Technology is an incredible enabler. It’s also an amazing disabler.
We spend so much time using technology these days, both for work and play, but we don’t spend much time thinking about how it can affect us. Our focus is shared between so many things; entertainment, be it news, sport, weather, what’s on Netflix or at the cinema; health, the latest faddish diet or exercise plan; our social lives, parties, restaurants, events, and social media too; not-to-mention work, we spend 80% of our time working, and the type of employee who isn’t going to have their job taken by Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hybrid one, someone who can perform in multiple roles.
Not at the same time, though. But, more on that shortly.
That focus, that consumption of information and media, that communication for play and work – it’s all digital. It’s all devices. It’s all the time. Your next family get-together is probably going to be organised digitally. Ditto your next work meeting. In fact, it’s almost impossible to do it any other way.
Okay. You get it. Technology’s everywhere. What’s the point?
The point is, how ever you’re using technology, there’s a good chance it’s doing damage. Right now, as you read this, you’re probably doing it the wrong way and putting stress on your body or your mind. Or both. Remember that hybrid employee? They’re probably an amazing multi-tasker who’s across multiple technologies. Right?
Wrong.
Digital devices make us perceive we can do many things at the same time. We’re connected to everything and everyone. But multi-tasking impedes our cognitive processes. We think we’re being more efficient, but our brains are less functional, not more so.
Feel free to stop reading if this isn’t you: Your device notifications are always on. Calendar reminders. Messages. Emails. Bing! Whatever tone or vibration you have enabled, it stops you doing whatever you’re doing while you check it. It could be important. Ah, not this time, but the next one might be.
Bing!
Nope. But the next one might be…
Those notifications are driving us to distraction and not in an annoyingly-talkative co-worker way. We’re conditioning our brains to be distracted to the extent it’s harder to switch between tasks, not easier. Our attention spans, and not just those of younger people, are getting shorter. We get bored only watching one screen, so are on an iPad or mobile while watching tv.
You probably don’t realise it’s happening, or more to the point, has happened. You’re not alone though. It happened to me and it’s happened to most of the people you know. We’ve digitally damaged our cognitive processes and reduced our productive capabilities.
We’re disconnected… but not from technology
Social media has penetrated most aspects of our lives. It’s pretty much the only way to share photos, even with older members of our families. Chat apps too, like Messenger and Whatsapp, are considered social media platforms nowadays. They certainly allow us to set our status… and mood… and location… and, in fact, most other things we can do on Facebook.
Whatever the platform we use, they have something in common. They gamify us with positive-feedback loops.
Bing! There it is again. An Instagram notification. Not so easy to ignore because it’s a friend (or follower) liking or commenting on our recent post. Better check that and get my small endorphin hit from their approval. Ahhh. Instant gratification.
Some time later…
What was I doing, again? Having just spent a few minutes scanning the images in my feed, liking a few along the way, I need to reconnect with what I was doing.
Sound familiar?
Lonely…? Me neither
The lack of disconnection from technology; having family or friends a mere thumb-tap or two away, even when we’re on our own, means we don’t experience the solitude that’s important for personal and mental health development.
What’s happening is if we feel alone, we often reach for our phone to update our status or post a photo on social media. Heard of nomophobia? That’s the fear of being without our phones and not knowing what’s happening, even if it’s just the latest kitten-meme. The media like to call it FOMO (or Fear Of Missing Out).
What’s really missing is the social connection. Fewer face-to-face interactions are detracting from our cognitive ability to develop personal intimacy and bond in social situations. And cope when we’re really alone.
Apologies if you were expecting a social media is anti-social pun. It’s not punny.
Don’t worry. Our brains are repairable. Skip to the end if you can’t wait for the answer. But it’s stating the obvious.
Digital damage doesn’t stop with our brains. The physiological health problems that can occur are many and varied. Only a few warrant discussion before you get the idea.
Why has “dark mode” become a thing lately?
It’s because the artificial light emitted by technology disturbs the circadian rhythms in our bodies and suppresses melatonin, the sleep-promoting hormone, so we’re more alert and find it harder to go to sleep. That’s not good for many reasons, some of which include increased susceptibility to mood disorders like depression and increased cancer risk.
Eyestrain too. Human eyes weren’t intended to look at small text on a bright screen for long periods (two hours or more). Especially not at night in dim light (dark room – bright screen). Eyestrain can cause headaches, blurred vision and dry eyes. Yep, dry eyes. When we’re concentrating on a screen, we blink less.
Do you have neck, shoulder, back or elbow pain?
Most technology, especially of the portable variety, is not a good fit with the human body. The positions we put ourselves in to use it are not beneficial. Far from it.
Our necks are supposed to sit on top of our vertebrae. They’re not supposed to lean forward for long periods of time. Can you think of anything that might cause you to have your head down for long periods? There’s a fair chance you’re doing it now.
Having our necks bent forward puts strain on our necks, shoulders and backs, which in addition to the obvious pain that might be felt in those areas, can contribute to tension headaches.
Soreness or weakness in your elbows? Are you holding up a phone or tablet for long periods of time? There you go. Your elbows are at acute angles for longer than they’re designed to be.
You’d better sit down for this
Sitting’s really bad for you. Really. Bad.
Before the advent of all this so-called beneficial technology, we moved around a lot more. These days we spend long hours at our desks then often go home to sit some more at our tables, in our home-office, or just on the couch watching tv (probably with necks bent over a second screen).
You work out though? Five times a week? Sorry, not good enough.
Long periods of inactivity have been shown to contribute to weight gain, even for people who exercise regularly. Sitting down (or around) increases our risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Sitting down or around shortens our lives.
It’s not technology’s fault
It’s ours. We’re simply unaware of the dangers.
We’re aware seatbelts save lives. We’re aware smoking kills. We’re aware that a poor diet and lack of exercise is unhealthy. However, we’re unaware of the digital damage we’re inflicting upon ourselves.
The first step in any improvement process is awareness of a problem. Afterwards the solutions tend to be fairly obvious.
Stating the obvious
Multi-tasking?
- Focus on one thing at a time.
- Turn off notifications on devices that will distract (no bings).
- Disconnect from devices entirely when you’re with family or friends or by yourself.
Spending time on social media?
- Allocate time (preferably most of the day) to be social media-free.
- Turn off notifications on devices that will distract (no bings).
- Disconnect from devices entirely when you’re with family or friends or by yourself.
Artificial light disrupting sleep?
- Avoid digital devices before bedtime.
- Read a book in bed (not on your Kindle). It’s a melatonin promoter so you sleep better.
- If you must work, use dark mode.
Digital screens causing eyestrain?
- The 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, focus on something 20 feet (6 metres) away, for 20 seconds.
Pain in the neck (or elsewhere)?
- Find a way to put your devices at eye-level and keep them there.
- Position devices on a surface instead of holding them up.
Inactive while using technology?
- Take breaks. Often. Stand up and move every hour. At home or work.
- Get a stand-up desk.
- Walk around while on the phone.
Technology is great. No arguments there. We just need to develop an awareness of how to control our devices instead of technology controlling our behaviour. Much like any other societal issue, awareness is the first step. Next, the solutions become (mostly) obvious. Lastly, it’s a matter of choosing to use our devices in a safe manner.