- Kuhuk Patnaik
Intern at Mind Splatters, Sept-Oct 2023
Are we moving towards a potential digital addiction?
Today, the world is majorly driven by digital technology. Whether it is attending online classes, working from home, college work, online shopping, or a hundred other different things, it is unfeasible at this point to stay away from digital technology. However, everything has its limits. It’s a wake-up call when it disrupts real life- low efficiency in school/work performance; absenteeism at the workplace; meal timings delayed; self-hygiene levels drop; sleep deprivation.
Research is showing an increase in the number of people struggling with an addiction to technology. India ranks 2nd after China in terms of the number of internet users. They are mostly involved in social networking sites, shopping sites, online pornography, gambling, and online video games.
The following are a few signs to look out for a potential addiction to digital technology.
Preoccupation- excess of internet use, leads to a lack of sense of time or neglect of basic drives like sleep.
Withdrawal- includes feelings of fear, anger, and depression when the internet is not accessible.
Tolerance- the need to watch the computer/ phone for an increased amount of time to feel satisfied.
Difficult to control- includes attempts at controlling
Disregard harmful consequences- continued use of digital technology even after facing consequences like losing a job, failing at your exams, loss of a significant relationship, tiredness, and fatigue.
Social communications- loss of interest in hobbies, social interactions, and minimal time for offline events.
Elevation of negative emotions- experiencing dysphoric mood( irritability, stress, anxiety, feelings of anger, frustration, guilt, or failure.
Hiding from friends and relatives.
Meeting any 5 of these criteria denotes that one could have the potential to get addicted to digital technology.
Here are a few unprecedented consequences of Digital Technology Addiction:
What is Text Neck Syndrome?
It is inflation, pain, and spasms in the spine as a result of extensive texting. These days, everyone is hooked on their phones with their face at an angle looking down at the phone or computer for multiple hours every day. Phones are always in our reach. If not careful, these little devices can severely affect your body. When one is spending so much time on these devices, it’s important to be mindful of your body posture while one is using them. To help with the healing, ensure that you have good lumbar support and your neck is relaxed rather than upright.
Phantom Vibrations
It is a phenomenon in which a person believes their mobile phone is ringing or vibrating against their body when actually, there is no such thing happening. This is also often referred to as ringxiety. As society is increasingly dependent on mobile phones, the phantom vibrates easily become a phenomenon of worry for users.
Digital Amnesia
Do you often say sentences like, “ I missed the most important meeting of my life because the alarm didn’t go off.”? This refers to a phenomenon where our brains are fast losing their ability to remember as we become increasingly reliant on technology to retain data. When you start to rely more on external devices instead of your brain, your mind development tends to get stagnant.
It's important to make gadget hygiene a habit. Restricting hours of gadget usage, not sleeping on your phone, not using phones while heating, and not carrying phones to the bathroom are some of the important habits one should follow to prevent digital amnesia.
Phubbing
The word might not be in your everyday vocabulary but the action is likely. How many times have you felt ignored or neglected when you are with someone who’s there with you physically, or mentally they are on their phones? Well, they have a term for that now: Phubbing.
Phubbing is a threat to four “fundamental needs,” according to a study. Those core needs are:
Belongingness
Self-esteem
Meaningful existence
Control
When someone thumps you, you may feel neglected, excluded, and not special or important. That can have a significant impact on your mental health.
Selfie Addiction- It is a condition where people feel compelled to continually post pictures of themselves on social media.
Snapchat Dysmorphia- Social media platforms like Snapchat help people put on filters and airbrush their complexions exactly how they want. Sharp eyes, perfect nose, jawline at its best, you love the picture. However, this leads to people not being okay with their own skin and wanting to change everything and have the ideal look, as in the Snapchat filters.
There are pros and cons to everything and, since technology is something that will always grow and evolve, it’s important for us to learn to live with it and have a healthy relationship with it. It's time to monitor your behavior around technology and learn to coexist with digital technology before it is too late.
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