The number of global smartphone users is forecast to grow to more than 2.5 billion in the next two years (by 2019). We’re living in an “always-on” world where more than 63% of smartphone users spend at least five hours per day on their device using it in all the different ways that it can be used. It’s no longer simply about making calls or texting, smartphone use has moved on to doing all sorts of things thanks to the internet and the advent of social media. We’re checking the time, doing research, counting our steps and measuring our heart rate, diagnosing the cause of our headache and sharing our #OOTD or our breakfast #foodporn. In fact, our fixation on our smartphones over the years has seen a paradigm shift in how we socialize and communicate with each other even while physically being in the same space. So has this addiction to this ubiquitous device in the palm of our hands causing more harm than good? Are smartphones hijacking our brains?
The very way we communicate is a prime example of the effects of overindulgence in the use of smartphones. Messaging applications like WhatsApp, IMO, I-Message, Kik, BBM and many others have revolutionized how we speak. Text lingos and messaging slangs like “LOL (laugh out loud), BRB (be right back), SUP (what’s up) and many others have seeped their way into formal communication. This type of integrated communication has affected our level of intelligence as persons are now more comfortable using text jargons and oftentimes neglect to revert to formal English when required. In some extreme cases, due to the constant use of these jargons and text slangs, many persons temporarily forget how to construct sentences or spell words in standard English.
And what about our attention span or our ability to even finish reading this article without the distraction of our next smartphone notification? BBC.com reported earlier this year that thanks to social media, smartphones and hyperlinks in the middle of everything we read, it can feel much more challenging for us to focus. It also said that “the average attention span is down from 12 seconds in the year 2000 to eight seconds now. That’s less than the nine-second attention span of your average goldfish.” Yes, for many, less attention is paid to their surroundings leaving them exposed – at risk even – to all manner of things as they feel compelled to either respond to every notification that comes or to check every second wondering why has no one ‘messaged’ them in the past 30 minutes.
Have you ever seen two people out at dinner, for example and taken note of how often they check their phones? Yes, smartphone use is killing our conversations and making us less antisocial. Putting a smartphone in an interaction will most likely do two things. It decreases the quality of what you talk about because subconsciously you talk about something where you don’t mind being interrupted. Second, it reduces the emphatic connection that people feel toward each other, and rightfully so because you’re more connected to your notification than you are to the very person in front of you. Sherry Turkle’s book, ‘Reclaiming Conversations,’ “agrees that even something as simple as going to lunch and putting a cell phone on the table decreases the emotional importance of what people are willing to talk about, and decreases the connection that these two people feel toward one another.” Meaning, you could have a 30-minute conversation with someone and easily forget them because you effectively conversed with them for about eight to ten minutes while the rest of the time is spent on and off your phone.
This story originally appeared in Volume 9 #5 November-December 2017
To read more, please purchase a copy of Buzzz Caribbean LifestyleMagazine Vol 10 #6 in a store near you.
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The number of global smartphone users is forecast to grow to more than 2.5 billion in the next two years (by 2019). We’re living in an “always-on” world where more than 63% of smartphone users spend at least five hours per day on their device using it in all the different ways that it can be used. It’s no longer simply about making calls or texting, smartphone use has moved on to doing all sorts of things thanks to the internet and the advent of social media. We’re checking the time, doing research, counting our steps and measuring our heart rate, diagnosing the cause of our headache and sharing our #OOTD or our breakfast #foodporn. In fact, our fixation on our smartphones over the years has seen a paradigm shift in how we socialize and communicate with each other even while physically being in the same space. So has this addiction to this ubiquitous device in the palm of our hands causing more harm than good? Are smartphones hijacking our brains?
The very way we communicate is a prime example of the effects of overindulgence in the use of smartphones. Messaging applications like WhatsApp, IMO, I-Message, Kik, BBM and many others have revolutionized how we speak. Text lingos and messaging slangs like “LOL (laugh out loud), BRB (be right back), SUP (what’s up) and many others have seeped their way into formal communication. This type of integrated communication has affected our level of intelligence as persons are now more comfortable using text jargons and oftentimes neglect to revert to formal English when required. In some extreme cases, due to the constant use of these jargons and text slangs, many persons temporarily forget how to construct sentences or spell words in standard English.
And what about our attention span or our ability to even finish reading this article without the distraction of our next smartphone notification? BBC.com reported earlier this year that thanks to social media, smartphones and hyperlinks in the middle of everything we read, it can feel much more challenging for us to focus. It also said that “the average attention span is down from 12 seconds in the year 2000 to eight seconds now. That’s less than the nine-second attention span of your average goldfish.” Yes, for many, less attention is paid to their surroundings leaving them exposed – at risk even – to all manner of things as they feel compelled to either respond to every notification that comes or to check every second wondering why has no one ‘messaged’ them in the past 30 minutes.
Have you ever seen two people out at dinner, for example and taken note of how often they check their phones? Yes, smartphone use is killing our conversations and making us less antisocial. Putting a smartphone in an interaction will most likely do two things. It decreases the quality of what you talk about because subconsciously you talk about something where you don’t mind being interrupted. Second, it reduces the emphatic connection that people feel toward each other, and rightfully so because you’re more connected to your notification than you are to the very person in front of you. Sherry Turkle’s book, ‘Reclaiming Conversations,’ “agrees that even something as simple as going to lunch and putting a cell phone on the table decreases the emotional importance of what people are willing to talk about, and decreases the connection that these two people feel toward one another.” Meaning, you could have a 30-minute conversation with someone and easily forget them because you effectively conversed with them for about eight to ten minutes while the rest of the time is spent on and off your phone.
This story originally appeared in Volume 9 #5 November-December 2017
To read more, please purchase a copy of Buzzz Caribbean Lifestyle Magazine Vol 10 #6 in a store near you.
Want more tips for a better you? Read: 5 Interesting ways why you are not losing weight.
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