Welcome to another one-minute article. It’s been a while since I last wrote in this section. Today’s article might take more than one minute to finish all the reading. Hopefully, you’re okay, and keep reading it until the end, even if it’s a bit long.
In this modern era, it’s easy to get whatever information and whatever answer to the questions we are asking the search engine. We can get everything quickly with a swipe, even with a single click. If we look at it positively, it helps us save time and be more effective and productive.
But what about the dark side?
That’s what we’re going to dig deeper into.
Sometimes, we are too glued to our smartphones, and some might believe that when we get separated from our gadgets, we lose access to the world. Maybe we also believe in our hearts or minds that we are also losing a part of ourselves.
Here are some facts on why we can’t put our phones down:
Attention-focused economy
No matter what kind of businesses we are introduced to, their products or services want to capture our attention. That explains why it’s called “people business.” Have you ever thought, “Why do entrepreneurs invest more in marketing?” Isn’t the answer obvious? It’s to rank higher in search engines and gain more exposure. Gaining exposure means people already know what problems your businesses solve and the solutions you offer. Nowadays, gaining people’s focus and attention means we are becoming at the top of their minds, which we can translate into an upcoming profit.
Pro-sociality
It’s an era where “sociality that people afford is not anti-social, but hyper-social.”
Most gadget users are eager to connect with others and hope to learn something from them. They need to be seen, heard, and thought about, and they hope people will reciprocate their feelings. Most prosocial people are mind wanderers. They often rehearse social scenarios, and their wandering minds distract them from the task at hand.
Problematic or not
Extensive phone usage doesn’t qualify as problematic. Some have to use phones when it’s related to their job, and when they want to, they can quickly put away their phones and not think about them, so it’s not problematic. But if the user is doom-scrolling until it negatively affects their lifestyle, then it’s problematic. Quantity can’t define the quality.
Unpredictable rewards
Unpredictable rewards make people curious and keep trying. We all know that not all entertainment is enjoyable, but we still watch it with the expectation that the next one will be fascinating. Like gamblers, they keep retrying and challenging their luck, even when they run out of resources.
We all know that too obsessed with something is never good for us. Extensive phone usage not only could ruin our physical health, but in the long run, it can also affect our emotional well-being. The never-ending updates and alerts can lead us to unnecessary stress and give us more pressure than pleasure. You can get instant pleasure when you see something informative, but if it isn’t?
The busyness of our online world could make us feel lonely in real life. Our phones and gadgets are supposed to connect us with people who are far away from us, not widen the gap for those who are already close to us.
What can we do?
Most of you might already know, and what differentiates you from others is whether you are doing what you already know or just taking this article as something “just to read.”
- Manage screen time and block distractions.
- Enjoy real-life interaction and try to nurture it. Don’t use your phone when you are gathering with your loved ones. Try to respect their time and their existence.
- Most updates can wait, and don’t be so afraid of missing out.
References
- Barss, P., & Barss, P. (2024, February 8). Why can’t we put down our phones? | University of Toronto Magazine. University of Toronto Magazine. https://magazine.utoronto.ca/research-ideas/health/why-cant-we-put-down-our-phones/
- Freedom. (2024, January 17). Why can’t I put my phone down? Freedom Matters. https://freedom.to/blog/why-cant-i-put-my-phone-down/
- Veissière, S. P. L., & Stendel, M. (2018). Hypernatural Monitoring: a social rehearsal account of smartphone addiction. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00141
- Young, S. (2024, January 26). The Psychology behind why you can’t put down your phone – Scott H Young. Scott H Young. https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2024/01/09/put-down-your-phone/
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