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Mobile addiction: signs and consequences

Have you ever felt anxiety by being without internet all day? That fear that something interesting had happened and you missed it. Welcome to the club. It is the beginning towards something common and increasingly normalized: mobile addiction.

The fear of not being at an important moment, missing a story, a meme, a publication, etc.,... Today this fear is quite common and makes us pay attention to the mobile much more than necessary. This is one psychological pathology and is called FOMO (Fear of missing out) or fear of missing something.

Currently the fear of missing something is a feeling that affects a large number of people, all of them with something in common: they are dependent on social media and they need that encouragement every day. Is it an addiction or the beginning towards dependency.

And what does this have to do with digital minimalism? A lot. All.

digital minimalism It is not living terrified by technological changes or isolated from the present. Digital minimalism is be aware that technology is there to serve us, like a tool, and not to enrich the lord of Facebook.

Social Networks in the Post-Pandemic

I have realized, well actually I have experienced it firsthand, that In the situation we are in, we are much more dependent on the telephone in every way.

in some respect technology has saved us to fall even deeper and has kept us in touch with our loved ones, However, the less pretty face of the constant and unconscious use of technology has also come to the fore. The dependence.

I'm aware of technology has been a savior in most cases, but nevertheless, not for this reason I have stopped observing myself and drawing the conclusion that a poorly managed mobile phone with internet access can give rise to other things like: overload of information, low self-esteem, anxiety or lack of agreement and of course, laziness, a lot of laziness.

Digital minimalism and lack of specificity

The little device we have in our hands is access to the world, it has a power that many still ignore. For that very reason, during this crisis, I have read many books on the subject of addictions to networks, digital detoxification and a moderate informative diet.

digital minimalism It's one more aspect to deal with. one more way to manage what we consume day in and day out, and therefore, a great ally when it comes to select what is really interesting to introduce into our already saturated brain.

What is digital minimalism and how can it help us?

It's a minimalist movement aims to use technology as a means and not as an end in itself. Use these tools correctly are key to avoid future addictions. An increasingly widespread alternative in order to use technology in a conscious way, for specific objectives.

Digital minimalism is a matter of find a healthy middle ground.

With this Introduction to Digital Minimalism you can learn a little more about the subject.

Signs of technological dependence. Social networks addiction

Now I want to share with you some of the most common "symptoms" of technological dependence. I would like to emphasize that technology is neither good nor bad, it is just a tool that we must learn to use and manage.

  • low concentration level

Difficulty concentrating for a long time on a specific task. Sometimes this time can be very short, that is, less than 15 minutes without looking at the phone, either to check email or social networks.

Digital minimalism and technological dependence

This fact prevents us from working productively and makes any activity take much longer than necessary.

  • Lost track of time

Looking at your phone and suddenly two hours have passed. How many times has this happened to me and how much I hate it.

We lose track of time because seeing social networks generates oxytocin in us, that feeling of escaping from our lives, to gossip about what has happened in the world while we were sleeping, see the number of likes a publication has, answer comments...

It seems like only a few minutes have passed when in reality hours have passed. We don't know how to control it because like any addict or almost-dependent we lose track of time.

  • psychological notification

This is very funny.

Listening to the sound of a WhatsApp and running to answer when in reality nothing has sounded. It has been our mind that, in the absence of news, seeks new excitement and invents things.

Our mind confuses us and makes us go look at who has spoken to us. The worst thing about this is that we think it's totally normal...

  • Social isolation

Spending too much time with these little machines takes us away from our essence: sociability.

Although it seems that at home and with the computer we have everything, the truth is that human beings need relate. It is vital for our mental health.

Covid has largely taken away our essence, instead, Going for a walk is also a way of relating, this time with nature.

The feeling of wasting time socializing with others is a very clear sign that technology has gone too far in our lives.

That's why be disconnected of networks can lead you to Re-Connect with other people close to you. Which would be impossible if you're on the subway looking at Instagram.

  • compare yourself to others

A typical and exclusive symptom of social networks. Looks like everyone has a perfect life. Everyone but one person, us.

Life on social networks does not represent the reality of people. Shows just moments of a person's life. But that does not enter our heads. This feeling will lead to a series of emotional consequences such as irritability, non-conformity and low self-esteem.

Social Networks have created jealousy based on illusions. Some people are envying lives that don't even exist.

  • Lack of self conviction

It seems that we have everything on the internet, including the decision to eat in one place or another. The extensive network of comments, in many cases, makes us stop going to a site for their opinions on the internet but, Are we aware that people are different? The opinions are given at a specific time with specific circumstances to which we do not have access. Keep that in mind.

The opinions of others are important. Ours is even more If you want to eat at that restaurant with three stars on Tripadvisor, go and see for yourself that it is useless. If that's what you want, do it.

Do not allow the immense wave of opinions to modulate (over) your way of living.

Series on Addiction to Social Networks: BLACK MIROR

In this Netflix series there is a chapter where an example of What is the life of a person addicted to networks like?. It's a bit extreme and futuristic (well, not that futuristic).

We can see the result of wanting to show your life on the networks or the fact that many people pretend to have perfect lives. In addition to the consequences of a frivolous and hyperconnected society.

You have the trailer of the episode on YouTube. Black Mirror Social Networks

Thanks to digital minimalism, and partly to series like this one, I decided to take a break from social media for a while and the feeling was incredibly liberating.

Recommended books on social networks and digital minimalism.

  • The smartphone effect. Connect with meaning. Manuel Armayones Ruiz.
  • Land. Eloy Moreno.
  • Sad by design. Social networks as an ideology. Geerk Lovink.
  • Fomo. How to deal with Fomo in a world roulette by social media. Twaambo Kapilikisha

𝒢𝓇𝒶𝒸𝒾𝒶𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝓇 𝓁𝑒𝑒𝓇 🙂

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