We communicate in social networks, work in task managers, we even make purchases via the Internet. It is convenient if you know the measure. But we don’t know. We immerse ourselves in phones, tablets, computers and stop living a real life. We rarely meet friends and meet new people offline. How to change the situation?
Admitting that you have an addiction to gadgets and social networks is not easy. We like to think that we are in control of our lives. But research shows that this is not the case.
“Several years ago, a sociological survey was conducted in New York. People were asked when they use the phone. The survey involved not only 20-year-olds, but also older people, up to 45 years old. Half of the respondents admitted that they prefer to look for information on the phone, and not ask questions to others. A third pretend to be on their mobile phone to avoid unwanted conversation. The rest answer messages and calls during an important meeting or date. It is convenient to search for information on the phone. But in fact, we do this because we have become afraid to ask questions to strangers. This is the reason people indicated in the survey,” says Daniel Sieberg.
Seeberg is a senior marketing manager and spokesperson for Google. In 2010, he wrote the book Digital Diet: How to Beat Gadget Addiction. A representative of the company — the inventor of Google Glass glasses and other technical innovations — comes up with ways to combat addiction to gadgets. The seller talks about the dangers of his product. Absurd! But the questions fell away when Daniel and I met two years ago at a digital technology conference in Moscow.
He said that until 2010 he did not miss a single technical innovation: smartphones, tablets, chargers for the phone in the car, on the desktop. Seeberg came home from work and instead of spending time with his children and wife, he immersed himself in electronic devices.
A person during a conversation turns to the phone and falls out of reality. Even if he hears you, he perceives what was said halfway
His wife began to call him «firefly» because the screens of gadgets illuminated the face of Seeberg around the clock. At first, Seeberg treated it as a joke. But then he noticed that his wife had practically stopped talking to him. She did not see the point in this, because Seeberg did not listen to her. When things almost came to a divorce, Daniel changed his attitude to gadgets.
He came up with simple ways that help manage gadgets, and not abandon them altogether.
The illusion of communication
Before the interview, I put my phone on the table. Daniel asked: “Why do you need a phone now?” I was surprised by the question and replied that I was waiting for an important message. “But we are going to talk to you now. Are you going to reply to a message during the interview?” Of course not!
“A person turns to the phone during a conversation and falls out of reality. Even if he hears you, he perceives what is said halfway, says Seeberg. — Agree, it is not very pleasant to talk about problems at work or in the family to a person who constantly holds on to the phone. Do not even dream of a confidential conversation at such moments. When I realized this, I changed something in my behavior. I left my phone on during an important meeting but kept it in my pocket. I will hear the message or call and answer if it is really important. If you keep your phone in plain sight, social media updates will divert attention. It is not necessary during the meeting.»
Information chewing gum
In addition to annoying the interlocutor, when we are distracted by gadgets during a meeting, we harm ourselves. When we use gadgets, we are constantly in the flow of information and cannot rest in a human way.
The information flow sucks. The time we spend scrolling through the feed looking for important information is increasing. In addition, we automatically read a lot of useless news that gets into our feed. And even at home, after work, we force the brain to process the news and do not let it rest. Yes, social networks promptly deliver news from all over the world, keep up to date with events. But at the same time, they give out a stream of information that is impossible to digest. Like chewing gum.
“I only use my gadgets for an hour and a half at home after work,” Seeberg continues. – I allocate the first half hour to watching the feed on social networks, the second — to news sites, the third — to interesting publications. As soon as the allotted time expires, I turn off the devices and do not return to them until the morning. So I stay up to date, but I have time to take a break from the information flow and devote time to my family.”
Vitamins won’t help.
Another disadvantage of the constant use of gadgets is that they negatively affect sleep.
Reading before bed is the best way to fall asleep faster. It is more convenient to hold in your hands not a heavy printed edition, but an e-book or a phone. The problem is that the bright light from the screens of gadgets knocks down the biological clock: it becomes more difficult for us to fall asleep.
Bright light from the screens of gadgets imitates daylight and knocks down the biological clock. Sleep becomes more difficult
“This conclusion was reached by specialists from Norway a few years ago,” explains Seeberg. “They did a study and found that light sends a message to the brain about the time of day. You turn on your gadget in a dark room and your brain thinks it’s daytime. Falling asleep becomes more difficult. I turn off all devices at night. I only use my phone as an alarm clock. And if I can’t sleep, I read a book or a magazine.»
Digital Diet Rules
Seeberg developed simple rules that helped him cope with addiction and not cross the boundaries of reality. Here’s what he advises:
Don’t go online before breakfast. We often turn on devices by inertia. For example, in the morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, I climbed into the phone to check the news. But why dive into the flow of information before you even brush your teeth? Give yourself time to wake up and get ready for the day.
Do not take phones, tablets and other equipment into the bedroom. Phones have a built-in alarm clock. It’s comfortable. But in this case, use the device only as an alarm clock. Better yet, buy a mechanical alarm clock so that there is no temptation in the morning immediately after waking up to check your mail.
Before you post information about your life on social media, think about who will read it. Imagine that you met all those people who are in your “friends”. Would you tell this news to them personally?
Use one device at work and at home. At each new job, they gave me a phone, installed mail and provided a computer. At the same time, I also used personal devices at home. I constantly had to check all these devices in order not to miss important information. Sometimes I had two phones ringing at the same time: personal and work. I experienced stress. Now I have one phone, one computer, one mail. Letters, calls and tasks come in turn, not at the same time. I stopped being nervous and became easier and faster to cope with the work.
Uncontrolled information flow, memory impairment, problems with sleep and communication — all this leads to unproductiveness.
But this does not mean at all that you need to throw away all the gadgets and become a hermit. I do not call for abandoning modern technologies. They are useful if used in moderation: for work, communication with loved ones, searching for information. But do not drown in them for hours, flipping through the pages of sites on the Internet and feeds in social networks. Technology should work for us, not us for them.