It would seem, according to a number of new surveys and research reports, we are as dependent on our devices - whatever content we might be accessing through them - as an addict might be to tobacco.
It would seem, according to a number of new surveys and research reports, we are as dependent on our devices - whatever content we might be accessing through them - as an addict might be to tobacco, alcohol or (just maybe) crack cocaine. Almost everyone who uses a mobile phone or tablet or laptop will have at least some anecdotal evidence that shows how the irresistible compulsion to update, upload, download, check-in or simply check their screens, can cause problems.
Car-crashes at worst perhaps, but then there’s the lack of sleep as you check Twitter into the night, relationship breakdowns as partners ignore each other to answer that one, non-urgent email, or even just the ‘nakedness’ and vulnerability of being without a phone when it’s been accidentally left at home. While the sight of couples engrossed in their devices and pointedly not into each others eyes at restaurants is all too familiar, a Retrevo study found that 11 percent of people under age 25 feel it’s OK to interrupt sex to check an electronic message. But take the phones away and people will get fidgety and irritable - withdrawal symptoms are much the same to that of coming off the coffee.
Switching off to switch off
The hospitality industry has been the first to embrace the idea - positing the notion that to be uncontactable could be seen as a luxury proposition. The Renaissance in Pittsburgh in the US offers guests a ‘Zen and the Art of Detox’ package: your laptop, cell phone, and all other digital devices must be surrendered upon check-in, and will be held for you until your departure. The television, phone, and dock station are be removed from your room and replaced by actual books. There are many more examples - detoxing from technology is all about relaxing, spending time outdoors – and doing the things you never seem to have the time to do, and it seems we need a little help.
Speed and the way tech is evolving is based on the masculine trait of being faster and quicker. I think there’s a counter movement that’s starting to question this." Jack Mama, Philips Design
Over in Sweden, it might seem counter-intuitive, but in a bid to give the customer what they really need/want, telecom provider Telia now offers a free download for users to disable the internet at home, and has created ‘internet-free zones’ in various parts of the country.