From minimalist devices to a “ digital sabbath ”, how realistic is trying to kick your smartphone habit ?
IOT
DIGITAL WELLBEING
From minimalist devices to a “ digital sabbath ”, how realistic is trying to kick your smartphone habit ?
WRITTEN BY : HARRY MENEAR
It ’ s 2:07 am . After feeling the first waves of semi-real dreamy weirdness wash over me , I ’ m yanked back from the first stages of sleep by two staccato buzzing sounds . Bleary eyed and grumpy , I nevertheless roll over to grab and unlock my phone . I check the notification - an email informing me that a book I bought my father for his birthday is out of stock - and , without thinking , open up my emails to see if I ’ ve missed anything else . Then , after petulantly deleting a few things that probably require an answer ( if it ’ s actually important , they ’ ll email again ) I open Reddit … scroll , scroll … then I scan Instagram . I answer a message from a friend on her lunch break ( I live about eight hours in one direction or another away from everyone I know ), browse Amazon for a replacement book for my dad , and save a couple of suggested YouTube videos to watch in the morning .
It ’ s 2:35 am . My wife , disturbed by the light from the screen , tugs her sleep mask back in place from where it ’ s ridden up from one eye . A few seconds later she sighs , annoyed , and stomps off to use the bathroom . Sheepishly , I set my phone to silent and try to finally get some sleep .
A 21ST CENTURY ADDICTION I don ’ t think there ’ s anything very unique about this experience . A study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry earlier this year found that nearly 40 % of people between the ages
118 November 2021