I miss the good old days before there was a smartphone or Wi-Fi. Days when we all used to walk around with nothing except some cash and keys in our pockets, without the “burden” of being available and contactable to practically every single soul on earth via text message or WhatsApp. There are pros and cons when it comes to this topic but I’m just going to write about how I feel.
I remember at the end of every work day, leaving work whether at 7 pm or 9 pm after submitting all of my tasks and feeling light and free. When the weekend rolls around, it was pure joy, knowing that we would be absolutely uncontactable for 2 whole wonderful days. There were days when public holidays were right before the weekend, and it was absolute freedom for 3-4 days, with not a thought about work, deadlines, demands or paperwork. Once you've left the office or house, you’re a free person and it was a wonderful, wonderful feeling.
I remember when laptops started to become a must-have in the office. We would get emails from clients at 2 am. I would be chewing my nails with anxiety, unable to sleep, and feeling worried and stressed. You can say “Who asks you to look at your emails at 2 am, just don’t answer!” Remember this was early days, and there were no protocols or guidelines on how to manage being so “connected” all the time.
After smartphones, laptops and fast Wi-Fi, “work from anywhere” became a thing. Here in Southeast Asia, you’ve just got to do what the bosses or clients want of you. If not, the general idea is that you’re not dedicated, or serious about your job. You’re not committed. This may not be the case in Malaysia depending on who you work for - but it is in other developing Southeast Asian countries where everyone is competing for jobs, working triple hard to make ends meet. We work all the time; weekdays, weekends, public holidays, even when I am on holiday there is no such thing as “switching off” anymore, and social media makes everything worse.
These days we can’t go anywhere without our smartphones and I have this twisting, gnawing feeling in my stomach all the time knowing that at any time, any second, my gadget will buzz or vibrate, and I would have to stop what I am doing, divert my attention to this person on the other end who is texting me, demanding me to do something. There goes my weekend, night out, public holiday.
We’re not in the West with laws that prohibit work after certain hours, and most people have no boundaries – work and clients text you any time they want, even on Hari Raya, even late nights and on Sundays. They don’t understand the mental torment that follows, most people would overthink and worry and rush back to their laptops to get it done. The person texting you would think “If you don’t like it, don’t respond” but it’s not that easy to ignore. Again, we overthink, and finish all our energy trying to quell the anger that’s quietly bubbling underneath.
Anyway, I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend, reading this on your smartphones.
Diana Abd is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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