DAILY DIGITAL DETOX: A Steemit Community Life Series & Reminder. E.1 - Intentionally + Regularly Unplugging + my Quick Engagement Poll to you!
I have taken this subject pretty seriously over the years. You need time offline.
Regularly & Intentionally. For lots of reasons.
My plan with this series is to intentionally remind you, daily to get offline, give your brain, eyes, soul a break and time to reset and remind you that relationships with people can suffer if you are always on your phone and not PRESENT -- in every sense of the word.
The irony of bringing this series to you online, asking you to get offline, on an online blogging platform, is not lost on me.
There have been limited studies done on some of the effects of this digital hold on our lives and they are concerning to say the least. Social media use appears to encourage some of the following negative effects, some of which we hear about regularly now:
- narcissism
- screen time/white light/activity appears to be causing insomnia/broken sleep cycles (circadian rhythm)
- detached reality making our society and kids less empathetic and in touch with reality
Results from the few studies that have been done are troubling. Social media appears to promote narcissism, smartphones could be causing insomnia, and screens seem to be making our kids less empathetic.
Sources:
http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/21517-you-re-so-vain-u-m-study-links-social-media-and-narcissism
I don't embed my sources like "professional bloggers" -- 9/10 times -- people don't click the sources anyways, let alone hover the cursor to even check quickly, and this way, they can SEE the sources / url's -- that's what I prefer myself anyways, so if i get flagged, I get flagged, I am trying to appeal to the masses here.
It is more than just unplugging intentionally as I call it -- it is a return to some societal values that we have abandoned in favour of having all the access to data and online resources we have -- a shift is required. However:
Intentional Unplugging as I call it -- is a huge and necessary step.
As a reminder of what we see daily in the PHYSICAL realm of problems, here is a graphic showing the damage of the neck and spine as it relates to pounds of pressure looking downwards all the time:
(Sorry this is grainy but this is right from the Ontario Chiropractic Association (hard to read but that is the source) -- and I wanted this unedited, it was a jpeg and resizing those means less quality)
My Community Engagement questions to you, today, if you have read this far are simple and will evolve over time:
Did you INTENTIONALLY "unplug" or stay offline this week? How many times? Give yourself 1 point for each day in your reply!
Did you unplug with a family member intentionally this week and thus CONNECT to them meaningfully? If yes, give yourself a point in the reply section?
Have you realized this is a problem in your life, because that is the FIRST step! If so - 2 points for you!
Are you aware of this problem around you and your friends and family and have you addressed it with others? If so, you get a point also!
Did you put your devices in another room at dinner time and at bedtime this week intentionally? That's a point each time, champ! List it! Think on it!!
Please tally up your points, list it in a reply and please open up about how you feel about these issues in your life and the world today!! Why??
Because this is a Community Resource and I care and we are all in this together. None of us are getting out alive.
That is the end of today's post in this series. I wanted to cover some basics and keep it short.
If you are still reading -- thank you very much and have a nice day.
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Thanks
I think we all need a detox!
https://twitter.com/Soul_Eater_43/status/828027876675055617
We all do, but not enough people understand this or recognize it and I aim to change that.
TY for the support my friend.
You're welcome:)
An interesting and informative post, nicely comprehensive, and good photographic images.
Keep posting.
And don't worry about the self-appointed sheriffs, and their standardization mania for format and protocol. This site is all about the individual's approach to life.
Agreed. I will keep this up, today was the first!
Great psot. It's important to take one's eyes off the screen sometimes, take a deep breath, take a walk, get back some perspective. I'm a dinosaur, too; I like to see the bare links!
It is nice to hear from you, I do appreciate it. I have really worked at this over the years. I appreciate hearing from dinosaurs, donkeys, and things about pong.
TY for the comments today!
Very nice Buddy...I'm unplugging and off to watch Risen!
Rich, thanks dude.
I really feel strongly about this. It is funny, you see people doing non urgent stuff online all the time, you try and talk to them about it and the Cognitive Dissonance type responses you get are really telling. This generation of kids is reeallllly gonna suffer the effects. They already are.
Einstein wrote something about fearing a generation of technologically astute idiots. I always take time out for a movie or chores or something to break away. I get overload easily, maybe being old isn't so bad after all!
Useful idiots, with bread and circuses --- as you know being politically aware is what this is in part.
Distract and dumb down the masses, entertain and overwork them and boom, REGIME COMPLETE.
I explained this to an ex GF of mine today I dated in Grade 9. I ran into her literally 20 mins after I posted this blog episode today.
I don't even own a tv. I stay away from mainstream media.
@barrydutton excellent points and fortunately for myself, I have suffered from insomnia long before the interweb was created
Many do, and this just adds to the problems on top of it.
I hope you are well!!!
@barrydutton I am good thanks, especially since I slept in today, Best wishes! Cheers
Good news!
Perhaps you are right.
TY for the comments today!
Nice to hear from you!!!
https://twitter.com/BarryDutton/status/828022988507316224
I agree that we need to balance our time and, more importantly, our attention judiciously these days. I've migrated away from the TV, but end up spending more time on the PC.
One thing that inadvertently is playing in my favor is having a 'dumb' phone - cell and text only. No data. Costs me a bundle if I fire up the browser, so I don't. That leaves the PC as my only web connection.
Good job, @barrydutton! Thanks for putting this together!
You are welcome Deb.
TY for the comments as always - they are appreciated.
Nice reminders, Barry! I probably spend the most time online of anyone in my community, but I still make it a priority #1 connect to my loved ones in a meaningful way, and #2 to go outside and play every day . Nature is the best detox!
I am glad for your comments as always.
I know you are VERY aware and self aware of so many things so I am not surprised to hear this from you.
I am still getting over how tall you are. LOL, I know you are sick of hearing it... it is going to take some time for to really come to terms with this clinical fact.
Have a nice week.