Editor, RE: “How addicted are you to your phone?” (The New Times, May 8). Addiction to phones is a big challenge to many people, especially using WhatsApp and Facebook both in the workplace and at home. Communication through phones should be used only when necessary, for instance, while interacting with important people, talking business, looking for jobs, among others. There are some executives and receptionists who fail to attend to clients because they are facebooking or whatsapping! Nowadays, it is not uncommon to enter an office and when you try to inquire from someone they pay no attention at all, or simply answer you wrongly or vaguely, just so you can leave them to continue with whatever they are doing on their phones. I have also seen cases where people practically fail to conduct meetings because they are hooked on their phones. In Uganda, some district education officers recently decided to ban primary teachers from using social media via smart phones while in class. They found that many pupils were failing their national exams due to teachers paying more attention to their smart phones, than teaching. As a lecturer of journalism in a university, I often send many students out of my lecturers because of their addiction to WhatsApp, Facebook, listening to music via earphones, and those who chew gums because they often end up throwing them on the floor. However, social media like is very important in communication if used appropriately. It makes us easily connect with the rest of the world. Yet everyone needs to know to control their urge to use their phones, we must learn not to abuse technology. There is need to sensitise the people in government institutions, private sector and civil society on how to handle social media communication. Henry Mapesa
