Are you having trouble disconnecting from your devices (smartphones, tablets, iPod, etc.)? I found myself pondering the question and decided to follow up with a cursory search in Dec. 2015. I was preparing for a vacation and found that I was having a small amount of anxiety about leaving a 'blog post' undone until after the trip -- Wow -- I thought this might be an issue.
The amount of literature and/or study results have not kept pace with the exponential growth of device use (iPad, iPhone, smartphone, internet use, etc.). Regardless of whether we are speaking about a specific device or use thereof, an emerging problem with addiction of use is showing up in society.
RAND think tank conducted a study of PIU (problematic internet use) for the US Air Force (the appropriate links to an article and study are below). Here are two paragraphs of interest. First, one describing the growing issue of internet addiction (which can be extended to device use):
Just as the Internet was becoming part of everyday life in the mid-1990s, mental health professionals started seeing patients who were so absorbed in their online activities that they were neglecting their important social relationships, their work responsibilities, and even their health. To some clinicians and researchers, it seemed that online activities could lead to dysfunctional behavior. Others even suggested that people could become “addicted” to the Internet, just as they become addicted to gambling or alcohol. As Internet use exploded in the ensuing decades, concern with what has been called problematic Internet use (PIU) or Internet addiction has also grown.
Second paragraph:
The prevalence of PIU is difficult to gauge. The research to date has used small and often very specialized samples, different assessment tools, and inconsistent definitions and criteria. Also, because Internet penetration has expanded so rapidly, studies quickly become out of date. The most reliable study we found put the prevalence of PIU at less than 1 percent of the U.S. population in 2004, and this decade-old study was conducted well before the steep rise in the adoption of broadband Internet access, computer tablets and smartphones, and the rapid expansion of social media and smartphone “apps.” As noted earlier, the 2012 RAND survey of U.S. Air Force military personnel estimated that 6 percent of Airmen may be struggling with PIU.
Obviously, there is concern among the US Military Leaders regarding operational safety. The military is a good group to study because of having control over the parameters. But what about the rest of society? What about studies that do not involve military soldiers? What are we learning about either the difficulty with disconnecting with our devices or the growing addiction to them?
Below are a couple of articles which served as a starting point in my quest for more information on the topic.
Here is a collection of articles that might shed light on signs, insights, and possible solutions.
1) Put the devices down for better sleep -- WebMD -- 2008
2) 8 easy ways to unplug from technology -- Everyday Health -- 2011
3) 8 more ways to disconnect from technology and get more done -- Dr. Frank Lipman -- 2013
4) Feeling overconnected? 5 reasons to unplug from technology after work -- Forbes -- 2013
5) Are you addicted to your smartphone? -- Psychologytoday -- 2013
6) Cheating ourselves of sleep? -- New York Times 2013
7) A healthy disconnect: unplugging from social media -- Spherion -- 2014
8) Might be time to put the cell phone down - Just Disconnect! -- Psychologytoday index of smartphone additiction -- 2014
9) How cell phone use can disconnect our relationship? -- Psychologytoday -- 2015
10) Disconnect from your smartphone and rest your mind -- HuffingtonPost -- 2015
11) Problematic Internet Use? See RAND Think Tank -- Article -- Study!
12) Screen time is taking a toll on Children? New York Times 2015
13) How to cut children's screen time? Say no to yourself -- New York Times 2015
14) Is there such a disorder as 'cyber-sickness'? New York Times 2015
15) Questioning the value of 'apps'? -- New York Times 2015
16) 5 ways your smartphone can help your health? -- New York Times 2015
17) Assessing the fitness of wearable tech? -- New York Times 2015