Phones now act as digital pacifiers instead of the practical tools they were initially designed to be. Technology is supposed to aid in people’s everyday lives, not completely take them over. With an increase in phone addiction and dependency on technology on the rise, it is more important than ever to fight against this by returning to analog methods when possible, in the hope to regain our independence as well as hold onto our humanity.
The average person checks their phone 96 times per day. College students in particular spend about five hours and 30 minutes on mobile devices everyday. Everyone uses their phones as clocks, cameras, calendars, wallets, flashlights and for navigation, entertainment, weather forecasts and all forms of communication besides in-person conversations. It is clear how these distraction–filled devices might lead to further problems when people are constantly looking to their phones for every remedial job possible.
Phones, in many cases, act as more of a distraction, halting us from the daily tasks in our lives, rather than a tool to aid in those tasks. When trying to complete a simple task, like adding an event into an iPhone calendar, people can become easily distracted and find themselves mindlessly scrolling on social media for hours on end in the process. Admittedly, there are scenarios where phones have become necessities. Because of this, there are many times where we have no choice but to look at a screen and use our phones, so looking for alternatives when possible is vital.
One way to fight against constant phone use is by returning to analog tools when possible and delegating the multitude of tasks given to a singular phone to multiple other items. This can be as simple as buying a cheap alarm clock for waking up in the morning, employing physical calendars and reverting to physical media like books for entertainment when possible.
Increased screen time in adults has been associated with an increased risk in premature cognitive decline according to the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. Whereas by using analog tools, people minimize any possible distractions, which can even lead to much deeper levels of thinking. Analog tools forces one to be focused in a hands-on experience that screens ultimately fail to replicate.
Returning to analog, while technically less convenient and at times even impractical, is ultimately worth it. We need to make the effort to keep phones as tools, so we use them and they do not use us.
