Let's Take a Tech Break
When was the last time you checked your phone? If you are like most people, it was 5 minutes ago - or less.
According to studies carried out by TechRepublic in 2020, the average user interacts with their phones at least 2617 times a day. That is, approximately once every 2,5 minutes.
While these statistics are staggering, they are not at all surprising.
Technology permeates our lives from the moment we wake up, til the moment we (hopefully) go to sleep. For many of us, checking our phones for news and updates forms part of our daily routine, even part of our jobs.
But while we may be chained to our phones and computers due to the demands of our jobs or studies, even when we seek some time off, we plug to yet another screen.
Since the launching of the first smartphone in 1992, our dependence to them has only increased along with the appearance of ever-more useful apps.
Thus, while only a few years ago we used analog individual sources -such as photo cameras, road maps, calendars, encyclopedias, calculators, etc.- to perform daily tasks, nowadays we can now do them all through our phones.
It’s no secret that technology renders huge benefits to our lives.
Internet and the technology behind smartphones and tables are immensely helpful and accessible, allowing us to be more connected and informed than ever before in human history.
The cost of internet connection is relatively low and, with the proliferation of free WiFi networks found in most public areas, connecting was never easier.
This means a never-ending stream of data and information, 24/7, every day of the year, almost everywhere we go.
But all this convenient immediacy comes with a hefty cost.
Along the expansion of ever-faster connectivity nets and smartphones that allow us access to greater flows of data to watch videos or game, our use, abuse, and subsequent dependency from our gadgets also increases.
Since the stream of information served by internet is endless and continuously updated, we feel the pressure to keep constantly informed and updated.
We need to keep abreast of the latest news, the latest gossip, the latest tendency, the latest work update, for those who are not up to the latest are socially penalized.
Paired with these is the glamour surrounding technology and connectivity, as well as the social status conferred to those who exhibit themselves permanently busy and connected, presenting an image of productivity and efficiency that, real or not, is socially rewarded.
In addition, the anonymity allowed by the internet has also allowed public bullying, abuse, shaming, and humiliation, increasing the rates of depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and even suicide in teens, the largest tech-user group and the most vulnerable.
The numbers couldn’t be more clear.
If back in 2008 we spent an average of 2.7 hours a day online, this rose to 5,9 hours in 2017. And this rate has only increased with the improvement of mobile phones and the popularity of social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.
Because, if back in 2009 we connected to internet solely through our desktops, by 2016 our phones gained the lead, with a 51,3% of connecting time.
And the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic have only worsened the scenario.
This overuse of technology has rendered some worrying statistics, according to studies by TechRepublic, DataReportal, and BankMyCell:
-85% check their phones while speaking with friends and family
-84% stated that they couldn’t go on a day without their phones
-75,4% Americans feel addicted to their smartphones
-60% of teens use internet daily, and 50% access it on 3 devices at a time.
-38% of college students declared they couldn’t go 10 min. without checking their phones or tablets.
-In 2020, children spent 76% longer on social media than in 2019
-27% of children who spend 3 hours or more on social media daily exhibit poor mental health.
Terms such as ‘digital eye strain’, ‘internet addiction’, ‘gaming disorder’, ‘digital intoxication’, ‘smartphone zombies’, and ‘social media fatigue’ were unknown only ten years ago, but today they are part of our lexicon.
Technology addiction is a real problem involving health and social issues, which spread out without restrictions of culture or geographical borders, and affect our lives on a global scale.
This problem was already addressed in 2013 by Tristan Harris, founder of the Time Well Spent movement and the Center for Humane Technology, in his presentation “A Call to minimize distraction and respect users’ attention”.
“If we decentralize the systems we already have without an honest recognition of the social harms that are being created - mental health, loneliness, addiction, polarization, conspiracy theories-, then we’d decentralize social harms and we can’t even track them,” he stated.
Video - Tristan Harris - “Downgrade” (4:03)
https://youtu.be/vGx5n_CX72M
However, little has been done by the companies behind the most used apps in order to minimize their negative impact, and it’s up to the users to self-regulate their use, establish boundaries, and deal with the consequences.
Therefore, it is important to become aware of how much time we spend online, how we spend that time, and learn how to recognize early on the symptoms of internet addiction.
Some of these are:
-Insomnia and poor sleep
-Back and neck pain
-Eye strain
-Headache
-Difficulty to concentrate
-Anxiety and depression
-Anguish when not connected
-Socialization problems and antisocial tendencies
It is eloquent that most of the great minds at Silicon Valley - the very same men and women who originated the tech we use -, do not allow their own children to use it, or impose severe restrictions on its usage, prohibitions which extends to the teachers and nannies at their care.
The Waldorf School, for instance, has banned the use of screens and computers from an early age, citing the inhibition of creativity, movement, and interaction, interfering with attention spans and overall child development.
According former president of Facebook, Sean Parker, social media and the internet change our relationship with society and with each other.
The former Vice-president for User Growth at Facebook, Chamath Palihapitiya, sternly declared that “the short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation, misinformation, mistruth.”
Meanwhile, the former editor of Wired magazine, Chris Anderson, went as far as comparing internet addiction with hard drugs, stating that “on the scale between candy and crack cocaine, it’s closer to crack cocaine.”
Recent medical studies support this concept with concrete evidence.
The link between screen time and mental disease has been explored in different studies across the globe.
A 2012 research carried out by researches at the University of Montreal showed that brain scans of video game addicts share patterns of abnormal white matter, not unlike those found in the brain scans of addicts to illegal substances.
In both cases, these brain alterations go hand in hand with self-control, decision-making, and emotional issues.
In the case of teenagers, whose frontal lobe is still developing, the consequences can be disastrous.
The 2019 paper “Screen exposure and altered brain activation related to attention in preschool children: An EEG study”, points at the relation between screen exposure in young children and the proliferation of neurological disorders such as the Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder, ADHD, once rarely seen.
Although similar claims were made against television in its heyday, the situation with smartphones and tables is far more serious due to their portability and ubiquity.
In another study, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, found a link between LCD screens and Gamma waves in the brain. Gamma waves relate to simultaneous information processing, and are believed to help in visual perception, emotion processing, and word repetition.
According to this study, the size of screens and the time of screen exposure affect the generation of these waves. Brainwave fluctuation is usually an indication of neuropsychiatric diseases, such as autism or schizophrenia.
However, you don’t need a brain scan to notice that the ‘smartphone zombies’ roaming the street daily are at unhealthy and even dangerous levels of addiction.
We all have heard stories of people who have died in the intent of taking a selfie or checking their phones while driving or walking. Many countries have issued laws attempting to ban or control the use of phones while driving, but these have proven of little use without constant enforcement.
For instance, in recent years Japan -one of the countries with the highest rate of internet addiction-, has seen an increase in the number of accidents and casualties due to imprudent use of smartphones.
A tragic example of this was that half of the bodies recovered from the peak of a volcano after an eruption were found still grabbing their phones, with recent photos of the deadly eruption, indicating that the victims lost precious time taking pictures instead of running for safety.
At this point, it is clear that we are on the face of a veritable epidemic. One which, as with any addiction, is hard to break.
Part of the difficulty lies in our brain mechanics.
The instant gratification of internet stimulates the production of ‘feel good’ chemicals in the brain. An abrupt drop in these chemicals sparks feelings of depression, anxiety, and privation.
In addition to the hypnotic effect of screen scan and frame rates, the never-ending stimulation of changing, newsfeeds, colors, sounds, graphics, and images found on the internet not only provide entertainment, but put our brains into a trance-like state.
Before we know it, we’ve spent hours surfing the web instead of studying or finishing a report.
Dozens of books such as “The Distracted Mind: ancient brains in a high tech world”, by Adam Gazzaley and Larry Rosen, “Outsmart your smartphone” by Tchiki Davis, and “Log Off: How to stay connected after disconnecting”, by Blake Snow, proliferate on bookstores, explaining the reasons behind this recent phenomenon and providing clues on how we can work towards a healthier relationship with technology.
For those in need of greater help, in 2013, the Digital Detox weekend ran by Camp Grounded in California opened its doors for the first time, becoming immediately popular with all those adults who desperately seek a ‘full detox’ from technology.
On a more global scale, organized by the nonprofit Unplug Collaborative and initiated in 2009, the National Day of Unplugging is an initiative to raise awareness on internet addiction, promoting a 24hr unplugging from technology the first weekend in March of every year.
For all these reasons, perhaps it’s a good idea to start the New Year with the firm resolution to reduce our internet and mobile use to a healthier level.
However, this is not as simple as it sounds, specially if internet and smartphones are an intrinsic part of our jobs, or are the only ways to keep in contact with friends and family.
Therefore, specialists recommend to re-evaluate our dependency to technology in order to re-educate the brain into healthier usage habits.
As with all habits and addictions, cutting the usage of technology ‘cold turkey’ may turn our brains into ‘deprivation mode’, with a greater chance of relapse.
Instead, specialists recommend to progressively limit its use, until the brain ‘rewires’ and detaches from its dependency.
In the book “The Distracted Mind”, Adam Gazzaley and Larry Rosen suggest breaking our bad tech habits through the neuroplasticity approach: meditation, planning ahead, physical exercise, and constant evaluation of our emotional and physical responses to our hyperconnectivity.
Although the process of rewiring the brain and building better habits takes time, the results are more permanent than faster and more radical approaches.
However, if you are impatient to get immediate results, here’s other useful suggestions:
* Create obstacles - The more difficult you may find to use your phone, the less likely you are to overuse it.
* Restrict your phone use - Use it only to make and receive calls and send text messages, and set a time limit to answer them (ideally 1-2 hours before going to bed). Likewise, connect to social media only through your desktop.
* Change to Gray - Developers have discovered that bright flashy colors “reward” our brain, causing a positive reinforcement that may turn it into a vicious circle. In order to break it, set your phone colors to grayish tones (under color filters), to make it less appealing and thus less inviting to use.
* Take programmed breaks - You may set an alarm in order to force yourself to detach from the screen. Take the time to stretch, rest your eyes, take a walk, or strike a conversation with colleagues.
* Take ‘tech-fasting’ breaks - Program a tech-free weekend every month or so, so as to allow your system to detox from the accumulated mental and physical strain caused by tech overuse.
* Set your Preferences - Block push notifications and apps you don’t use, and lower the volume of your cell or mute it, so as to reduce the distractions.
* Create a ‘phone-free’ area - Establish an area, such as the dinner table, where technology may not be used when in a group. You can also select a time of the day or a moment, if the possibility of a physical boundary is not available.
* Go back to basics - Instead of checking the web for answers, try old-fashioned alternatives: an atlas, an encyclopedia, simply asking someone. It may not be as immediate, but the effort will render you valuable benefits at the mental and even social level.
* Rediscover the pleasure of handwriting - Give your brain a jog and your eyes a rest by taking handwritten notes instead of typing them. The exercise will also provide added cognitive benefits to your brain.
* Try an app! - For those without enough self-discipline to disconnect just yet, phone apps such as Moment, QualityTime, RescueTime, and OffTime measure the time you spend on screen, making you more aware of it and enabling you to control it better.
Freedom and Flipd help block unwanted websites and apps, for less distractions. In addition, you can set your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode (iPhone) or use the Lilspace app (Android) in order to block unwanted calls and give you a break.
Internet is a wonderful resource. It is helpful, accessible, easy to use, and convenient. It has become part of our lives and in many cases it is indispensable.
But even the best things in life can be harmful when done in excess.
Finding a proper balance between tech usage and detachment from it will allow us to develop a healthier relationship with our gadgets, enjoying its many benefits while staying away from excesses in order to live a fuller life.
Did you know that...?
The next National Day of Unplugging will be March 4th, 2022.
In addition, organized by #HalfTheStory in association with Unplug Collaborative, there’s also the Global Day of Unplugging, which last took place on August 7th, 2021.
To Learn More
To learn more about the unplugging initiatives and take part in their challenge, visit their official web pages:
www.nationaldayofunplugging.com
www.globaldayofunplugging.com
Sources: Nfon.com, BusinessTimes Shanghai, DaddyDigest, CBSNews.com, New York Times, Axios.com, Standford Business School, FinancesOnline.com.
Related Articles
Fake News - How to know if it’s true?
Comments
Post a Comment