Crashing Your Digital Addiction

I Don’t Care, I love it: Crashing the Digital Addiction Car Into A Bridge

“I’m not an Addict baby… that’s a Lie.” – K’s Choice

Have you considered how much time you spend using your mobile device everyday?

If you are like someone else I know (ha ha… it’s me), you are constantly checking Facebook, E-mail, Instagram, Twitter, the New My Space (okay, maybe not that one) etc.

How often does that happen every day? For some, digital addiction could be the new “normal”. When is enough actually “enough” and how much is “too much”?

The Internet has come a long way ever since it was introduced to us. March 12th, 1989, marked the 25th year of the actual creation of the “World Wide Web” by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. He proposed an “information management” system, which has now become the conceptual and architectural structure of the Web. It was formally released on Christmas Day in 1990 for free.

What an amazing gift to the whole world! Santa Claus has nothing on that guy. Since then, the society we live in & life in general has never been the same.

For most of us, the Internet has done wonderful things in making our daily lives more convenient. It also has a big impact in social relationships for those who are introverts & have difficulty engaging in conversations and meeting people face to face.

We could go on and on about the positive effects of digital media but let’s shift gears to look at the other side of the coin.

I don’t want to miss a thing – Aerosmith

According to statistics, forty-two percent of 18-29 years olds who own a cellphone complain that their partner has been distracted by their device while they are together. There’s also a significant amount of arguments (18%) that occur because of the amount of time spent online, instead of simply spending time together.

Let’s take a quick look at the impact digital addiction has on our health.

Damaged, Damaged, Damaged – I thought that I should let you know – Danity Kane

According to a new study, people who are addicted to their mobile devices and the Internet are showing symptoms similar to alcohol and drug addiction. As part of the research, college students whose media connections were taken away from them showed signs of withdrawal, craving, anxiety, and even an inability to function.

In a recent interview with CBS News, Dr. Deepak Chopra said,

Addictive behavior means you're compulsively repeating a behavior at the cost of everything in your life. You can't sleep. You miss out on relationships, social interactions, health, well-being. Any addictive behavior will cause the same damage in the brain at the receptors, as a drug will do. The study is very valid. Once there's damage, then that perpetuates the behavior. It becomes a vicious cycle. The behavior damages the brain. The brain then reinforces the behavior. And soon, it spins out of control.”

Everything is changing & I don’t feel the same – Keane

After 25 years of having access to the Internet, our lives have changed. Technology continues to expand and we can’t control it. But we, as parents, partners, students, & individuals, have a greater role to play in building a society, which genuine love, care, and actions are more evident than any post, Tweet, or emoticon.

So we keep waiting on the world to change – John Mayer

I want to encourage you to consider not allowing mobile devices or Internet “connection” to get in the way of your relationships and ruin what is actually important.

The rule is simple: put down your cellphone and change the world.

Seriously.

Aside from having healthy relationships, you can, in fact, make a difference and focus on pursuing your dreams and passions.

I was fortunate to have a recent conversation with the NY Times Best-selling Author – Simon Sinek. He gave me some specific examples of how to get rid of digital addiction. Simon's formula is easy. He gives his phone to the person next to him when he is having dinner.

Ellory Wells recently talked to Johnny Lee Phillips on the Your Life Detective Podcast & made a comment that resonated with me.

Ellory said,

The greatest gift you can give to others is the purity of your attention.

Like any addiction, you can’t get rid of it overnight, but it starts with putting up guard rails to avoid the temptation. Great ideas and innovation come from giving others the “purity of your attention”. I hope that we will make the decision to stay curious & focused on the real connections outside of our virtual worlds.

Question: How do you keep your digital addiction at bay? Would you be willing to share some “guardrail” suggestions?

The image above is a screenshot of a spoof video created by Coca Cola. It's worth a quick watch

This guest post was written by: Jared Easley