Smart Phones: The New Drug of Choice!
Smart phones have easily become the new drug of choice. Look around. If Smart phones and texting were a disease, we’d be calling it a pandemic.
The addiction to Smart phones and texting is obvious no matter where you go. It is an addiction not unlike food, crack, cigarettes, or alcohol. You don’t believe me? Try taking someone’s phone away for an hour. You’ll be able to see the withdrawal effects almost right away. Have someone not respond to a text alert and see what happens.
Twelve different universities performed an experiment whereby people were asked to abstain from using their phones for 24 hours. The result: most people claimed to “feel alone, and secluded from life.” Others remarked it was “unbearable.”
What are some signs of addiction?
1) Inability to stop using.
2) Abandoning regular activities.
3) Taking risks.
4) Obsession with whatever you’re addicted to.
5) Relationship problems.
Now let’s take a look at the similarities with Smart phone users. Ask someone who’s addicted to his or her phone to stop using it. They “can’t” stop, but they’ll probably say they can stop any time. What happens to their activities? Hours of texting, checking emails, Facebook, and Twitter may interfere with their normal routine.
Risky behavior—another indication. Texting while driving is just as dangerous as drinking and driving, surprisingly even more. According to the Cohen Children’s Medical Center, 3,000 teenagers were killed while driving, all due to texting. Alcohol related deaths: 2,700.
People are so obsessed with their phones, that when a new model comes along, they’ll stand in line overnight just to be one of the first people to own it. And what of relationships? Being on the phone, or on the computer all the time, has been known to cause major relationship issues. Have you tried talking to someone who’s checking Facebook or texting? Don’t even try. They can’t hear you. Smart phones, texting, and checking social media are no different than thieves. They rob us of our most precious commodity: TIME!
Some argue that it’s not an addiction to Smart phones and texting; that the real issue is the desire to stay connected. I disagree. While texters are staying connected, they’re connecting with people who aren’t there. In many cases, I’ve seen people at parties texting and scrolling through Instagram. Why not connect with those around you? So, I wonder, then, if maybe the inability to connect fact-to-face is due to social awkwardness? Perhaps that’s fodder for another piece.
Smart phones have become the drug of choice, the ball and chain, if you will. With the ability to connect instantly, one is expected to be available 24/7. Any delay can seem unbearable. If a text is not answered within seconds, this could cause the texter to become irritated, impatient, and annoyed. And forget having time to yourself. You might as well be wearing a tracking device. Anyone can find you, anytime.
I’m not saying that Smart phones are a bad thing. I have one myself. What I am saying is that Moderation is the key to anything. Any type of extreme is harmful. But in the middle, you can stay forever.
Take a break from technology. At least diminish the hours you spend on your devices. I think you might be surprised by how much extra time you’ll have, by the spoken (not written) conversations, with real people, and how you can actually look someone in the eye when you’re talking to them.
Give up your addiction. Start taking small steps today. Next time you go to a party, leave your phone in your purse, or pocket. Next time you’re having dinner, talk to the people at the table; don’t be distracted by incoming texts. And next time you’re sitting at a park, look up. Imbibe the beauty around you. Give yourself the gift of time, without the need to keep checking your phone. Or do something really random…read a book! If it’s not banned, of course.
Well Street
In Western societies, once you reach middle age, your value and relevance begins to decline, and this continues into the senior years. However, its those demographics who were spared having their brains rewired by the use of smart-devices during the formidable years of development. This reduces the likelihood of growing "addicted" to them.
In addition to the numerous signs of addiction you mention, physical issues like carpal tunnel syndrome, tension headaches, compromised joint function, and vision issues can develop.
That said, if my devices were taken from me permanently, life would be more complicated.
Sanatana
I agree with your comments 100%. We do have to live with our phones; it is just the way society is currently built. Having said that, as an older person understand the importance of being present with a person, hence I don't look at my phone or scroll when I'm with a friend or loved one. I've been with people who do that and it doesn't feel good. It has made me feel like I'm irrelevant in their eyes, like they'd rather chat with their online buddy or scroll and "like." All in moderation is the key, I believe.
Slipstream
I notice the high school kids walking to and from school with their heads and shoulders bent over reading their phones. As that generation ages, they may well look more like Neanderthals than Homo sapiens.
Sanatana
I don't doubt that they will. Everyone in their 40's will be curved over like a 90-year old.
Evangel
Good points. For many people, cell phones are their most loving companion—like a cat you can pet all day long and get love in return. The question is, why have people gone overboard into a perpetual sea of needing constant attention, attaboys and puffing up? FOMO has a lot to do with it, but lack of self-discipline and impoliteness is clearly in the mix, too.
Sanatana
I don't know the reason. But loneliness is more prevalent now than ever. I'm suspecting it's the "phone connections" rather than connections with real people.