Digital life has provided many benefits to society over the decades. Today, people around the world can engage in scrolling, playing games and pursuing plenty of other time-wasting activities on their devices. Although these activities provide stress relief and distraction, some suspect that there’s more to these behaviours. We’ll explore and consider whether deeper issues are at play.
Distraction by Design
Scrolling through social media and playing games, including popular pokies, are two examples of low-effort digital entertainment. This type of entertainment rewards users with small bursts of the ‘pleasure and reward’ neurotransmitter dopamine.
The more individuals engage in these activities, the more dopamine is produced by the brain. Dopamine reinforces engagement, which causes even greater involvement in time-wasting activities. This is called ‘the dopamine loop’, and it’s the cause of behaviours like constant phone-checking and endless scrolling. It is no accidental phenomenon.
Attention as Currency
Digital time-wasting has become a billion-dollar business in New Zealand and worldwide. Video game, social media and other companies now exploit the dopamine loop to ensure users return to these time-wasting activities again and again. But while company owners are making money hand over fist, the effect on users has been significant.
Digital Fatigue, Avoidance and Other Impacts of Digital Time-Wasting
Many who engage in endless scrolling, game-playing and similar activities report that they’ve experienced digital fatigue, a form of mental exhaustion. Digital fatigue is known to cause difficulty in concentrating, low energy, headaches, eye soreness, and a lack of motivation, to name but a few.
The devices and activities that provide users with dopamine boosts also have another consequence: avoidance. Instead of being present with friends and loved ones, users report avoiding these social situations altogether in favour of spending more time on their devices.
Mental health is another area negatively impacted by engaging in social media use. Although many profiles contain photos and other information that does not accurately reflect reality, users may feel inadequate or obligated to compare themselves with others.
Fear of missing out, also known as FOMO, is another impact of digital time-wasting. This phenomenon intensifies feelings of inadequacy and other signs of mental health decline.
The Bigger Picture
On a broader scale, engaging in digital time-wasting is increasingly linked to negative effects on many aspects of users’ lives overall. The impact on productivity is well-reported to be significant. Time-wasting activities create a lack of motivation, which has a direct impact on productivity.
A general lack of focus and concentration is another way in which digital time-wasting is affecting users’ lives. The constant distraction that games and social media provide has led to an inability to focus in business meetings and personal interactions with loved ones.
Sleep disruption is also occurring due to exposure to blue light, which disrupts the circadian rhythm. Trouble falling asleep and poor sleep quality are also leading to other problems such as immune system weakness and weight gain.
Stress levels are also increasing with participation in digital time-wasting. The ease of using social media and playing games can become addictive. So addictive, in fact, that even the smallest of real-life challenges can become incredibly stressful.
Mitigating Digital Time-Wasting’s Negative Impacts
Despite the many negative impacts of scrolling, playing games and checking our phones, there are ways to reclaim our health and sovereignty. The suggestions below are conscious choices we can all make to improve our health and wellbeing.
Disabling notifications can be very effective. These audible signals urge us to check our phones every time we receive an email or something new on social media is posted. Silencing them provides the opportunity to reduce interruptions and distractions.
Scheduling time for appropriate device usage can help us to be more focused on the conversations and people in front of us. It can also illustrate the value of interacting with the real world instead of the one that exists only on our devices.
Prioritizing in-person communication over texts, emails and calls and returning to in-person communication can have many benefits. A return to meaningful activities and conversations can restore the social connections that improve our mental health.
Digital detoxing, or the periodic disconnection from phones, games and social media, can do wonders for our overall well-being. Consider detoxing for short periods during the day. As it becomes easier, you can progress to one or more days without your phone.
Disallowing device use in specific areas of the home or office can improve not only focus, but the quality of all interactions. The bedroom is an ideal place to implement this strategy, as it allows for a better rest and more time to recover from the day.
Using our smartphone to improve health may seem counterintuitive. However, all devices have apps or features that monitor usage. Using them can reveal just how much time is being spent on certain games and other distractions, and provide motivation to lessen screen time.
Kesimpulan
While the ability to access games, social media and large amounts of information through our smartphones does have a dark side, the addicting effects of the dopamine loop can be mitigated and even eliminated completely.
Making real-time interactions a priority can help you to regain control. You can also consider restricting device use to specific areas of your home. Doing a digital detox can be another solution to better wellbeing. Consider helping yourself to reverse the negative effects of digital time-wasting activities.