January 15, 2025
Gabriel Boric changes his phone. photo: Imneuquen.com.
The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, surprised everyone at the beginning of the week with the announcement that he is abandoning his smartphone to start using a simpler device, without internet connection, which will allow him to avoid somewhat the negative effects of digital hyper-connectivity.
During his speech at the opening of the fourteenth edition of the Future Congress, an event aimed at the dissemination of science and art, Boric shared with the audience his position on the use of technology in everyday life.
A note from the website www.lmneuquen.com reports that, in front of ministers and officials of his government, the president referred to the constant dependence that smartphones generate, pointing out that many of his collaborators were looking at their phones while he was speaking.
Boric even reprimanded some of his subordinates for not paying attention to his speech: “In the first two rows there are 16 people seated, 11 have been permanently looking at their cell phones during this short time and of the government authorities I identified, I saw 10 who were permanently checking their cell phones. I invite you to raise your eyes”, he said.
The Chilean president took advantage of the moment to reveal that, with the arrival of his first child, he has decided to start a transition towards a life with less exposure to digital connectivity. “In a short time I will have the good fortune, the joy, of being a father and one of the decisions I have made is to begin a technological transition,” he said.
He went on to explain that, as part of the change, he had opted for a dumbphone -a cell phone without Internet access-. He revealed exactly: “I bought one of these, old ones, without internet”, and said that the decision has allowed him to disconnect from the constant flow of information.
The president was more specific on the subject and said that, at first, it was the song “Brain Damage” by Pink Floyd that brought to his mind the idea of mental damage, but now he associates the concept with the effects caused by addiction to technology.
In his opinion, constant hyperconnectivity generates distractions that affect the ability to live in the moment and establish conscious relationships with the environment. However, he clarified that this does not mean that he rejects technological advances, but that he is in favor of a balanced way of using them.
“It is not about going back to the past and denying technology,” said Boric, who places the key to the issue in learning to interact with technology in a healthy way, without letting it interfere with interpersonal relationships and quality of life, so that a balance can be created between the benefits of technological advances and the preservation of fundamental human values.
Throughout his speech, Boric addressed the urgent need to establish clear limits on the use of technology in modern society, both from an ethical and political point of view. The president emphasized that democracies must be responsible in implementing regulations governing the use of technology to protect the welfare of citizens.
“Technology should be used to improve our quality of life, not to make us lose control over our own decisions,” he said.
For the Chilean leader, the integration of technology should not be at the expense of sustainability or local traditions. In fact, he argued, progress must go hand in hand with the preservation of the cultural and social values that define a community.
Source: Cubaperiodistas, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English