Get Connected:
Nowadays, you can talk to anyone and everyone. From someone sitting right next to you or someone in another country -- we are always connected through our cell phones. We also know everything about everyone's lives because it is plastered all over social media.
Phones are great to be able to contact people you don't see on a daily basis or live far away from you, but when we are in constant contact with people all the time and when we meet up in person with them, there is nothing to talk about because we already know about what they have been doing.
We Are Losing Gratitude:
We spend so much time looking at our phones that we forget to look up and be grateful for and appreciate what is right in front of us.
The Situation:Cell phones are our new best friends. We are obsessed with electronics and feel unsafe if we don't have it with us at every moment. Yes... every moment. Even going to the bathroom (ew!)
I am worried about the future of people because we have become so dependent on cell phones. In my opinion, cell phones are destroying the social culture of the world. When there is one moment of silence, we instantly turn to our phones for stimulation.
The constant stimulation from our phones causes us to be impatient, (with a low attention span,) which reduces our brain power and decrease our creativity.
Real Life:
I fall victim to this too: if I feel uncomfortable in a social setting, I will turn to my phone for refuge. We are turning to technology to feel comfort and connection.
If I walk to the dining hall, I need my phone. We view our phones as a form of protection.
There are so many social situations that we miss valuable opportunities to grow from because we are too busy looking at other peoples' lives on our phones. Cell phones allow us to never be bored or feel disconnected.
Impact:
When we are so attached to our phones, we feel connected to people through texting and social media, but with the people right in front of us, we are actually disconnected.
Screen interactions do not satisfy our need to feel connected to people, yet when we get a like or a comment on our photo we feel great. We seek affirmation from others through our phones to make us feel worthy of ourselves and others.
Social media platforms on our cells phones are designed to make us addicted to our phones. The ex-president of Facebook, Sean Parker, admitted that Facebook was "designed to hook users with spurts of dopamine (which is a neurotransmitter released when the brain expects a reward." We are feeling reward from our phones, and it is actually rewiring our brain like those of people with gambling and drug additions.
When did we begin to derive our worth from a device? How do we buck this trend?
When and Why:
Cell phones couldn't have always been a problem? Could they? I recently was talking to my dad about his experience with cell phones, and when he had his first mobile phone in 1981, it was solely "used for talking with friends and family to makes plans and just chat about stuff." He has seen the transition from a flip phones to mini computers that people are carrying around 24/7 and are consequently becoming addicted to.
Statistics:
According to research, 89% "of Americans say that during their last social interaction, they took out a phone, and 82% said that it deteriorated the conversation they were in."
People know phones are hurting their social connections and creating more distance from peers, but we as a society are still attached to them and cannot see to shake them.
A study from the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships states "researchers found that the mere presence of a mobile phone is enough to diminish relationship quality."
Moving Forward:
We should all take the time to detach from our phones and breathe. Enjoy the face-to-face conversations with our peers and get to know them personally...those friendships will be cherished forever.
Bottom Line:
If we are around someone else, we should make a conscious effort to put the phone down and get to know them personally; it is a much sweeter relationship when you can have a real, in-person connection and know more about them then just their Instagram profile.
For some great ideas on how to limit your phone's control over you, check out this website that has some awesome tricks that I use to prevent my phone from distracting me and changing my brain pathways!