DETOX THE DIGITAL HIGH
I open the Notes app on my phone while examining the battery levels for an uninterrupted scribble, a norm in the digital age. The ease of connectivity in the current times has altered human behaviour and upended all our lives. Technology should not deter us from being masters and employing it as a tool.
Digital technology, human behaviour, and advancement are linked. Palm-sized gadgets are connecting the world while overuse is eroding our mental health. While digital devices have streamlined our life, we are turning into addicts. FOMO (fear of missing out), the paranoia of connection deters us from detox. The youngsters consistently live in the virtual world, and exposure to social media leads to anxiety, low self-esteem, and sleep deprivation.
Mindless scrolling is addictive, is reducing our attention span while working on a project or keeping updates on the news works to our advantage. The connection forged by digital technology breaks the cycle of a disadvantage when it reaches far-flung areas. You lose the essence of a trip in capturing it on the smartphone. The filtered images on social media reduce self-worth leading to anxiety and depression at a young age. Digital books are a revolution in the technological age; the charm of paper books will remain with those who like to hold, feel, and smell the book before they read it.
Screen time is debatable but when we, especially the children get lured in by the vastness of the internet and start living in the virtual world. Responsible use of technology with monitored content for children to keep them away from online predators and cyberbullying. They see a world beyond technology and it builds healthy relations within the family.
I remember once while traveling on a train, the couple opposite were glued to their respective mobiles and their toddler was constantly finding ways to distract them, all he received was a slap reprimanding him to sleep. Parents who should have been telling stories before sleep were cocooned in the company of their phones. I am sure many of you witnessed similar sights.
Cutting down is a realistic approach in today’s fast pace forever-changing technological world. One can schedule time away from screens during the day and increase it further during the weekends. Turning off phones during rest time and periodic breaks with reduced apps seem to work well. One can create no phone areas in our home like the dining table and the bedroom. Detox the high of mindlessly scrolling in free time in the cosy comfort of our beds or binge-watching Netflix losing the tracks of time.
When we unplug from gadgets we have more time to pursue our hobbies and learn new skills. Excessive use can have unintended consequences, making us sleep-deprived and isolated as there is less time for socialisation.
How ironic is that the apps on the phone are teaching us how to detox from the same very phone. In today’s times, it is unrealistic to isolate completely from our gadgets, customised usage according to our needs is the key. You need to abstain from the time-wasters and deep cleanse in the age of constant connectivity and instant gratification. We need unplugged weekends to get away from the soul-sucking gratification of smartphones and not down in the digital dopamine as reducing use is very difficult to keep up when it has turned addictive.
A day without gadgets seems like a day with all the time in the world.
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