Hi Everyone,
Each one of us has a digital addiction but few of us want to acknowledge how it is affecting us. Some people confuse connecting with people online and their need to use digital devices with an addiction altogether. This is what I mean.
Canadians use Facebook more than the average global usage. The numbers on this vary and no one seems to want to disclose how much time the average Canadian is on Facebook. One can only guess that if Canadians are on Facebook more than citizens of other countries, it is probably more than a little. If we factor in that Canada has a small population I think it is only fair to say that some Canadians are addicted to Facebook. What other digital pursuits do Canadians have? Candy Crush, Angry Birds the most downloaded video game for 2013 thus far are other examples. But we are not alone.
Beginning this school year, the South Korean government implemented a program for children as young as 3 to control their Internet and digital interactions. I am serious. The reason for this is because a growing number of children are distracted and nervous when their smart phones, tablets etc are removed or when they are disconnected. Some will even forfeit food and going to the bathroom. In fact, the South Korean government treats up to 2 million people a year for their one or more digital addictions.
Checking ones online contacts first thing in the morning is typical. I personally do a few non-digital things first thing in the morning before I even have my first coffee but that is a recent change. It is unrelated to a digital addiction. I do have one. It is called YouTube.
Just yesterday I found myself organizing something only so I could listen to the rest of a YouTube video. So I have a digital addiction too. I just control it. But a lot of us can’t. Everyone I know, including me, has played a video game for hours, checked their email every two minutes, got lost with all of the information the Internet provides us etc. only because we just couldn’t shut off the idea that something online is, or would be more important than what is or could be happening in our present lives.
The Internet, the things we download and anything else that is digital when taken too far is an addiction when it distracts us from our daily lives. (How one defines a daily life is up for debate when they have a digital or other addiction.) It can also give us what is called, Game Boy Back from hunching over our devices. Having a hunchback or Game Boy Back is not the most attractive physical attribute. If caught in time, it can be corrected. If not you will end up with the stigma of Game Boy Back for the rest of your life.
So the questions of the day are, do you have a digital addiction? And how is it affecting your life?
Here are some related blogs,
http://arebelsrant.com/hunchback-nations/ (this one has some YouTube exercise videos to correct a Game Boy Back)
http://arebelsrant.com/distraction-vs-discipline/
http://arebelsrant.com/a-different-type-of-hermit/
http://arebelsrant.com/does-anyone-actually-talk-any-more/
http://arebelsrant.com/what-are-you-addicted-to-d/
http://arebelsrant.com/thanks-social-media/
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! 😀
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