It is no surprise that as the world around us continues to change and advance, the technologies we had 10 years feel outdated and now, we have newer technology that has better features and is more efficient. Take the example of a cellphone; if we go back to the 90s, who could’ve thought that there will be a technological breakthrough like a mobile phone which would replace a telephone, a camera, an alarm clock, a calendar, a calculator and more.
This is the crux of technological advancement, but while these technologies have made our lives easier, they’ve also had a profound impact on your daily lives, which shows up in the form of disturbed sleep schedule, declined productivity, attention problems, and more. This has made the way for a concept like ‘digital wellbeing’ to get extra focus from us.
What are the negative impacts?
When we want to counter the negative impacts that the usage of technology has brought upon us, we need to examine the problem we have at hand first. Using gadgets more than they are intended could easily lead to a series of problems. While the idea of ‘overusing’ technology is still new to many people, those who understand it know that it can lead to problems like insufficient sleep, poor academic performance, psychological issues, functional impairment, ADHD, decreased life satisfaction, lack of energy and more. These problems might not sound severe for adults, but the younger generation is at stake since they are growing up in an environment that is fixated on technology. So, this makes room for the question, how do you counter such a problem that could lead to developmental issues in children?
How to counter it?
Removing technology from the equation is an impossible thing to do; this would only lead to more problems, and so, the best place to start is to limit its usage. Luckily, most brands like Apple, Samsung, and more have created this inbuilt option for gadgets to limit app usage. You can head over to the settings menu, set a particular time, and use it to monitor your screen time and that of your little ones. There are also several applications of Playstore and the Appstore which use positive reinforcement to help individuals to set their goals and push through.
The second important thing a person can do to counter technology overuse is simply stepping back. Once we realize that there is a problem, the best way to understand it is to step back and look deeper. This helps in seeing how the problem has impacted our lives and how we can make it better. There are numerous articles that talk about digital detox, which consists of things like discovering new hobbies and taking a break from all the gadgets in your surroundings.
Technology is an important part of our lives; the world has advanced to the point that we can not function without it but we should always remember to control the technology and not let it control us.
