Tech Addiction: Nonsense or Menace?

Technology addiction is a term we're hearing more and more lately, and information technology mostly refers to ane's disability to stop engaging with the myriad mega-compelling devices, screens, and apps that exist in our world today. In other words, we're having a hard fourth dimension putting down the smartphone and walking away.

But is tech habit a real affair? Some experts say yes, absolutely. Psychologist and NYU marketing professor Adam Change is the writer of Irresistible: The Ascent of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked. He says the underlying characteristics of addiction are the same whether yous're talking about a substance habit or a behavioral addiction to something like your smartphone. It'southward an experience yous return to compulsively that feels positive at first simply over time undermines your well-being, be it emotional, financial, physical, psychological, or social, and oftentimes a combination.

Others would argue that what nosotros're experiencing is less of an addiction and more a powerful addiction or coercion. Dr. Larry Rosen, who has studied the psychology of technology for more than three decades, warns against using the terms addiction, obsession, and compulsion interchangeably.

Even Dr. David Greenfield, who runs the Middle for Internet and Applied science Addiction, says there is a wide spectrum of good for you and unhealthy tech apply and that "addiction" should be reserved for those who have truly negative consequences in their lives. Regardless of the labels, Greenfield thinks that with smartphones on us 24/7, we're all a piffling bit as well wired.

We wanted to know what our readers thought, and then we ran a (very unscientific) survey for a couple weeks to find out; 656 people responded. Some of the answers might surprise you, and some volition probably confirm what you lot already doubtable.

Survey Results

Practice you ever feel like y'all're using your smartphone too much?
Nosotros thought this was a logical question to start with, and 34 percentage said yep, 29 percent said somewhat, and 36.74 pct said not at all. So a slight border goes to the tech-positive oversupply.

Have you ever purposely put your phone or other device away and "untethered" for a certain period of time?
More than of our respondents have intentionally untethered: 56 percentage, as opposed to 44 percent who have non.

If and so, how oft practice yous take device breaks?
Merely respondents who answered "yes" on the previous question got to respond this one: 53 percent said "sometimes"; 23 pct said "frequently," and 20 percent said "daily." Only 4 percent said "never." (Never? Really?!)

Have you ever felt like yous could not put down your phone, even though you wanted to?
A majority of readers haven't reached this signal of tech dependency; 54 percentage said "never." But 36 per centum said "sometimes," five percent said "often," and another v percent said "daily."

Do yous sleep with your telephone within reach of your bed?
Virtually 66 pct of respondents said yes. Here's some advice: If you lot're having trouble getting to slumber or staying asleep, ban that telephone from your bedroom. You need your residue.

Do you ever take out and use your phone during a meal with family unit or friends?
In a win for IRL social interaction, almost fifty percent said "seldom," and 28 percent said "never." But think: This is self-reported. Those numbers might shift a chip if y'all were to ask the dinner companions.

What are your master activities on your smartphone?
Respondents were asked to choose three; hither's how the numbers landed, from most to least frequent. Honestly, we would take guessed "gaming" would be higher on the list. And we're actually surprised "talking" did so well. ("Other" was by and large piece of work-related.)

Texting/messaging: 68.45 per centum
Web surfing: 49.45 percent
Talking: 36.16 percent
Social media: 31.18 percent
Listening to music/podcasts: thirty.81 percent
Streaming video: 18.27 percent
Gaming: 16.42 percent
Other: xiii.ten percent

Which device do you use most to spend time online?
Not too surprising that visitors to PCMag.com utilise desktops and laptops the near: 59 percent. Smartphones were 2nd at 31 percent, and tablets a distant third at viii percent.

Have y'all ever sought some kind of counseling or advice for excessive use of your devices?
We weren't expecting a lot of people to say yes here; 97 percent said "no."

Respondents' Comments

We asked a couple open-ended questions on the survey, and lots of respondents had opinions to share. Here are some of their comments (lightly edited for clarity), showing the wide range of outlooks on the topic of tech addiction.

"Tech addiction is existent. I teach college classes, and many students turn down to put downwardly their phones. They are interacting constantly with their smartphones. I also am aware of many more drivers being distracted because of their phones. I am very concerned most the hereafter and meaningful social interaction skills."

"The small screens, the boring fingering. Sometimes you need a pause and just have to shut it down and not use it for a solar day or and so."

"Information technology is an exaggerated effect. While some do have issues, information technology is like any other new technology—frightening. Books and radio had like responses at beginning, but they are now accepted."

"Now that I have it, I utilise it. Having the ability in my pocket all the time has become 2d nature."

"I think it'southward a growing issue that does need to be addressed, particularly amongst immature children and adolescents. The addictive nature of our smart devices is engineered to be hard to break from equally a full-operation, logical adult, so these are really affecting our next generation and how they face the world."

"Much of what is done on these portable devices I consider a waste of time and a chance to my privacy and security, so I severely limit their use to specific functions of communication."

"I believe tech addiction can be an issue, especially when information technology produces abiding distractions [from] daily life, impeding on fulfillment of goals. Nonetheless, excessive tech use (which could be thought of as addiction) used for meaningful, goal-oriented activities can greatly enhance output and achievements."

"Overstated. Over-generalized. Misnamed."

"Most of the people I know that have tech addiction as well suffer from anxiety, which usually stems from the inability to accept things every bit they truly are. For me, I had to stifle the corporeality of advertizing, and that helped immensely."

"My life is essentially tied to my devices, so I don't untether from them as frequently as I should."

"I live in Manitoba, Canada. My area has limited jail cell service and limited internet. I accept no trouble taking a pause from it all. I am grateful that Canada is so big."

"Time out from all things tech is a necessary part of my remaining sane each 24-hour interval."

"People are not addicted to applied science; they use it as a means of escapism to forget about or postpone attending to matters in their life. That and so many people engage in this kind of activity speaks to the fact that many people aren't quite coping with life."

"I carry my phone or tablet with me from room to room in my firm. Including the bathroom. I have it on the bed next to me when I sleep at night or nap in the daytime. I can't not apply it."

"I dear using/playing with tech devices, only I am not addicted to them. This is a great time to be live because of all the new tech devices that are available correct now."

"I run across way also many people who would rather look at their device than interact with the existent people effectually them."

"I'm not convinced it'due south a affair, simply I also wouldn't exist surprised if it were and I were afflicted. Given the extent to which our lives have been digitized, the line between advisable and maladaptive device usage is a bit blurry."

"Tech addiction is a very real issue and a leading cause in the disconnection betwixt people and their friends and environments. In my case, I have noticed that it also leads to becoming worried and stressed out whenever a device I utilize is not working properly.... We need to recall that applied science should be a supplement to what we enjoy in life, not a replacement for it."

Tin you relate? Or is this all a bunch of nonsense? Let united states know in the comments.