Category: Health

The Connection Between Technology Overuse and Stress: How to Take Control
The Connection Between Technology Overuse and Stress: How to Take Control

Technology use is an essential part of our daily lives, but its overuse can lead to stress and other negative effects on our mental and physical health. Studies have shown that excessive, or over, use of technology can cause negative effects on our mental and physical health, including stress, anxiety, and depression.

One study published by the American Psychological Association found that excessive use of technology can lead to a lack of face-to-face communication and social interaction, which can contribute to feelings of stress and isolation. Additionally, the constant stimulation and distractions provided by technology can make it difficult for individuals to relax and unwind, leading to increased levels of stress.

Another study published in the Journal of American College Health, found that there is a positive correlation between social media use and stress among college students. The study found that students who spent more time on social media had higher levels of perceived stress. Furthermore, the study also suggests that social media use may displace other activities that are beneficial for mental health, such as physical activity and face-to-face social interaction.

The Royal Society for Public Health also conducted research on the topic and found that technology use can cause sleep deprivation and lack of physical activity which can lead to an increased risk of stress, anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, the constant notifications and pressure to respond to messages can cause feelings of pressure and anxiety, which can lead to increased stress levels.

Tackling technology and stress

So, how can we take control of our technology use and reduce the stress it can cause? Here are some practical tips to help you get started:
1. Set boundaries: One of the best ways to take control of your technology use is to set boundaries for yourself. This can include setting specific times of the day when you will not use technology, such as during meals or before bed. Additionally, you can set limits on the amount of time you spend on certain apps or websites. Research has shown that setting clear boundaries can help reduce feelings of stress and improve overall well-being.
2. Take breaks: Another important tip is to take regular breaks from technology. This can include stepping away from your device for a few minutes every hour, or taking a technology-free day once a week. Research has found that taking breaks from technology can help reduce symptoms of stress and improve focus and productivity.
3. Prioritise face-to-face communication: In today’s digital world, it is easy to rely on technology for communication, but research has shown that face-to-face interactions can be more satisfying and beneficial for our mental health. Try to make an effort to have more in-person conversations, whether it’s with friends, family or colleagues.
4. Get enough sleep: The blue light emitted from electronic devices can disrupt our natural sleep patterns, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Research has shown that this can lead to feelings of stress and fatigue. To combat this, try to limit your technology use in the hour leading up to bedtime, as well as looking at the total time on screens during the day, and consider using a blue light filter on your devices.
5. Engage in other activities: It’s important to have a balance in your life, and not to rely solely on technology for entertainment or socialising. Engage in other activities such as reading, exercising, or spending time outdoors.
6. Seek professional help if necessary: If you find that your technology use is causing you significant stress, anxiety or depression, it may be helpful to seek professional help. A therapist or counsellor can work with you to develop a plan to manage your technology use and address any underlying mental health concerns.
Setting boundaries, taking regular breaks, prioritising face-to-face communication, getting enough sleep, engaging in other activities, and seeking professional help if necessary – these can all be effective ways of managing technology use and reducing stress. Be aware of the potential negative effects of too much time with tech and take steps to control your technology to promote well-being and reduce overall stress.

For more about improving your relationship with technology, check out our book ‘My Brain has Too Many Tabs Open‘.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com
14 May 2023
Is Your Phone Habit Wrecking Your Memory?
Is Your Phone Habit Wrecking Your Memory?

How many phone numbers can you recall? If you’re anything like the Time to Log Off team, you’ll find its very few. And yet, a few years ago we could all recall the phone numbers of our friends and family with ease, couldn’t we? And what about navigating ourselves from one place to another, didn’t that used to be something we could mange without heavy reliance on our smartphone and GPS?

Memory researcher Catherine Loveday found in 2021 that 80% of the adults she surveyed felt that their memories were worse than before the pandemic. But prolonged periods of stress, isolation and exhaustion – common experiences for all of us since March 2020 – are known for their impact on memory. Is something else going on?

Are we outsourcing too much to our phones?

The term ‘digital amnesia’ has been defined as “a phenomenon where our brains are fast losing their ability to remember as we become increasingly reliant on technology to retain data”.

Scientists and psychologists are divided on whether it’s actually a true phenomenon or whether other factors (like the pandemic, ageing etc) are impacting our ability to recall information.

The argument against digital amnesia

Some neuroscientists believe we have always ‘outsourced’ some of our brain processes to other methods and that this isn’t necessarily worrying of itself.

“We have always offloaded things into external devices, like writing down notes, and that’s enabled us to have more complex lives, processes. We’re doing it more, but that frees up time to concentrate, focus on and remember other things.”

Chris Bird professor of cognitive neuroscience, University of Sussex

These experts think that some of things our smartphones help us with are actually quite challenging as our brains aren’t evolved to remember highly specific, one-off things. Before we had devices, for example, it was challenging to remember all the things we needed to do at specific times of the day as our lives became more complex and now reminders, alarms and online calendars help with all of that.

The argument for digital amnesia

Other experts are more cautious about dismissing the potential long-term impact of outsourcing so much of our brain function.

“Once you stop using your memory it will get worse, which makes you use your devices even more. We use them for everything. If you go to a website for a recipe, you press a button and it sends the ingredient list to your smartphone. It’s very convenient, but convenience has a price. It’s good for you to do certain things in your head.”

Professor Oliver Hardt, McGill University

Professor Hardt cites research that shows that people who have relied long-term on GPS have reduced grey matter density in the hippocampus (the part of the brain that has a major role in learning and memory). This is because GPS doesn’t encourage us to build up large spatial maps in the brian (which navigating without it does), rather it gives us simple, one-step instructions ‘turn left’ ‘go straight on’ which don’t engage the hippocampus and challenge it.

Countering digital amnesia

If you think your own brain power and memory might be being affected by over-reliance on your devices try these tips:
- Try memorising five phone numbers of those you call the most frequently.
- Go out on a day trip and ban the use of smartphone GPS, use a physical map instead.
- Play old-fashioned memory games as a family (recalling random objects on a tray is a good one).
Actively look for opportunities to memorise and recall information in your daily life, instead of using digital reminders and shortcuts. Your hippocampus needs to be challenged and exercised like any other part of your body and brain – don’t let it get rusty!

For more about how to get a healthy balance with tech: My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open is out now

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com
29 July 2022
Is ‘Slowcial Media’ The Answer?
Is ‘Slowcial Media’ The Answer?

Social media addiction is on the rise with more and more people struggling to stop endlessly scrolling through their feeds. Could ‘slowcial media’ be the answer to using social media intentionally and avoiding some of the harmful side-effects?

What is slowcial media?

Slowcial media is all about slowing down the rush to connect with tech and making it intentional, meaningful and mindful. It can be applied to the ways in which we use social media – or it can be applied to a whole new type of tech which focuses on mindfulness and meaningful connection.

“Slowcial Media: Platforms that foster unhurried and meaningful connection between humans”.

Urban Dictionary

In that sense, slowcial media can be compared to other ‘slow’ cultural movements to slow down life’s pace, such as the slow food movement or slow fashion, both of which ask for considered consumption, thinking about the sources of products, and emphasising sustainability.

The slow movement is thought to have begun in 1986 when Carlo Petrini protested against the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant near the world-famous Spanish Steps in Rome. His protest sparked the creation of the slow food movement which over time developed into the full-blown slow subculture.

“It is a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savouring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting.”

Carl Honoré In Praise of Slow,

Can using social media itself ever be ‘slow’?

The attention economy and persuasive tech encourages us to use social media at break-neck speed, scrolling from one feed and account to another, FOMO making us worry that we might be missing out. But, we can learn to use social media intentionally and mindfully if we follow a few simple rules:
- Set limits for time spent online.
- Set an intention before you connect with social media – what’s your purpose in using it?
- Keep checking in with how social media makes you feel.
- Use social media to be inspired and informed – follow accounts that celebrate achievement, not appearance.
- Reply thoughtfully to online interactions, pause before responding.
- Put hurdles and obstacles in place to make you slow down before you use apps.
Your hurdles and obstacles can be very personal and specific to you. Some ideas; putting your phone in another room, uninstalling social media apps at certain times, leaving messages for yourself on the home screen of your phone. Think creatively about how you can design behavioural nudges like these to ensure you’re being mindful about your use.

Are you addicted to social media? Try our social media addiction quiz.

Other uses which help you to go slow

Of course, it’s not just about using social media apps in a way that’s more intentional. There are a range of other apps which exist purely for the purpose of developing mindfulness and meaningful connection. Some ideas might be;
- Headspace – an app for everyday mindfulness and meditation.
- Freedom – an app and website blocker, to enable you to focus and be productive.
- Reflection – a journalling-focused app that guides a meaningful reflection practice.
- Forest – another app to help focus, but this one plants a tree in the real-world if you meet your goals.
The slowcial media action plan

Here’s our simple plan to help you reap the benefits of a more slowcial approach
1. Use existing social media and other apps mindfully.
2. Prune notifications and alerts that distract you.
3. Set an intention every time you use an app that might be encouraging you to be mindless.
4. Look for alternatives that encourage meaningful connection.
If you want to try out a full disconnection from tech to slow down, check out all the resources on our website for how to do a digital detox.

For more about using tech intentionally pick up our new book: My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open. Available to order here.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com
27 June 2022
A Week off Social Media Reduces Depression and Anxiety
A Week off Social Media Reduces Depression and Anxiety

A new study has revealed that taking just a week off social media can reduce depression and anxiety and increase a sense of wellbeing.

The University of Bath study found that people who took a break from apps such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for just seven days reported an increased sense of wellbeing.

How did the study work?

Researchers split their sample of 154 people aged 18 to 72 into two groups. One group was banned from social media while the other was not. On average, participants used social media for eight hours a week.

Participants were quizzed before the study on their baseline levels of anxiety and depression, and their sense of wellbeing, using three widely-used tests;
- To measure their wellbeing they were asked to rate their agreement with statements like “I’ve been feeling optimistic about the future” and “I’ve been thinking clearly”.
- To measure depression they were asked questions such as “how often during the past two weeks were you bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things?”
- Their anxiety was monitored using the General Anxiety Disorder Scale, which asks how often a person is bothered by feeling nervous or on edge, or an inability to stop worrying.
What did the results show?

Those who took a one-week break from social media saw their wellbeing climb from an average of 46 to 55.93 on The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale.

Levels of depression in this group dropped from 7.46 to 4.84 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 while anxiety fell from 6.92 to 5.94 on the scale.

Lead author Dr Jeff Lambert, of the University of Bath’s Department for Health, said the changes represented a moderate improvement in depression and wellbeing, and a small improvement in anxiety.

“Many of our participants reported positive effects from being off social media with improved mood and less anxiety overall. This suggests that even just a small break can have an impact.”

Dr Jeff Lambert, Department for Health, University of Bath

Have other studies shown the same results?

The research findings support previous research around the globe linking regular social media use with higher rates of depression and anxiety.

The ‘chicken and egg’ relationship between social media and mental health has still not been established however. ie whether social media use leads to mental health problems, or whether pre-existing feelings of low self-worth drives people to social media as a means of validation.

In the UK the number of adults using social media increased from 45% in 2011 to 71% in 2021. Among 16 to 44-year-olds, as many as 97% use social media and scrolling is the most frequent online activity performed.

The researchers say that in future they hope to study the impact of stopping social media use on specific parts of the population, such as younger people and those with physical and mental health conditions. They also hope to follow up with people beyond one week to see if the benefits of the social media break have a lasting effect.

What steps can we take to improve our own wellbeing?

#1 Log off

Logging off for either a small or longer period of time would seem to be a good idea, as suggested by this study and many others.

#2 Cut down

If logging-off completely isn’t feasible, then cutting down on the amount of time spent on social media (particularly the time spent passively scrolling) is also linked to improvements in mental health.

#3 Be more mindful

A mindful approach, which takes a note of how we are feeling before and after episodes on apps, is also recommended to monitor the unique impact it may be having on our own wellbeing. Checking in with ourselves from time to time and asking the question “how does this make me feel?” is top on our list of strategies to build a healthier relationship.

My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open

For more about how the digital world is impacting our wellbeing. Out now on Amazon and in all good bookshops.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com
27 June 2022
Cutting smartphone use by just one hour a day could leave you more satisfied with life
Cutting smartphone use by just one hour a day could leave you more satisfied with life

Several studies have shown that smartphone overuse is linked to obesity, neck pain, impaired sleep and poor mental health outcomes. So a team of researchers set out to monitor cutting smartphone use out completely, versus reducing it, to establish just how much smartphone too much smartphone.

Is there an ideal amount of time to use your smartphone?

The researchers recruited 619 people for their study and divided them into three groups. One group of 200 people put their smartphone away for the week, 226 reduced the amount of time they used the device by one hour a day, and 193 didn’t change anything at all in their smartphone use. All groups filled out questionnaires before the experiment and then were followed up both one month and four months afterward it had ended – when they had all gone back to their normal smartphone use.

The researchers discovered that in both the ‘intervention’ groups the following were reduced
- Smartphone use intensity.
- Problematic use tendencies.
- Depressive, and anxiety symptoms.
In both groups, overall life satisfaction and physical activity also increased.

Life satisfaction improved when cutting smartphone use down

A reduction in use was found to be better than giving up completely

Most effects were stronger and remained more steady over four months in the group that reduced their usage rather than in the group that gave up their smartphone completely. Interestingly, in the reduction group only the number of daily smoked cigarettes also decreased.

“It’s not necessary to completely give up the smartphone to feel better, there may be an optimal daily usage time.”

Dr Brailovskaia, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

How can you find your own ‘sweet spot’?

The research seems to suggest that there is a ‘sweet spot’ of smartphone use. Something that backs up a previous study from Oxford University which had similar findings and described it as the ‘Goldilocks point‘ (ie, not too much, not too little, just right).

Finding your own sweet spot is something we suggest to people who take our online course as well as those who attend talks our founder delivers. We suggest the following steps;

#1 Check-in with how you feel

Sit and monitor how you feel, both physically and mentally, before you pick up your smartphone. Do an all-over body check and get it touch with and name your emotional state.

#2 Pick up and start using your smartphone

Start using your smartphone as normal, carrying out the actions you intended to do.

#3 Check-in after a few minutes, again at the end of your use

After a few minutes of use, check-in with yourself again and then as many times as you want to throughout your usage. Do a final check-in at the end of the sessions. Make a note of what you were doing, the time you spent on your phone, and whether you noticed any change in your state.

Use this simple 3-step process over a couple of weeks to build up self-awareness of how your smartphone use is affecting you, and see if you can work out what your own sweet spot might be.

My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open

For more about how the digital world is impacting our wellbeing. Out now on Amazon and in all good bookshops.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com
27 June 2022
Is ‘Slowcial Media’ The Answer?
Is ‘Slowcial Media’ The Answer?

Social media addiction is on the rise with more and more people struggling to stop endlessly scrolling through their feeds. Could ‘slowcial media’ be the answer to using social media intentionally and avoiding some of the harmful side-effects?

What is slowcial media?

Slowcial media is all about slowing down the rush to connect with tech and making it intentional, meaningful and mindful. It can be applied to the ways in which we use social media – or it can be applied to a whole new type of tech which focuses on mindfulness and meaningful connection.

“Slowcial Media: Platforms that foster unhurried and meaningful connection between humans”.

Urban Dictionary

In that sense, slowcial media can be compared to other ‘slow’ cultural movements to slow down life’s pace, such as the slow food movement or slow fashion, both of which ask for considered consumption, thinking about the sources of products, and emphasising sustainability.

The slow movement is thought to have begun in 1986 when Carlo Petrini protested against the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant near the world-famous Spanish Steps in Rome. His protest sparked the creation of the slow food movement which over time developed into the full-blown slow subculture.

“It is a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savouring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting.”

Carl Honoré In Praise of Slow,

Can using social media itself ever be ‘slow’?

The attention economy and persuasive tech encourages us to use social media at break-neck speed, scrolling from one feed and account to another, FOMO making us worry that we might be missing out. But, we can learn to use social media intentionally and mindfully if we follow a few simple rules:
- Set limits for time spent online.
- Set an intention before you connect with social media – what’s your purpose in using it?
- Keep checking in with how social media makes you feel.
- Use social media to be inspired and informed – follow accounts that celebrate achievement, not appearance.
- Reply thoughtfully to online interactions, pause before responding.
- Put hurdles and obstacles in place to make you slow down before you use apps.
Your hurdles and obstacles can be very personal and specific to you. Some ideas; putting your phone in another room, uninstalling social media apps at certain times, leaving messages for yourself on the home screen of your phone. Think creatively about how you can design behavioural nudges like these to ensure you’re being mindful about your use.

Are you addicted to social media? Try our social media addiction quiz.

Other uses which help you to go slow

Of course, it’s not just about using social media apps in a way that’s more intentional. There are a range of other apps which exist purely for the purpose of developing mindfulness and meaningful connection. Some ideas might be;
- Headspace – an app for everyday mindfulness and meditation.
- Freedom – an app and website blocker, to enable you to focus and be productive.
- Reflection – a journalling-focused app that guides a meaningful reflection practice.
- Forest – another app to help focus, but this one plants a tree in the real-world if you meet your goals.
The slowcial media action plan

Here’s our simple plan to help you reap the benefits of a more slowcial approach
1. Use existing social media and other apps mindfully.
2. Prune notifications and alerts that distract you.
3. Set an intention every time you use an app that might be encouraging you to be mindless.
4. Look for alternatives that encourage meaningful connection.
If you want to try out a full disconnection from tech to slow down, check out all the resources on our website for how to do a digital detox.

For more about using tech intentionally pick up our new book: My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open. Available to order here.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com
6 June 2022
A Week off Social Media Reduces Depression and Anxiety
A Week off Social Media Reduces Depression and Anxiety

A new study has revealed that taking just a week off social media can reduce depression and anxiety and increase a sense of wellbeing.

The University of Bath study found that people who took a break from apps such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for just seven days reported an increased sense of wellbeing.

How did the study work?

Researchers split their sample of 154 people aged 18 to 72 into two groups. One group was banned from social media while the other was not. On average, participants used social media for eight hours a week.

Participants were quizzed before the study on their baseline levels of anxiety and depression, and their sense of wellbeing, using three widely-used tests;
- To measure their wellbeing they were asked to rate their agreement with statements like “I’ve been feeling optimistic about the future” and “I’ve been thinking clearly”.
- To measure depression they were asked questions such as “how often during the past two weeks were you bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things?”
- Their anxiety was monitored using the General Anxiety Disorder Scale, which asks how often a person is bothered by feeling nervous or on edge, or an inability to stop worrying.
What did the results show?

Those who took a one-week break from social media saw their wellbeing climb from an average of 46 to 55.93 on The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale.

Levels of depression in this group dropped from 7.46 to 4.84 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 while anxiety fell from 6.92 to 5.94 on the scale.

Lead author Dr Jeff Lambert, of the University of Bath’s Department for Health, said the changes represented a moderate improvement in depression and wellbeing, and a small improvement in anxiety.

“Many of our participants reported positive effects from being off social media with improved mood and less anxiety overall. This suggests that even just a small break can have an impact.”

Dr Jeff Lambert, Department for Health, University of Bath

Have other studies shown the same results?

The research findings support previous research around the globe linking regular social media use with higher rates of depression and anxiety.

The ‘chicken and egg’ relationship between social media and mental health has still not been established however. ie whether social media use leads to mental health problems, or whether pre-existing feelings of low self-worth drives people to social media as a means of validation.

In the UK the number of adults using social media increased from 45% in 2011 to 71% in 2021. Among 16 to 44-year-olds, as many as 97% use social media and scrolling is the most frequent online activity performed.

The researchers say that in future they hope to study the impact of stopping social media use on specific parts of the population, such as younger people and those with physical and mental health conditions. They also hope to follow up with people beyond one week to see if the benefits of the social media break have a lasting effect.

What steps can we take to improve our own wellbeing?

#1 Log off

Logging off for either a small or longer period of time would seem to be a good idea, as suggested by this study and many others.

#2 Cut down

If logging-off completely isn’t feasible, then cutting down on the amount of time spent on social media (particularly the time spent passively scrolling) is also linked to improvements in mental health.

#3 Be more mindful

A mindful approach, which takes a note of how we are feeling before and after episodes on apps, is also recommended to monitor the unique impact it may be having on our own wellbeing. Checking in with ourselves from time to time and asking the question “how does this make me feel?” is top on our list of strategies to build a healthier relationship.

My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open

For more about how the digital world is impacting our wellbeing. Out now on Amazon and in all good bookshops.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com
6 June 2022
A Week off Social Media Reduces Depression and Anxiety
A Week off Social Media Reduces Depression and Anxiety

A new study has revealed that taking just a week off social media can reduce depression and anxiety and increase a sense of wellbeing.

The University of Bath study found that people who took a break from apps such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for just seven days reported an increased sense of wellbeing.

How did the study work?

Researchers split their sample of 154 people aged 18 to 72 into two groups. One group was banned from social media while the other was not. On average, participants used social media for eight hours a week.

Participants were quizzed before the study on their baseline levels of anxiety and depression, and their sense of wellbeing, using three widely-used tests;
- To measure their wellbeing they were asked to rate their agreement with statements like “I’ve been feeling optimistic about the future” and “I’ve been thinking clearly”.
- To measure depression they were asked questions such as “how often during the past two weeks were you bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things?”
- Their anxiety was monitored using the General Anxiety Disorder Scale, which asks how often a person is bothered by feeling nervous or on edge, or an inability to stop worrying.
What did the results show?

Those who took a one-week break from social media saw their wellbeing climb from an average of 46 to 55.93 on The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale.

Levels of depression in this group dropped from 7.46 to 4.84 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 while anxiety fell from 6.92 to 5.94 on the scale.

Lead author Dr Jeff Lambert, of the University of Bath’s Department for Health, said the changes represented a moderate improvement in depression and wellbeing, and a small improvement in anxiety.

“Many of our participants reported positive effects from being off social media with improved mood and less anxiety overall. This suggests that even just a small break can have an impact.”

Dr Jeff Lambert, Department for Health, University of Bath

Have other studies shown the same results?

The research findings support previous research around the globe linking regular social media use with higher rates of depression and anxiety.

The ‘chicken and egg’ relationship between social media and mental health has still not been established however. ie whether social media use leads to mental health problems, or whether pre-existing feelings of low self-worth drives people to social media as a means of validation.

In the UK the number of adults using social media increased from 45% in 2011 to 71% in 2021. Among 16 to 44-year-olds, as many as 97% use social media and scrolling is the most frequent online activity performed.

The researchers say that in future they hope to study the impact of stopping social media use on specific parts of the population, such as younger people and those with physical and mental health conditions. They also hope to follow up with people beyond one week to see if the benefits of the social media break have a lasting effect.

What steps can we take to improve our own wellbeing?

#1 Log off

Logging off for either a small or longer period of time would seem to be a good idea, as suggested by this study and many others.

#2 Cut down

If logging-off completely isn’t feasible, then cutting down on the amount of time spent on social media (particularly the time spent passively scrolling) is also linked to improvements in mental health.

#3 Be more mindful

A mindful approach, which takes a note of how we are feeling before and after episodes on apps, is also recommended to monitor the unique impact it may be having on our own wellbeing. Checking in with ourselves from time to time and asking the question “how does this make me feel?” is top on our list of strategies to build a healthier relationship.

My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open

For more about how the digital world is impacting our wellbeing. Out now on Amazon and in all good bookshops.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com
22 May 2022
Is ‘Slowcial Media’ The Answer?
Is ‘Slowcial Media’ The Answer?

Social media addiction is on the rise with more and more people struggling to stop endlessly scrolling through their feeds. Could ‘slowcial media’ be the answer to using social media intentionally and avoiding some of the harmful side-effects?

What is slowcial media?

Slowcial media is all about slowing down the rush to connect with tech and making it intentional, meaningful and mindful. It can be applied to the ways in which we use social media – or it can be applied to a whole new type of tech which focuses on mindfulness and meaningful connection.

“Slowcial Media: Platforms that foster unhurried and meaningful connection between humans”.

Urban Dictionary

In that sense, slowcial media can be compared to other ‘slow’ cultural movements to slow down life’s pace, such as the slow food movement or slow fashion, both of which ask for considered consumption, thinking about the sources of products, and emphasising sustainability.

The slow movement is thought to have begun in 1986 when Carlo Petrini protested against the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant near the world-famous Spanish Steps in Rome. His protest sparked the creation of the slow food movement which over time developed into the full-blown slow subculture.

“It is a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savouring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting.”

Carl Honoré In Praise of Slow,

Can using social media itself ever be ‘slow’?

The attention economy and persuasive tech encourages us to use social media at break-neck speed, scrolling from one feed and account to another, FOMO making us worry that we might be missing out. But, we can learn to use social media intentionally and mindfully if we follow a few simple rules:
- Set limits for time spent online.
- Set an intention before you connect with social media – what’s your purpose in using it?
- Keep checking in with how social media makes you feel.
- Use social media to be inspired and informed – follow accounts that celebrate achievement, not appearance.
- Reply thoughtfully to online interactions, pause before responding.
- Put hurdles and obstacles in place to make you slow down before you use apps.
Your hurdles and obstacles can be very personal and specific to you. Some ideas; putting your phone in another room, uninstalling social media apps at certain times, leaving messages for yourself on the home screen of your phone. Think creatively about how you can design behavioural nudges like these to ensure you’re being mindful about your use.

Other uses which help you to go slow

Of course, it’s not just about using social media apps in a way that’s more intentional. There are a range of other apps which exist purely for the purpose of developing mindfulness and meaningful connection. Some ideas might be;
- Headspace – an app for everyday mindfulness and meditation.
- Freedom – an app and website blocker, to enable you to focus and be productive.
- Reflection – a journalling-focused app that guides a meaningful reflection practice.
- Forest – another app to help focus, but this one plants a tree in the real-world if you meet your goals.
The slowcial media action plan

Here’s our simple plan to help you reap the benefits of a more slowcial approach
1. Use existing social media and other apps mindfully.
2. Prune notifications and alerts that distract you.
3. Set an intention every time you use an app that might be encouraging you to be mindless.
4. Look for alternatives that encourage meaningful connection.
If you want to try out a full disconnection from tech to slow down, check out all the resources on our website for how to do a digital detox.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com
29 April 2022
Let’s Ditch Disaster Porn

Let’s Ditch Disaster Porn

Disaster porn is defined by the Australia Macquarie dictionary as media coverage of disasters which seeks to

“satisfy the pleasure that viewers take in seeing other people’s misfortunes, as by constantly repeating vision of an event, often without commentary or context”.

Macquarie

The term has roots in fictional depictions of disasters, such as war films. However, it has become a fitting description for much news coverage of catastrophes.

The term entered this dictionary in 2011: the same year as the Queensland floods which claimed 33 human lives and damaged 28 000 homes. It likely gained popularity as a descriptor of the continuous scenes of tragedy displayed by the almost constant continuous media coverage.

The coverage prompted an outpouring of sympathy and aid from the general public. Therefore, at the time it was widely agreed that the effects of larger public awareness and sympathy towards catastrophic events negated the moral ambiguity of disaster porn. Despite the the gratuitous and often exploitative nature of disaster porn, it was acknowledged that ‘it does much more good than harm’.

Was this ever true? If it was, it certainly is not now. The birth of 24 hour news coverage was damaging enough, but with the rise of smartphones and thus increased accessibility to news throughout the day (exacerbated by social media), our consumption of bad news has rocketed. As a result of our over-exposure to shocking and upsetting scenes, we have become simultaneously addicted and desensitised by disaster porn. And not only does this have a damaging effect on our wellbeing, it undoes any positive effect this type of coverage could have had in the first place.

Why do we find bad news so enticing?

Psychologists argue that humans are predisposed to be more attracted to bad news, as it enables us to identify danger and react accordingly. However, if you survey a group of people, they tend to say that they prefer reading and watching good news. Furthermore, many of the public even feel that news coverage broadcasts too much bad news. Throughout the pandemic, many households became increasingly bored and frustrated with the constant coronavirus coverage and the lack of any other stories on the evening news.

So why do we continue to feed this negativity bias, against our proclaimed preferences?

Our over-consumption of distressing news stories is not entirely our fault. Media sites know that – due to this ‘negative bias’ – bad news garners more clicks than good news. Therefore, there is simply more bad news pushed at us than good. In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, news broadcasters sites saw their ratings ‘soar’ as they displayed images of what journalist Susan Llewelyn Leach deemed as nothing other than ‘gratuitous gore’.

Furthermore, this is fed back into the algorithms responsible for curating our news feed. Our feed is designed to suggest the articles which we are most likely to interact with, based on our past reactions. Therefore, the more bad news we consume, the more that is pushed at us.

What makes disaster porn harmful?

Desensitisation

The more graphic content we consume, the less shocking it becomes. This continuous desensitisation dampens the compassion we may feel towards victims of the catastrophes broadcasted into our living rooms.

This can also harm the victims of the catastrophe in question. Media coverage will have to voyeuristically rely on increasingly graphic, exploitative, scenes in order to still attract public interest. This causes journalists to hunt for more and more disturbing and personal content, often disregarding the privacy and dignity of catastrophe victims.

Hopelessness, Helplessness and Immobilisation

Too often, catastrophe journalism instils in us such a bleak outlook on a situation that we lose all hope of it being resolved. In a study looking at how teachers could motivate children to try to make a difference about climate change, it was found that when fear-based messaging caused an individual to feel a particularly low level of agency or control, it was likely to backfire and immobilise that individual.

Therefore, ironically, the graphic reporting that will supposedly call us to arms dries up what hope we may have had. Having retreated into this state of hopelessness, we don’t see any way to proactively help.

How can we achieve balance?

Of course, it is often inevitable and important that we interact with bad news. It is a consequence of evolution that we find bad news enticing. And there certainly is an argument that it is important for us to have a social awareness of the suffering, and need for aid, of people across the globe.

Doomscrolling

However, if we do not reevaluate our consumption of media, we can find ourselves addicted to disaster porn, which harms both its subjects and ourselves. Doomscrolling is what has tipped our genuine concern into an alarming thirst for distressing scenes. The lengthy amount of time we spend consuming bad news online encourages our personal algorithm and our news providers to push more negative information at us. We need to limit our time, be more careful about what content we choose to interact with, both for our own state of mind, and also to start teaching media sites that lazy ‘catastrophe journalism’ is not the way forward.

If you find you have a habit of doomscrolling, check out here how you can rebalance your news consumption. Take a look at where you get your news from, whether in print, digitally or on social media. Analyse the type of reporting. A good way of gauging if something has been written out of sensationalism of genuine concern is by checking throughout the piece to see if it signposts any ways you can actually help.

We usually fall into the habit of doomscrolling because we are not consciously interacting with the news. We are reading the material pushed at us, but we are not thinking about it actively. This is key to our consumption of news media. Some of the graphic images shown to us could inspire compassion and action if we were to pause and digest the stories, rather than just move on, chasing the next shock.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

29 April 2022