Imagine yourself bench sitting on a beautiful day out and you look up and you see student after student mindlessly walking on campus walk with their heads bowed down- bumping into poles, falling down stairs, and even running into other people. BUT the weird thing is that after they run into things whether it be a pole, a tree, or other people, they go right back to putting their heads down and walking mindlessly.
Are you in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? No you’re witnessing a different kind- the 21st century cell phone apocalypse.
If you are like the majority of the people today, you are constantly on your phone. This is extremely distracting and most especially with finals week coming up, it is much harder to resist the temptation to waste countless hours on twitter, instagram, facebook, etc.
According to a study done by researchers Przybylski and Weinstein, the mere presence of a cell phone during a social interaction in which individuals are having a casual conversation led people to have lower trust and an overall lower quality of relationship. So, due to this, cell phones have been found to impede human social interaction.
But despite this, according to the Student Science website, the average college student still uses their cell phone fore about NINE hours each day. This article also puts into perspective that If you think about it, the average college student spends more time on their cell phones than they do sleeping!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwPHRn7JcEU[/youtube]
James Roberts, a marketing professor at Baylor University associates cell phone use with addiction. Yes, a behavioral addiction! People panic when their batteries die or when there’s no service. Roberts ties this in with symptoms of withdrawal that is seen in many if not all addiction problems. A newly coined term called ringxiety has also made its way to popular culture which is when you think that your phone is ringing or vibrating when in reality is isn’t.
So, the big question is- how can we rely less on our cell phones? Again, especially with finals week coming up and us college students need to stay focused
Webmd offers three basic tips that people could follow in order to better manage their time better with their cell phone use- they can do this by being conscious, strong, and disciplined.
1.) Being conscious– of all situations and emotions that you feel whenever you feel as if you have to check your phone, such as boredom, loneliness, or procrastination, you can find something else that would fill your time that is much more productive.
2.) Being strong- whenever your phone beeps or rings. This allows you to manage your time better and not losing track of time when you do check it. Try turning of the sound and the vibration so you aren’t tempted to check your phone every single time it goes off.
3.) Being disciplined- in certain situations where you should not be using your cell phone such as in class, when you are driving, and especially right before you go to bed.
Yes, it seems to be easier said than done. However, although it’s hard- trust me I have tried to follow these 3 steps. You can always start small. I started putting my phone away for 5, then 10, then 15 minutes when I’m studying and I have personally seen the increase in my productivity with my work. So next time you’re itching to grab that phone, try silencing it for a couple minutes and resisting the urge to go on social media. According to the article, you will not only be able to concentrate better but you will also feel less stressed and more relaxed.
*Even if it’s only for 5 minutes a day 🙂
Wow this post definitely applies not not only my life but I’m sure many others. As sad a it is I will admit to being addicted to my phone and I probably suffer from ringxiety. There have been plenty of times where I have felt the ghost vibrate, or thought I heard my ringtone. When I’m bored the first thing I grab is my phone and when I don’t have my phone I feel like I’ve left the house without pants. I’ve started to make a conscious effort to put my phone away and on silent for outings and dinner just out of respect for my friends and family. Watching someone text or just on their phone while you’re trying to have a conversation with them is the worst feelings so I totally understand why it can weaken relationships. If we all just try to make conscious efforts to take breaks from our phones not only will social connections become real again but we’ll all be able to avoid this cell phone apocalypse.
-slistenb
I never really realized how much I use my phone until I read this (because I also read this on my phone). I like that psychologists are studying the way that cell phones affect our lives in such a serious way and that it is considered an addiction. That is not really surprising because I know people that check their phones every 30 seconds thinking that someone texted them when nobody did. I am definitely going to use these three simple steps each day to try and curb my addiction to electronics.
This is a very relevant and important topic for our generation. I really believe that its unhealthy how much we use our phones and social media every day. Everyone I know who is around my age is on their phone all day. I believe this cause a lot of stress and is not good for our health. Instead of being outside, reading a book or doing homework, we are constantly consumed by social media. This seems to cause us to not be able to socialize as much and be unable to sleep at night, as well as many other negative effects.
As a definite cell phone addict myself, this article was very informative and helpful. 🙂 For various reasons I am always attached to my cell phone, and I rely very heavily on it to keep in touch with friends and family. The ringxiety was very interesting- I had previously heard something about how a common hallucination everyone in the modern generation has experienced is imagining their phone was vibrating when it was not. I have experienced this- and it was extremely surreal! Thanks again for your article 🙂
These were some awesome tips-like you said, perfect for before finals week! Although I KNOW our generation is completely addicted to our phones, computers, and social media; 9 hours a day still seems INSANE! I don’t know about other people, but I feel like that’s an outrageous amount of time for someone to be on their phone!
I definitely can relate to the distraction part of your article. When I am studying or doing work, the mere sight of my phone distracts me, even if it’s just a little bit. I know it’s there, and I know the world that lies within in (my friends, communication, funny memes on social media, and the latest twitter buzz). If I even look at my phone for too long, I’ll pick it up! Sometimes, I will go a solid hour without looking at my phone, and I will get so much done and feel SO accomplished. (it’s kind of sad actually). What I usually do is put my do not disturb on so it doesn’t even light up!