Comstock's magazine 0620 - June June 2020 | Page 46

TECHNOLOGY ADDICTION
t was supposed to be a vacation.
Last August, Ginger O’Brien took
a week off and flew 3,000 miles to
see family, including a new cousin
she found through a DNA test. She
doesn’t usually go east for vacations
— in fact, O’Brien can’t recall the
last time she took a full day off. Even on
this trip, she admits to working every
morning. As controller for Digital Deployment,
a web development company
in Sacramento, O’Brien manages accounting
records and worries what will
happen if she completely unplugs.
“Part of it is I don’t want to get
buried in work, part of it is a feeling of
being disconnected,” she says. “I have
this fear that I might miss something
important or let something fall through
the cracks, something I didn’t take care
of before I left.”
This is a story about technology
addiction. It is about 1,800 words,
which will take around 14 minutes to
read without distractions. The average
American checks their phone every 10
minutes, according to research from
global tech company Asurion in 2019. If
you finish reading this without checking
your phone, congratulations. If you
cannot, you might be part of the majority
in a 2018 Asurion survey who listed
their phone as a top-three life essential,
along with food and water. Even on
vacation, research shows, people cling
to mobile devices like life jackets in
choppy waters. There is a word for the
fear of being without a mobile device
or being out of cellular phone contact:
nomophobia (no mobile phone phobia).
But this is the digital age, after all.
Modern technology helps people communicate
faster and stay connected and
meet new relatives all over the globe.
With teleconferencing, email, e-commerce
and social media, the internet
makes it possible for many people to
work virtually. However, being “always
online” comes at a cost. According to scientists,
technology addiction can make
brains look similar to those affected by
heroin or gambling addictions.
O’Brien wouldn’t say she is addicted
to technology; she limits her time and
SAFE MODE
As the coronavirus pandemic swept
the globe, people stayed home and
spent more time online. Streaming
services like Netflix and YouTube and
social media outlets saw usage go up,
but Americans used smartphones
less, turning to computers instead, according
to a New York Times analysis
of internet usage in the United States
between Jan. 21 and March 24.
How the coronavirus will affect future
online trends remains to be seen.
Peter Yellowlees, chief wellness officer
at UC Davis Health and a psychiatry
and behavioral sciences professor at
UC Davis, sees all his patients virtually
now. He offers three tips on how to
shelter in place with technology as a
tool, not a crutch.
1. Connect in a safe way. In times of
social distancing, video-chat apps
allow for virtual dinners, cocktail
parties and family gatherings. “I think
we’re going to learn to use technology
to socialize a lot more and to interact
with our friends and family, rather than
just talking to them,” Yellowlees says.
stays off the computer after work hours.
But this spring, with the COVID-19
pandemic forcing people to self-isolate,
O’Brien admits to being online a lot
more than before.
“I don’t think that’s because I’m
addicted as much as trying to connect
to the world,” she says.
“Doing things like playing Monopoly
through Skype.”
2. Maintain routines. With the unpredictability
of the virus, Yellowlees
recommends creating a schedule of
daily activities, which can be done on a
computer or cell phone. This will help
you differentiate the week from the
weekend. It also allows you to have
a reasonably structured day working
and with children, if you’re a parent.
3. Cherish family time. Being stuck
inside presents families with an opportunity
to bond. Yellowlees suggests
eating meals together, cooking, reading
and playing music as a few non-tech
activities that can be done indoors.
“You got to keep physically separated,”
he says, “but you actually need
to increase your social connection
because that’s what will really keep
you going.”
– Russell Nichols
Technology
as a tool, not
a crutch
Your brain on dopamine
From the brain’s perspective, it wants
to feel good. Cravings come in different
forms, such as food, sex or winning
the lottery, and release a pleasurable
chemical, a neurotransmitter called dopamine.
That same chemical is released
when trying to beat a level in a video
game, hearing a notification ding or seeing
who liked your Instagram post. Your
brain says, “That felt good. I want more!”
But brains under the age of 25 are still
developing. External stimuli — such as
excessive screen time — in a developing
brain can alter its wiring, says Michael G.
Chez, pediatric neurologist and regional
director of pediatric neurology and pediatric
research at Sutter Health. This is especially
risky for toddlers, he says. “We all
did blocks, tying beads, putting different
shapes in holes,” Chez says. “Those infant
toys are very good as opposed to using
screens to match shapes.”
Studies show that early and prolonged
exposure to electronic screens
can lead to language delay, short
attention span and hyperactivity. Chez
46 comstocksmag.com | June 2020