When Technology Takes Over
Billions of people turn to their smartphones daily to carry out a variety of tasks, anything and everything from checking up with friends via social media, to reading news stories, watching entertaining videos, calculating tips for meals, and a whole lot more.
For many, the smartphone has become an extension of who we are, with the average consumer turning to check their phone at least 46 to 80 times every day.
According to the results from a previous Gallup survey from back in 2015, it was found that at least half of the iPhone respondents to the survey said that they couldn't imagine living a life without their smartphone.
For millions of Americans, they can't go to bed without checking their phone first.
As our smartphone addictions have increased, so have the warnings about the possibility that the addiction can fuel issues like sleep deprivation, depression, and anxiety.
Industry experts, like former product manager for Google Tristan Harris, say that the first step toward dealing with any potential issue in the way of smartphone addiction, is to realize that advertisers and other companies are hard at working trying to hijack our mind and gain our attention.
They want to direct our attention toward their own goals and that means that we lose focus and attention being directed toward our own initiatives.
They want to get us to buy the next product, watch the next video, or scroll onto the next post.
Our smartphones might provide us with an incredible amount of convenience but researchers say that they might also be impacting our intellect by draining our brain power. Specifically, they might impede our concentration and negatively impact our memory. They can also negatively impact our work, studies at school, and relationships with others.
Addiction expert, Davina McCall, has taken it further, by equating tablet and smartphone addiction with a heroin addiction, warning against children under the age of 10 owning their own technological devices like an iPad or smartphone.
McCall calls the technological devices are a form of digital heroin and suggests that they transform children into psychotic junkies.
Just take a look at how they react when you try to take that tech gadget away from them, if they aren't ready for the screen time to come to an end yet.
No doubt for many children this has been the case, their addiction to technology has fostered a lot of negativity in their life.
Psychologists who've criticized the tech addiction have said that they aren't anti-technology, they simply believe that children aren't neurologically capable of handling that experience without it potentially reaping some very unwanted negative effects. Just take a look at adults and their own difficulties with smartphone addiction, they say. Additionally, they don't recommend any set level of exposure time for children because every child is different and therefore their experiences with the technology won't always bring about the same outcome; they aren't all equally vulnerable.
Experts in the field suggest that too many parents today have resorted to using tablets and smartphones as digital babysitters and that they should take more caution over how much their children are exposed.
As far as trying to break or lessen the smartphone addiction, a few tips have been suggested.
Pics:
Thinkstock via lifehacker.com.au/2015/09/how-smartphone-use-before-bed-affects-your-brain-and-body/
Family Guy via Giphy
giphy
via tumblr.com/search/rabbit%20hole%20gif
Pearl Law via medium.com/timetravlr-chronicles/the-biggest-thing-missing-from-virtual-reality-shared-experience-11a86f19c448
Sources:
https://mobilebusinessinsights.com/2016/06/twenty-surprising-mobile-stats-for-2016-the-smartphone-takeover/
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/199967/20170302/survey-finds-people-check-smartphones-before-getting-out-bed.htm
http://www.businessinsider.com/90-of-18-29-year-olds-sleep-with-their-smartphones-2012-11
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/how-smartphones-hijack-our-brains/news-story/f1c4ab7aba088a46e83ad665c688470a
https://www.popsci.com/smartphone-hijacking-brain
http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2017/10/12/smartphones-brain-memory
https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4746575/addiction-expert-on-davina-mccall-show-likens-ipads-to-digital-heroin-and-says-kids-under-10-should-never-have-their-own/
@doitvoluntarily Wonderful post, no doubt smart phones are best source of getting knowledge and information but excess use of every thing is bad so be moderate
And here we are on Steemit, as part of the "attention economy."
Being a gallery/gift shop proprietor, I see lots of people daily, and it's a little alarming how many of the under-25's (mostly) are connected to their smartphones like it's actually an extra appendage. And more than a few even experience the art on our walls through the lens of their camera phone, rather than looking at it with their own eyes. No, I didn't make that up...
I'm online a LOT, because I make most of my living from the web... but I am always happy to get away from the tech and just walk around outside. And leave the phone at home, when I do.
I totally agree with you on the whole thing of which people more so of the younger crowd are always seem to be connected to the phones. I personally don't own a smartphone, call me old fashion but I still just use my house phone. Now I do own a personal computer which I am on the web to make a living and to also stay connected to family and friends which live out of state from where I am located. I don't travel much with my computer unless I am away from home for a long period of time. I can say that there are lot of good from tech., but I can also say it's harming people in other ways. Example living life without the need to be "always" on the web. I must be old fashion, I enjoy life outside the web more then being on it. There is more to life then living through the net.
Great post and so true my friend ! For me I find that ever since I purchased my new Chromebook with steem , it has pretty much replaced my phone and steemit is my new addiction ! LOL! But I see tons of people every day almost walking out into traffic blogging away on their cell phones ! And don't get me started on the car accidents ! It really is an epidemic . CRAZY !!
This addictions sounds great! Like Heroin without the needles. (that's heroin, right? Wonderous Women is a heroin too?)
So... where do I score me one of these smartphones?
Psst! Hey man, over here. I've got some great iPhone 7, fresh off the boat. If you prefer Android, I've got some of that too.
Just don't do Windows phone man, it's bad for you.
Here's some cell cult worshippers in their devotions.
As far as kids and phones, just don't do it. When my youngest was 5 he woke me one Sat. morning at 5am by reciting all the cartoons he was going to watch that day. He had memorized the schedules of several different networks from 5:30 am into the early afternoon, and planned his day.
I had the cable company shut it down. He was clearly very capable of learning and was using that capability learning about cartoons - propaganda. My kids were furious with me then. LOL
Soon, however, they were reading books, because they wanted to entertain their minds. Reading is much different in it's effects on our brains than watching TV, and now that my kids are grown professionals, they are grateful - and recognize that I made sacrifices they respect so that they would be the men they are today.
If you notice your kids being too attentive to their phones, cut the service. They will be better for it, even if they hate you for a while.
It's called parenting, not sucking up.
My mother always said that children need parents, not a couple more friends. It's hard to actually think about how you want to parent when there are so many outside pressures telling you that you are doing it all wrong but above all, it's essential to actually parent. Sounds like you're the kind of parent I'd be glad to have too.
And is addictive for the old ones too...
Some days a go, i was walking on street and an old guy smashes into me because he was with the phone in the hand, he looked around very surprise, he saw that he was not hit by a car :))) and he continued his way, not even sorry, he just was in his wolrd.... I saw him , but i believed that well he will walk like normal man and avoid the colision, because he walked on the middle:)))
So the old ones are in this too....
digital heroin
I believe this sums up all the negative impact technology has on us, and this might increase on generations after us. Laws and regulations need to be in place to control the impact of these adverse effects of digital era. We can't just let the corporate and industrial sector to keep profiting from this, which they very well have been doing since a long time now. Parents and guardians can't be entirely blamed for the increase in access of these gadgets to our children, it's a collective use of mind control and creating artificial dependency in order to make this an essential part of our lives, if we are to compete with the rest of the world out there. This dependency is man-made and certainly needs to be looked into by the courts of law at a global level.
Otherwise, it's going to be just a matter of few more decades and we will be completely enslaved by all the technological advancements in our surroundings.
We're part of the attention economy, folks :)
I have an ex-girlfriend who is addicted to her smart phone and to Facebook. She is on it from when she wakes to when she goes to sleep. Even at work. I would be afraid of loosing my job if I was on that phone as much as she is. Yes it is heroin technology. the problem is they are so addicted that they will not give it up. It broke up our relationship. Good read my friend.
Hmm so true! 😮