The advent of the internet and our ability to buy, look and experience all things from our phones makes it very easy to get sucked into a life of scrolling. What was once a lifeline to make a human connection, phones have now become advanced computers in our pocket, with the ability to consume every waking hour if we let them.
I’m constantly finding myself looking at my phone, toggling between various apps to find something of interest. It’s only after a few minutes that I step back and realize that I’m scrolling out of boredom or simply because I can. I have no one idea what I’m looking for but apparently I’ll know it when I find it.
Many of you reading this most likely have the same habit. It’s human nature for us to be curious. That curiosity takes you down multiple rabbit holes to find an answer to any number of mundane questions. Minutes or hours later, you’re answering questions that are far removed from the one you originally were curious about. This is not only a waste of time, it can be dangerous to our mental and physical well being.
Years ago, a friend of mine bought a video game called, “The Sims.” The game consisted of you building a “Sim” which was essentially a game version of a human being. You would program the Sim to live out his/her life, controlling every aspect from what they ate to who they dated and where they lived.
Wow, was this game addictive. At the time, my friend and I were both single and in our twenties. We had nothing better to do and zero responsibilities. For around 6 weeks, we found ourselves downing beers and living our lives through the lens of “Brisby,” which was the name of our balding 40 year old Sim. Everything we should’ve been doing (going on dates, socializing with multiple friends, eating out), was instead being done by our Sim character.
It took us awhile, but we realized living our life through Brisby was going nowhere, and fast.
Addiction can take many forms. The ones that are always talked about are pretty obvious. Alcohol, drugs and often gambling take center stage. These have a way of tearing families apart for any number of reasons ranging from monetary to abuse. If children are involved, the Department of Social Services is brought in, lives are uprooted and hopefully change takes place for the betterment of everyone.
Other addictions are less obvious. I’d venture to say, screen addiction is one of them. Anywhere you go, there are countless people looking down at their phones. Rather than interacting with each other, they’re interacting with their own version of a Sim character, living their lives through the latest Instagram or Facebook post.
What price are we paying for this addiction? How much worse will it get now that AI is involved and additional information will be flooding our brains at a rate of speed we can barely comprehend? I have no idea what the answers are to these questions. I do know that human interactions are important. Even if you’re shy or an introvert and like to be alone, having a family member or friend to lean on every now and then is essential in each of our lives.
Spending too much time on your phone can be detrimental to our most basic relationships. It also fills your mind with influencers living a life different from your own, welcoming a comparison game that will never be won.
Put down the phone and start living your life.
Trust me, you don’t want to end up like Brisby.
