|
I’ve been there a lot lately—settling on the couch with the intention to scroll for “just a couple of minutes”. Suddenly, before I know it, 45 minutes go by and I’m grumpy because—*come on*—was that really necessary?
So I started thinking about how my current phone habit will impact the big picture. A [screen time calculator] did the work for me. If I continue with my current scrolling habit of roughly 3 hours per day, it’ll add up to 7 years across my entire lifetime. Not a great statistic.
And I’m not the only one concerned. Many countries now argue that phones have no place in education. The Netherlands even decided to [completely ban] them in primary and secondary schools this year. Why? They’re harming academic achievement.
But that’s not all. [Research] shows that excessive scrolling harms our mental wellbeing and brain health. Passive screen time is like sugar—it’s delicious in the moment but doesn’t fuel us in the long run.
I know what you’re thinking: *no, duh*. I’m probably not telling you anything new. And yes, the irony isn’t lost on me—I’m critiquing on phone time while typing this on my screen and making it available for you to read on yours.
I’m not telling you to do anything. Just give you cool examples of how other creatives have tackled this topic, from phone addiction to doomscrolling and digital detoxes.
Personally, I’ve set an intention to read my book during my commute home instead of mindlessly scrolling. Have you found any good ways to unplug lately? Feel free to share.
Enjoy xx,
Anna
|
Some numbers
95%
|
95% of teens own a smartphone and almost half reported being online “almost constantly” — up from 24% nearly a decade ago.
|
|
60%
|
60% of global smartphone users believe they used smartphones excessively post Covid.
|
|
6 hours and 37 minutes
|
Gen Z has the highest smartphone addiction rate, with a daily usage of 6 hours and 37 minutes.
|
|
Hear them out
The Luddite Club -
going offline
|
Description: A podcast episode that dives into why having hobbies in your 20s is as important as friendships, and which positive benefits we can expect to see when we make time for these in our busy days.
|
|
the psychology of your 20s -
why having hobbies is so important
|
Description: The Luddite Club are a group of Brooklyn-based teenagers, who carry flip phones rather than the latest iPhone. Widely considered as the face of the Gen Z movement against social media burnout and doomscrolling, the group considers themselves to be ‘self-liberating’ from technology.
|
|
Read between the lines
|
Pondering the biggest orb - David Pierce, The Verge
Description: Las Vegas’ Sphere is a new immersive entertainment venue with a 360-degree screen. In this feature story, David Pierce explores the technological oxymoron: The Sphere, despite relying on the latest technology for its experience, makes viewers want to keep their phones in their pockets.
No phones on the dance floor could save club culture - Tal Fineman, Pirate.com
Description: The ‘no phones allowed’ policy in clubs has been growing in popularity, foremost due to famous clubs like Berlin’s Berghain, where all visitors are required to cover their phone cameras with stickers. This opinion piece explores how a full phone ban at venues encourages people to partake in an authentic, immersive experience where all that matters is the music, dancing and social interactions.
|
|
Through the lens
|
Screen Time - Dafydd Jones
Description: Photographer Dafydd Jones documents how smartphones kill the conversation by taking pictures of VIPs at the world’s most glamorous parties.
|
|
Interesting people
|
How many people are on Earth. Here upon the very point of starting for the voyage, Captain Peleg and Captain Bildad were going it with a high hand on the quarter-deck, just as if they were to be joint-commanders at sea, as well as to all appearances in port. Here upon the very point of starting for the voyage, Captain Peleg and Captain Bildad were going it with a high hand on the quarter-deck, just as if they were to be joint-commanders at sea, as well as to all appearances in port. Here upon the very point of starting for the voyage, Captain Peleg and Captain Bildad were going it with a high hand on the quarter-deck, just as if they were to be joint-commanders at sea, as well as to all appearances in port.
|
|
Ways to get inspired
|
|
Unpluq designs products that help people disconnect from their devices. Rather than relying on their own willpower, people have no choice but to disconnect, giving them more control of how they spend their time.
|
|
Ironically, despite this recommendation being digital, it still encourages you to unplug — albeit in a different way. As the name suggests, Mymind offers one place for you to gather all of your thoughts without having to worry about tracking or ads.
|
|
For the ‘go big or go home’ ones among us, a digital detox vacation may be the right way to get a much-needed phone break. Unplugged offers off-the-grid vacation cabins where going completely offline is a must, rather than a choice. (They are UK based, but look up the concept to see if something similar exists in your country).
|
|
Three Columns
|
|
I take the good old fashioned ground that the whale is a fish, and call upon holy Jonah to back me. This fundamental thing settled, the next point is, in what internal respect does the whale differ from other fish.
|
|
Here upon the very point of starting for the voyage, Captain Peleg and Captain Bildad were going it with a high hand on the quarter-deck, just as if they were to be joint-commanders at sea, as well as to all appearances in port.
|
| The Albatross flew across the ocean |
And somehow, at the time, I felt a sympathy and a sorrow for him, but for I don't know what, unless it was the cruel loss of his leg. And yet I also felt a strange awe of him; but that sort of awe, which I cannot at all describe.
|
|
|
