By: Alexander Markowetz
To: Smombies and those who don't want to become one. ;)
Re: Lucky battery more important than smartphone battery
Dear Students,
I'm sure you all know this: the smartphone beeps. Again and again - emails, WhatsApp and push messages trickle down to us every minute. Sometimes we can resist temptation. But often enough we unlock our permanent digital companion. On average 53 times a day. We actually resolve to just answer an urgent message briefly. Instead, we waste our time on WhatsApp and Facebook.
When our team at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität started the Menthal project in 2012, there was still little reliable data. The Mental app, which we used to anonymously research the behavior of more than 300,000 smartphone users, yielded astonishing insights. On average, participants use their smartphones for two and a half hours a day - mostly for games, messengers and social media.
Of course, this raises questions: What happens to a society that continually stares at a little box? Aside from neck tension, how does the smartphone change our everyday lives and our interactions? But above all: Why are smartphones so irresistible to us?
In my book “Digital Burnout” I compare their effect with that of one-armed bandits. Each of us carries one of these in our pockets. As with Las Vegas gambling, there are few winners. But the dopamine release keeps us going.
However, the trained attention deficit disorder has psychological, physical and social consequences. Specifically, it prevents many people from learning. Above all, it deprives us of the most beautiful thing we have: shared time with our friends and family, not just digitally experienced. You will never have as much time to enjoy as you did while studying. Use this!
The good thing is that we are not helpless against constant digital stress and procrastination. We can take back our lives with a digital diet. At first glance, diet sounds like pure abstinence and is of course only possible on an individual basis. But how about living your life (self-)consciously, filling up your happiness battery instead of charging your smartphone batteries? Small, conscious changes in behavior can quickly have an enormous effect.
For example, why not buy an alarm clock and avoid the direct digital drone immediately after getting up? Or just ignore your smartphone for half an hour. Half an hour quickly turns into 60 or 90 minutes. And dedicating yourself completely to an activity for 90 minutes is not only productive, but fulfilling. I wish you patience with yourself during your studies and lots of joy in actively reclaiming life!
Take a stand!
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The dangers of the digital constant companion smartphone.
