Cell phone addiction is the new problem of this era. Did it begin with the advent of social media or was it just the one that ended up sentencing it?
I was out for a walk with my family and I couldn't help but notice how there were other families, groups of friends and couples on the same trip plan, but with their eyes immersed in their phones. In this place there is a boat ride in a small artificial lagoon. There was a couple "enjoying" this activity but with their faces in their cell phones. I really didn't understand how they could be more attentive on their phones than pedaling the boat. This same case happens a lot in restaurants. People no longer talk to each other, it's more important to watch memes or videos.
Here I am writing about this, condemning this addiction while my gaze is fixed on my cell phone and your gaze is on reading these words, what are we doing?
Do you ever spend hours on your phone, tablet or computer and not realize how much time you've spent concentrating on it? Don't you feel like life is going by faster?
Yesterday I was listening to a podcast about this, about how we feel that the week goes by much faster because we are distracted. We wake up and the first thing we do is grab our phone, we are on public transport and our face is in the phone... because you have gone to the bathroom with your phone, right?
There are reasons why smartphones are hard to put down. The sounds and vibrations catch our attention, and the games, notifications, social media, and messages provide instant gratification. Smartphones offer a constant source of entertainment and distraction. Companies use persuasive design techniques with features like infinite scrolling, push notifications, and personalized content to keep us engaged and make it harder to disconnect.
This culture of speed has made you stop enjoying even the things that ARE MADE FOR ENJOYMENT, going for a walk, visiting your loved ones, going out with friends, people go to the movies and are on their cell phones, something that surprised me was being in a movie theater and seeing a child watching videos on YouTube with his tablet, this no longer makes any sense, something typical is also seeing children at birthday parties and parks with their tablets. A phenomenon that occurs frequently in this last decade is that of parents disassociating themselves from the responsibilities they have with their children when it comes to setting limits, an example is: a 1 or 2 year old child throwing a tantrum (something normal at that age) or crying for anything you can imagine, the automatic solution to calm them down is "put the tablet down, watch videos and stop crying", then you see how the children stop crying in less than a second and are mesmerized by the screens. Another scenario that I see daily is that they give their children the tablet or phone to watch videos while mom or dad feeds them just to keep them from moving, THEY ARE CHILDREN, THAT'S WHAT THEY DO, MOVE!!. I agree with taking advantage of technology, but excesses are not appropriate. I'm not saying that you should never let your children watch videos on a cell phone from time to time. There are times when it can be really useful, but doing it on a daily basis does not bring any benefit. A few days ago I asked my husband if the people who invented tablets did so with the purpose of targeting adults with children as their ideal customers. The tablet ads I see now are geared towards getting you to buy them for your children and I have even seen "tablets for kids" with bright colors and drawings.
Obviously I have also sinned by feeling addicted to my cell phone, it is an unpleasant sensation, I remember one time I had to get the screen fixed because it was broken, the technician spent about 3 days with my phone because he couldn't get the replacement part, I felt like I was desperate to get my phone back immediately, it's ridiculous, it's just a phone, at that time I wasn't even using it for work, which makes the situation even more ridiculous. Another experience that I looked back on was one time when I went to a Disney show with my daughter and I think I actually spent more time focused on recording the show and my daughter's reactions than enjoying the moment, so much so that when the show ended, I thought "I hardly watched anything." I told myself that I wouldn't do that again, that I was going to live in the moment. Yes, I like taking photos and making videos to treasure memories, but once again, excess ruins the genuine experience of your emotions. Before, on a family outing I could take hundreds and hundreds of photos, now I only take a couple of photos and I'm fine with that. Even sometimes when I go out for a walk with my husband and daughter I prefer to leave the phone at home, I don't want anything to distract me from them. I haven't given up my cell phone completely, I need it for work, but sometimes I use it excessively and I'm working on it with small steps like the ones I already mentioned, sometimes I feel guilty for using it for so long and I think I'm missing out on more important things by watching series or movies.
What I'm getting at with all of this is that if you've noticed that you spend a lot of time on your cell phone, I invite you to look up for a moment, observe your surroundings, look your loved ones in the eyes when they talk to you, really listen to what they say and don't just nod your head without taking your eyes off your cell phone, go for a walk, walk your dog without taking your phone with you, when you go to a meeting leave your phone in your pocket, the same applies when you go to a restaurant.