New technologies allow us to communicate more actively and find information faster. They give us a sense of freedom, but at the same time make us vulnerable. How to determine that the virtual world has become too large a place in our lives?
Our experts:
Vladimir Malygin, psychotherapist
Christophe Andre, French psychiatrist and psychotherapist, works at St. Anne in Paris.
obsessive freedom
E-mail, search engine, social networks – without these things it is already difficult for us to imagine our life. If we don’t know something, then we go “google”. If we want to share news with someone, we repost. And of course, we must not forget about the regular check of mail, which has become for many the same morning and evening ritual as brushing your teeth. “Leave your smartphone at home? It’s like going out without a leg or an arm, 25-year-old Yevgeny admits. – I am always in touch, this is my life, my rhythm. I like to follow what is happening around, to be the first to know everything. But the question arises: is it possible to keep the information element under control? Do not drown in the multitude of updates that await our immediate response? And have time to separate the wheat from the chaff? Psychotherapist Vladimir Malygin compares web surfing to being in a turbulent stream: “When we move from page to page, we constantly stimulate our brain. It is very difficult to stop, interrupt this process, since each new link, each message is an additional impulse. A person realizes that he needs to break away, go to do business, but he simply cannot do it.
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escape illusion
Today every fifth Russian admits that he spends too much time on the Internet. And among active users, there are already almost half*. But how to understand at what point the convenience of being “always and everywhere” turns into a painful habit? “Usually it’s not about addiction, but about Internet abuse,” comments Vladimir Malygin. – If a person spends 5 hours a day on the Web, this is already an alarming symptom. But it is important to know what he is doing there, for what purpose he spends time on the Internet. As a rule, they “run away” to the Internet because of a feeling of dissatisfaction with their life, frustration, lack of mutual understanding with loved ones. Psychiatrist Christophe André offers a simple test: if you’re chatting with a conversation partner and at that moment you get a message or update signal, will you interrupt the conversation to check your smartphone? But ideally, the priority should not be for the virtual, but for the real interlocutor – the one that is now in front of you.
Excessive use of the Internet not only creates barriers to work and relationships, but also poses real health risks. A long stay on the Web can cause depression, sleep disorders, and appetite disorders. When we use electronic search engines, our brain begins to perceive them as an extension of our intelligence. He gets used to the fact that the necessary information is always at hand. As a result, his ability to memorize and think logically deteriorates. Psychologists at Columbia University have found a link between Facebook use and overeating. After a few minutes of editing their profile, study participants were more likely to choose a cookie to snack on than an apple**.
Live without the Internet?
Over the past few years, the movement for the voluntary abandonment of the Internet has been gaining momentum around the world. Surprisingly, among such “deserters” there are quite a lot of young people. Followers of the lifestyle, which they call JOMO (Joy of missing out – “Joy of being offline”), propose to introduce a Day without the Internet, create zones free from Wi-Fi, and develop programs that would set limits on the volume of electronic correspondence and distribution of data. Their main idea is not to completely exclude the Internet from their lives, but to turn it into a tool that should be used only when necessary. “It would hardly be reasonable to completely refuse to use the Internet,” Vladimir Malygin believes. “Thanks to this invention, we have simplified our lives many times over: it became possible to work remotely, to communicate face to face with relatives and friends who are many kilometers away from us. Let’s not forget people with disabilities. The Internet allows them to get an education and earn money on their own. It is important to understand that for those who abuse the Internet, this is just a way to hide, to escape. But from what – this question needs to be answered.
See also:
1. Determine for yourself a list of activities that require the indispensable use of the Internet. Make a schedule: how many times a week, day, what hours you will use the Web – check mail, read news and messages.
2. When faced with something unusual and unfamiliar, first strain your memory. Try to remember if you have heard about it before. Write a reminder for yourself so you don’t forget about this news and come back to it later.
3. Set yourself free days from the Internet. For example, Sunday. When leaving the house, do not take your phone with you. Plan your day so that you don’t have to make an appointment on the go.
4. Do not leave your smartphone or computer turned on overnight. It is better to put it in a drawer and lock it with a key. The more actions you need to take to get to the device, the easier it will be for you to control yourself.
5. Focus on the present. If you are waiting for a bus or standing in line, instead of taking out your smartphone and checking your Facebook feed again, try to look at the faces of passers-by, remember them, notice interesting features, imagine the character of people. This will help you get rid of the obsessive habit.
* According to a survey conducted by VTsIOM on September 21–22, 2013. Details are on the wciom.ru website.
** Journal of Consumer Reseatch, 2013, vol. 40, № 1.