For a 24-hour period, I participated in the technology deprivation experiment that required us to refrain from using email, texting, web browsing, social media platforms, podcasts, and Netflix type technologies. To be honest with you all, this experiment/assignment was something I was looking forward to doing for a couple of reasons. First, as a high school teacher who has been home since mid-March because of Covid-19 my screen time has increased by almost 50%. According to that trusty alert Apple sends every Sunday. As the weather continues to get nicer screen time decreases, but for a while it became almost like a reflex to pick up my phone and check social media. Second, as a father of a 6-year-old and a 4-year-old I get concerned and annoyed at how much my girls want to be on tablets or my wife and I’s old phones. I know they are just emulating what they see from us, so I need to understand that me being annoyed by their amount of screen time is my fault. Regardless of how bothered I get about our girls’ screen time I also understand that that is their reality and the world that they will have to thrive in. Practice with technology may not be the worst thing in the world. At least it keeps them quiet!
Tuesday, May 26th, 2020 was my day of reckoning. What an interesting day it turned out to be. Like any other morning, I made some coffee, turned on SportsCenter, and opened my phone to see what I missed overnight on Twitter. What a great morning ritual, right? Thumbs down emoji inserted right here. Why am I not meditating, or doing yoga to begin my day? “Quarantine” has screwed up my positive routines and made me lazy. Anyway, I caught myself opening my Twitter app and quickly closed it. That automatic reflex got me again. Opening Twitter without even thinking. Grow up Josh! This ends up going on for the next few hours. No joke. Until God smiles down upon me and says, “Josh, I got you today.” Our internet goes down at around 10:00 am Tuesday morning. What? You mean I have to actually go outside to see what the weather is like, instead of opening an app to find out the temperature. Other issues like this came up throughout the day. We started gardening this year, so a lot of questions come up. One being, when and how often should I water the vegetables? Normally I would google this question, but not today. Experiment or not, our internet is down. I have to figure it out as I go. Use instincts. Start trusting gut feelings, instead of relying on this Google dude. He is smart though. The beauty of all of this is that when you put technology aside and figure things out through prior knowledge and instinct you allow yourself to either succeed or fail. Moreover, we all know failure is our best teacher. The other benefits that I notice from my technology sabbatical were extra time to complete those chores that I have been putting off (pulling dandelions), actually reading a book for enjoyment, and more of a real presence with my family. I can honestly say that I did not notice any real negative effects from “living off the modern day grid.” I missed a few text messages, but I hate texting so it was great. Call me.
In my opinion, technology is only going to take over more parts of our lives. How we choose to utilize it will dictate the quality of our lives. First, as many of us know, the blue light that comes from our screens affects the release of melatonin for up to one-and-half hours. Melatonin is the hormone that lets our brain know it is time to go to sleep (Brooks, 2018). So, for those of us with children, or those of us who struggle falling asleep, a good rule to incorporate at home would be “no screen time after supper.” Second, as I mentioned above a technology break adds a good amount of time to your day. It allowed me to take our dog for her second walk that day which was great for both of us. Staring at your screen all day puts a physical strain on your brain, neck, eyes, hands, arms, and back (AdventistHealth, 2019). This is especially true for those of us who spend a majority of our days in front of a computer at work and then come home and hop right back on that screen to see what we missed throughout the day. Depression and anxiety are another major issue that makes itself present when you spend too much time staring at a screen. This may have an increased detrimental effect in this particular moment in history, as we know that depression has increased due to Covid-19. Dr. Westers, a clinical psychologist, says that people are wired for connection (Children’s Health, 2018). A real human-to-human connection. When they don’t receive that connection loneliness creeps in and depression can begin to show its face. Establishing “no phone” periods during you day, setting a screen time limit for the day, and keeping technology out of the bedroom are all strategies to help mitigate mental health issues related to technology (Children’s Health, 2018).
Take my advice with two grains of salt, because I am no expert in any of the areas of which I spoke. I do know, however, that the technology deprivation experiment had a positive impact on me. There is no doubt that I will try to implement some of the suggestions listed above to improve my family’s quality of life.
-Josh
References:
AdventistHealth, (2019). The benefits of unplugging from electronics. Retrieved from https://www.adventisthealth.org/blog/2019/march/the-benefits-of-unplugging-from-electronics/
Brooks, R. (2018). How technology impacts sleep quality. Retrieved from https://www.aastweb.org/blog/how-technology-impacts-sleep-quality
Children’s Health, (2018). Is technology affecting your child’s mental health? Retrieved from https://www.childrens.com/health-wellness/is-technology-affecting-your-childs-mental-health
Mach's Mind 