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The average daily time spent online by adults increased by nearly an hour during the UK’s spring lockdown compared to the previous year, according to communications regulator Ofcom. As many countries face severe pandemic restrictions once again, many of us are once again wondering if our heavy reliance on technology is impacting our well-being.
It is true that digital devices have provided new ways of working, education, connection and entertainment during the lockdown. But the perceived pressure to be online, the tendency to procrastinate to avoid undertaking tasks, and the use of digital platforms as a way to escape distress all have the potential to turn healthy behaviors into habits. This repetitive use can turn into addictive patterns, which can in turn affect a user’s well-being.
In our recent research, we explored how to empower people to have healthier and more productive relationships with digital technology. Our findings can be applied to those suffering from digital addiction as well as to those who may feel their digital diet has swelled unhealthily in the loneliness and silence of lockdown.
Screen time and addiction
Digital addiction refers to the compulsive and excessive use of digital devices. The design of the digital platforms themselves contributes to this addictive use. Notifications, newsfeeds, likes, and comments have all been shown to contribute to a battle for your attention, leading to users increasing the time they spend staring at screens.
Screen time is an obvious measure of digital addiction, although the researchers noted that there’s no easy way to determine how much screen time you can live before it becomes problematic. As such, there is a continuing lack of consensus on how we should think about and measure digital addiction.
During a global pandemic, when there is often no alternative to launching Netflix or videoconferencing with friends and family, screen time as an indicator of digital addiction is clearly ineffective. Nonetheless, research on digital addiction intervention and prevention provides insight into how we can all engage more healthily with our digital technologies during a lockdown.
1. Definition of limits
During our research, we found that effective limit setting can motivate users to take more control over their digital usage. When setting boundaries, whatever goal you decide to achieve, you need to align the five “SMART” criteria. This means that the goal must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound.
For example, instead of setting your goal as “I will reduce my use of digital media,” setting it as “I will not spend more than an hour watching Netflix on weekdays” will allow you to effectively plan and measure your success. objectively.
2. Online support groups
It might sound a bit of a paradox, but you can actually use technology to help you gain more control over your screen time and digital overuse. Study found that online peer support groups – where people can discuss their experiences using harmful technologies and share information on how to overcome these issues – can help people adjust their digital diet. in favor of their personal well-being. Even an open discussion with your friends can help you understand when your use of technology is harmful.
3. Self-reflection
Meanwhile, increasing your sense of self-awareness about addictive usage patterns can also help you manage your digital usage. You can do this by identifying the apps we use repeatedly and recognizing the triggers that are causing this excess consumption.
Self-awareness can also be achieved by reflecting on emotional and cognitive processing. It involves recognizing the feelings and psychological needs behind excessive digital use. “If I don’t instantly respond to a group conversation, I’ll lose my popularity” is a problematic thought that leads to increased screen time. Reflecting on the veracity of such thoughts can help free people from addicting patterns of digital use.
4. Know your triggers
Gaining a self-awareness about addictive usage patterns can actually help us identify unmet needs that trigger digital overuse. When we do this, we can pave the way for defining alternative behaviors and interests to meet those needs in different ways.
Mindfulness meditation, for example, could be an alternative way to relieve stress, fears, or anxiety that currently lead users to digital overuse. If you suspect that your excessive digital use may be simply due to boredom, then physical activity, cooking, or adopting offline hobbies can all provide alternative forms of entertainment. Again, technology can actually help enable this, for example by allowing you to create groups online for simultaneous exercise, producing a hybrid solution to unhealthy digital habits.
5. Give priority to the social
We should also remember that our relationship with digital media reflects our inner motivations. Humans are naturally social creatures, and socializing with others is important for our mental well-being. Social media can enhance our opportunities for social contact and support several positive aspects of mental well-being, such as peer support and improved self-esteem. Engaging with the media to deliberately socialize during a lockdown can support our mental health, rather than harm our well-being.
Ultimately, tech companies also have a responsibility to understand and be transparent about how the design of their platforms can cause damage. These companies should give users explanations and tools to help them make informed decisions about their use of digital media.
While we might consider this a legitimate user requirement, tech companies seem to be in the very early stages of delivering it. In the meantime, thinking about when and why we turn to our screens is a good foundation on which to embrace positive digital habits in the new lockdowns imposed this year.
This article by John McAlaney, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Bournemouth; Deniz Cemiloglu, Research Fellow, University of Bournemouth, and Raian Ali, Professor, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, are republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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