of our virtual life.

A recent report says that on an average we check our mobile phones every 6 seconds. Certainly, the mobile phone has so smartly enslaved a great deal of our time that we unconsciously keep on making more and more space for it.  The sensorial technologies are steadily ingesting the remaining time left after mobile phones usage, leaving practically no time to contemplate. The major drawback of this sensorial technology is that humans will start relying on direct stimulation of our senses for getting pleasure. This will gradually kill the joy of smaller things we get from life. For example, a person used to sensorial technology triggers might not feel as elated when some stranger compliments him or someone adorable smiles at him as a person who is yet not exposed to this kind of stimulation. This is the first symptom of creativity drain. Creativity is a gift imbibed within all of us that generates happiness within us.

As children, we enjoyed uncertainties while we played hide and seek, we experienced butterflies in our stomach as we ran around the chairs in musical chairs, we felt happy teasing, joking and gossiping. A phone or tablet has become the single window for seeking all pleasures in life. This dependency will eliminate our predilection for any real life event, incident, moment or interaction to move us. We may lose the sensitivity to other human’s touch, smile, feel, smell, talks or camaraderie to stimulate us. This is the reason why kids these days prefer staying indoors playing games rather than playing with their friends. This type of loneliness gifted by technology under the pretext of socialisation is by far different from solitude required for quite mind and contemplation. For contemplation, one has to go deeper within oneself till the perception of ‘I’ vanishes. On the contrary, technology tethers you to your ego, tracks your location and memorizes everything you like, dislike and do; thus making it impossible for you to forget and forgo your deeds. This type of loneliness is dangerous as it traps one within the loop of one’s actions from where there is no escape. Moreover, it doesn’t fall under any pathological illness, hence there is no treatment or consultation for the same.  And it is rapidly victimising a generation as a whole.

There is a possibility of gradual diminishing of creativity with the excessive use of sensorial technology as the power of imagination diminishes amidst exposure to so many visuals, stimuli, data and information. Hence, something ‘new’ may be something old that is already seen, heard, churned around or reproduced. For the ‘new’ or creative output, one’s mind has to be empty of a lot of external stimuli to make way for internal stimuli that will propel one to creation. Michelangelo had to spend four years in solitude to create frescoes covering 10000sq ft of the ceiling of Sistine Chapel which became one of the most admirable works of Renaissance art. The famous Jagganath temple in Odisha, India has the story of an architect who had requested the king that no one should talk, meet or greet him till his creation is complete. But the king became restless as years after years passed by. He forcibly entered the temple premises where the architect was making the idols of the god. Upon seeing the king, the architect left. The idols in the temple are said to be incomplete till date. The creator in order to create an exceptional work needs a mind that is light, empty and calm, not loaded, engaged and buzzing.

Senses by their very nature can never be satiated. The contentment quotient is determined by the mind not the senses. Senses are like black holes of stimuli, they will keep on engulfing everything in their stride relentlessly, limitlessly and unabashedly.  The younger generation that is used to sensory stimuli at a very early age, will need increased dosage of stimuli to trigger that same level of pleasure. Humans have to constantly invent more and more stimuli triggering technology to feed the unending hunger of senses. The only way to satiate senses is by silencing them and not by stimulating them.

The most effective use of sensorial technology is for therapy, rehabilitation and defense sector. While, not adopting this technology is not a solution to deal with the burgeoning apps and environments shouting for your attention but being wise, limiting your exposure and regular detoxification from technology should keep you from addiction. Next time you encounter a thought block or feel creatively challenged, do not open an app but close your eyes and delve deeper within you.