One of the goals of these blogposts was to keep up to date with IT-news and share our knowledge regarding this topic. It is, however, also very important to reflect on the way we use technology in our everyday life. Haven’t we gone too technical in our daily lives to a state in which we are controlled by technology and screens? Screens deliver constant new value, which makes it hard for us to stop watching them. This can result in back and neck problems, worse quality of sleep, eyestrains, headaches, and the list go on (Silvestre, 2018).
How bad is our addiction to these screens exactly? Nielsen (2018) reports that in 2018, the average screen-time of an adult was over 11(!) hours a day. This includes, but is not limited to, watching live-television, usage of a smartphone and usage of tablets. Looking back at previous years, it is clear that the number of hours spent in front of screens is only rising. Younger adults spend most of their screen time on smartphones, while older adults spend more screen time on live television.
There are, however, initiatives to bring those numbers down and focus on the more basic elements of our lives. Take for example the National Day of Unplugging (2019), who strives to organize a 24-hour global respite from technology. Their motivation: “We increasingly miss out on the important moments of our lives as we pass the hours with our noses buried in our devices” (National Day of Unplugging, 2019). Besides just this annual tech-free day, they also strive to decrease phone usage in other ways, using, for example, cell phone bags to keep the phones out of the bedrooms.
How can we start decreasing our screen time on an individual level? Shlain (2019) started introducing one tech-free day a week with his family years ago. “While real-life remotes don’t exist, this practice seems to have a similar effect. It makes days with tech feel fast, but lets you linger on the best parts of life on your screen-free day. What’s the one day you want to feel extra-long? Your day off.” (Shlain, 2019). So how would you get started with implementing your tech-free day? First, it may be useful to choose which day works best for you. After that, it is handy to inform people that you will introduce your tech-free day and provide them with your landline number, so they can still reach you without getting distracted. Furthermore, the tech-free day is the perfect opportunity to meet with friends or family without any distractions.
Of course, the introduction of a tech-free day seems like a big step but as a start, you could already look at your usage to make yourself aware. Most phones currently monitor your usage on screen-time every day. In iPhones, this function is called ‘screen time’. Have a look if you have never seen it before. Beware, your usage may be a lot more than you would expect!
Let me know what you think about the influence of all these technologies on our lives!
References:
Silvestre, D. (2018). How to Unplug From Tech and Get Your Life Back. Retrieved from https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-unplug-from-tech-and-get-your-life-back-12e0285a30f3.
Nielsen. (2018). Time Flies: U.S. Adults Now Spend Nearly Half a Day Interacting with Media. Retrieved from https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2018/time-flies-us-adults-now-spend-nearly-half-a-day-interacting-with-media/.
National Day of Unplugging. (2019). National Day of Unplugging. Retrieved from https://www.nationaldayofunplugging.com/.
Shlain, T. (2019). Everything You Need to Enjoy One Tech-Free Day a Week. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/everything-you-need-to-enjoy-one-tech-free-day-a-week/.
