Captain Cool M. S. Dhoni does not carry a mobile phone! Or even if Captain Cool has a mobile phone, no one knows his number. Not just an exaggeration. M. S. Even head coach and team manager Ravi Shastri didn’t know Dhoni’s number when he was India’s captain! How Dhoni got out of the clutches of technology is surprising to anyone. Watching movies, shopping online, taking photos and sending email messages, using social media like WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. is a minimum requirement to survive today. It would be difficult for a person who does not use WhatsApp to go to any office and work today. In most places such a person does not get entry. The reason is simple. Unofficial announcements related to day-to-day running of offices come through WhatsApp groups. Often even official announcements may come through WhatsApp. In such a world, a person like Dhoni lived without a phone!
A 2018 study says that 40 percent of the world’s population uses social media. It should also be remembered that this number is increasing by the minute. On an average, we use two hours to tweet, update, like and share on social media. That means half a million tweets and snapchat photos are circulating every minute.
Those who lose sleep and work for private websites
The world of technology is taking away not only the day time but also the night time. The use of mobile phones has spread to the extent that we even lose our sleep. Most people don’t even remember that all social media websites are privately owned. We spend our time on social media as seriously as we would invest in any common cause.
Healthy sleep is essential for a healthy life. Stress from long working hours, constant commuting, noise pollution and technology all affect sleep. A 2019 study found that 62 percent of adults worldwide think they don’t get enough sleep. One should sleep at least eight hours a day. But most people get 7.8 hours of sleep on holidays and 6.8 hours on other days. One reason for this is that technology is available to us 24 hours a day. As working from home has become the norm, the phone or laptop has become our constant companion at any time.
Those who are born and fall into mobile phones
Banning cell phones in schools improves student learning, according to a recent study. It helped children who were lagging behind in their studies. With the advent of smart phones, anyone can call anyone anywhere.
Are you a fomo?
Experts say that excessive use of mobile phones can reduce concentration. Mobile phone use during study can lower the learning level by 20 percent! Keeping the mobile phone close can lead to inattention. No matter how serious we are doing, we will be able to grab the phone next to us and squeeze one of them.
Mobile phones affect teenagers in a different way. Fear of missing out (FOMO) is common in adolescence. Social media is masterfully increasing our FOMO state. For example:
“Plz like my profile pic bro”
Those who have been using Facebook since around 2011 will understand this very easily. A number of children suddenly flocked to Facebook, which used to be the social media of adults. Their social media usage patterns were very different. The aim of the kids was to post freak photos and get maximum likes for them. The boys went to the inbox of their uncles who were talking regarding political issues very seriously and started searching for likes. Calling these kids and chasing them away was also a Facebook pastime back then.
It was just a joke to the adults on Facebook. But the community managers who are watching it all very carefully have seen a new business opportunity. Then came many new apps like TikTok and Instagram. It was designed in such a way that children (and adults) can use it very easily. Now that pillar of the day is sitting on Instagram and calling uncles on Facebook!
There are new news that Facebook is also giving up uncles. It is reported that Facebook may gradually withdraw from the dissemination of serious news. Facebook has already turned heavily to Reels and the like. Light news may now reach you more and more.
However, social media addiction is a sure thing for FOMO sufferers.
Knowing what others are doing is becoming an unavoidable necessity for us. Lack of enthusiasm, anxiety, and a tendency to constantly look at the mobile phone while studying are common in people with Phomo. But there are ways to overcome FOMO.
Focusing more on the moment, not multitasking, and cutting back on social media can help beat FOMO. The message sounds on the phone when you are engaged in some work. He immediately turns his attention to the phone and even forgets what he was doing.
Social media means jealousy!
Aren’t you presenting yourself on social media as a watered down version of real life? Don’t lie, we all know that’s the truth. People who look very happy on Facebook may be directly sad. Similarly, those who appear intelligent on Twitter may not be so intelligent in real life. But we always forget one thing. Most people on social media are wearing masks just like us. If those masks are of joy, you may worry that he is not so happy. When someone celebrates his success with exaggeration, you may feel depressed that he has not achieved that much. The profession of social media community managers is to make money by selling people’s envy.
We compare our lives to the hollow lives we see on social media. Trying to copy life on social media in life can lead to more stress and fear of failure. Excessive use of mobile phones affects mental health. It is not happiness that is produced in us by constant phone use. Doing so increases anxiety and stress. Feeling isolated can even lead to low self-esteem. Excessive dependence on the phone leads to increased restlessness, frustration and impatience.
Those who do not sleep are the sleepers of society
If the phone is used continuously for more than 20 minutes, it affects the sleep. People who sleep with their mobile phones close to them have less sleep than others. The light from the phone can affect the activity of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. Because of this, melatonin works slowly. Because of this, we stay awake longer.
A recent study found that three percent of young people in Australia have internet gaming disorder. Studies show that excessive use of mobile phones can cause problems at any age. Uncles who complain regarding phone addiction in their children while staring at their phones should also take note.
Phone man mesmerizing opium!
The design of the phones and all the apps inside them is designed in such a way that it encourages to be used once more and once more. Topamine, a nerve stimulant, is activated in small amounts when using a mobile phone. But ultimately we get no satisfaction. We scroll and swipe once more to pass the time when we feel like getting it. We have the feeling that we can get something better. Enticing messages (notifications) are always coming from apps. We will go and jump in all of them.
Anyone who uses a phone regularly will have this experience. If you forget your phone at home or something, Adhi grows in your mind. In others, it can cause a condition called ‘nomophobia’. ‘No mobile phone phobia’ is the fear of being disconnected from the world. Computers and TVs can all lead us to excessive screen use, but mobile phones are more problematic. The reason for this is that the mobile phone is in our hands.
Life divided into three minutes
It is estimated that the maximum time a video is viewed by more people is 3 minutes. This is how most social media websites and apps set up their videos. The figure for reels is even smaller. In short, we are unable to watch a video for more than three minutes. That is, no matter how serious the matter is, our minds will not dwell on it for more than three minutes. Our minds are eager to move on to the next one as quickly as possible.
Excessive use of screens can affect our perception in many ways. Concentration is the most affected. It also affects the ability to get things done. It can undermine our thinking and problem-solving abilities. Difficulty concentrating on work. They cannot concentrate on one subject for more than three minutes. It should also be noted that in students it is only 65 seconds. They are too young to become victims of social media. Many people who used to read for hours before had a big change in their behavior. They did not read for long.
Decide not to know everything right away
The first thing to do is to reduce phone usage. Avoid all notifications except for calls. In doing so, there is a feeling of missing something. Ignore that feeling. Hundreds of notifications are received a day. This notification itself is enough to distract us from the work we are doing. If you are going to the store, you can leave the phone in the car. You can put your phone in your bag while walking. Keeping the smartphone in another room while working can help reduce usage.
The phone is boring!
All the mental disturbance and stress that we experience are the ‘gains’ that we get from excessive phone use. Boredom, not being able to sleep, and feeling alone can all prompt you to pick up the phone. You have to learn that it’s okay to be a little restless, and that it’s okay to sit still for a while. Doing this helps to refresh the mind and generate new ideas. Give yourself time to think like this. The time spent on the phone would be better spent on something else. If you are the type of person who keeps your phone in your hand, you can read a book or something.
