Gallup poll research found out that up to 60 percent of all smartphone users in the United States check messengers a few times an hour or more. Millennials proactively use their smartphones even at night and are distracted by them.
Scientist started to worry about the effect of the new technology on our brain, life, and relationships. Let’s consider how messengers and mobile devices influence our behavior and thinking.
#1 We lose our attention.
Researches proved that people feel happier when they are focused right here and right now and enjoy the moment. Nowadays, we try to be virtually present at a few places at the same and don’t notice good things that happen around us.
Earlier, the average person had an attention span 12 seconds. Now it’s decreased to 8 seconds. It means that people all over the world can’t stay on task. As a result, we get lower productivity and ability to learn. Moreover, it negatively impacts our thinking and creativity.
#2 We become tech addicts.
Imagine the situation when you miss important information because you are not online. Sometimes, people around us used to the fact that we’re always online. So, they will not try to reach you by calling, people will write you in messengers and regret that you don’t respond accordingly. It makes us nervous about what is going on online, while we try to keep things running in real life.
#3 Changed brain means changed identity.
Susan Greenfield, a British scientist, and member of the House of Lords, teaches that the human brain is a changing organ that responses to specific experiences. So, when people check their social media very often, they started to compare themselves with other people and become disappointed that they don’t have that bright life as their peers have. The more people participate in social networks activities, the more they base their identity on the immediate attention, likes, and responses of other people. So, we get a superficial view of self and damaged self-esteem.
The more people try to please the viewers, the more they feel aren’t self-confident. So, social media makes us addicted about other people’s perception of ourselves.
#4 We’re becoming more forgetful.
Research has found that many young people have more memory problems than older people because of new technologies and distractions. The main reason it’s because when we try to remember something, we have to move new information from our conscious mind to our long-term memory. When we’re always online and have a flow of new information, we’re overloaded and can’t keep in mind old data. This influences our memory and makes us more forgetful.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a Professor of Psychology at the Brain and Creativity Institute, believes that technology isn’t compulsory the problem, but the way in which people use technology can be harmful. She suggested that the permanent use of technology is hijacking our ability to develop high-level meaning within their environment.
So, we see that new technologies brought new challenges and we need to learn to cope with them. Messengers and social media make us distracted and different techniques such as Pomodoro help us to stay focused. Scientists advise using sports and meditation to re-energize ourselves and learn to be present at the moment. Moreover, you can learn to turn off all notifications why you learn something or spend valuable time with your family and friends.
Such practices and rules are needed to take advantage of new technologies and don’t allow them to overwhelm us. You can find out the most suitable ways for yourself to stay productive and creative.
If you need additional help to make use of new technologies, feel free to use professional help. There are many IT companies in Ukraine that are ready to provide you with deep consultation and develop innovative products for your business needs.
