Gadget Culture and Digital Detox in 2019

Digital detox is nothing but a certain period of time that an individual fixes for self to take a total break from electronic devices like mobile or computers and train the mind to live in the moment, surround self with real people, mentally cleanse from all the side effects of social media overdosing.

Digital detox is one of the most discussed topic of the millennium. Technology & Mobile Phones – boon or bane is one of the most famous debate topics too! The overuse of technology and mobile phones has definitely caused a lot of emotional, mental, physical and financial distress to human beings. It is really good to have a technological forward mindset but too much of anything is too bad.

Mobile addiction has become one of the biggest problems of the millennium and it is not necessary that there are only good takeaways from your gadgets. Overuse of social media and other platforms has not only taken away a lot of innocence and childhood but has also hampered growth and development of young adults & adults alike leading to lack of focus and distractions caused from different platforms.

So what are the problems caused due to social media networking sites and technology overdose? Trust, the list is extensive and pretty endless we must say. Here we are picking out the best reasons for you to think about planning your digital detox

1. Fear of missing out – FOMO is the new generation disorder where the social media networking sites have people posting about all the fun and happy things that they are doing in life (of course nobody posts about the sad part) and then the viewers end up feeling how they are missing out on all the fun things while busy with the mundane routine chores. While we all forget that routine is really important for self-development, these sites can easily slip you into feeling how you are not doing as well as others are. It gets you into compulsive comparisons. For example, a friend or acquaintance gets to go to that beautiful beach town that you have been wanting to travel to as a childhood dream. It is very easy to distract yourself from your daily routine where you are trying to work, aiming for such trips and a lot more, and then end of seeing someone else living your dream to only have you sulking by the end of the day!

2.  Loss of confidence due to low or no physical interaction with the real world – Technology has now enabled work from home and a super remote working culture and at the same time has also enabled the concept of having internet friends. It is very easy to hide your body language or your current life circumstance by masking the surroundings that you are working from while interacting with people online. So when you are all the time sitting in your comfort zone, wearing a mask and talking to people via Internet, one ends up getting into a situation where it is difficult to make eye contact, strike a conversation and deal with people in the real physical world. This in turn can lead to a massive loss of confidence when thrown into a crowd.

3. Slow mental development – Internet can be full of distractions. It can make you hell bent on multitasking. The concept of selective reading is totally lost and you just end up going through anything and everything that is shared via the network you are a part of. All this put together can totally derail you from intelligently researching, choosing your content wisely, staying focused, keeping your priorities clear and your mind clutter free

4. Physical health – Have you heard of the carpal tunnel syndrome that is caused due to your posture while you hold your phone for hours together looking into it? Dimming eye sights and posture problems are at an exponential rise today. Technology is the famous enemy of outdoor activities and is also a major reason why people are growing unfit due to inactivity and stationery hours spent, owing to the comfort provided by the gadgets which can be accessed over an anti- ortho couch or while cuddled in a soft bed.

5. Immense disturbance in sleep patterns – There are numerous resources where you could read about how the rays coming from your gadgets work on your mental pattern and totally steal your sleep away. Addiction to the social media is a whole topic in itself. It could lead you to accessing these websites even prior to your sleeping time which in turn can induce multiple thoughts, worse if they are depressing and can land one into a state of total insomnia. Insomnia is something as fatal as diabetes which can lead due to multiple diseases, few which are life threatening

Quitting technology all even social media is not an option looking at how the community living and communication associated with it has totally moved to an online platform. It is important to not get addicted but at the same time it is important to stay updated. So instead of quitting is always a great idea to take a little break and detox yourself from any side effects of the electronic world. You could make alternative arrangements by giving your close circuit an alternate source of reaching out to you while on a detox. Also picking up a book while on detox is a great way to stay entertained and not miss out on internet.

So, go ahead and get creative in finding your own reasons and ways to detox yourself from overdose of technology and social media while we plan on doing so as well!