I suppose this is something of a follow-up or companion to yesterday's blog about silence and solitude. What if the "noise" is internal rather than external, an endless distraction that no one else hears? Isn't that the reality with our devices, particularly the so-called smartphones capable of addicting persons of all ages? I mean, what would any day be without a scroll, or two, or twenty, or...
We are communicating with family during this time on Haida Gwaii but we were informed that reception on islands well away from shore in the Pacific Ocean is sketchy to non-existent in a lot of places. We will have wifi in our various accommodations but how much time do to want to looking at our phones in the midst of such beauty? As I said yesterday, our intention is to connect with Creation and Creator, so our phones are the little devils distracting us from that desire.
Just before we left last week the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, announced that he would push for a warning label on social media platforms advising parents that using the platforms might damage adolescents’ mental health. Dr. Murthy wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times in which he notes:
The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.
Let's be honest, it isn't only kids who need to be warned, even if the risk is greater for kids. This warning would be akin to the increasingly dire warnings on tobacco products. I can remember the push-back on that proposal more than 20 years ago.
Wasn't it an apple that tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden, leading to their expulsion? Okay Genesis doesn't specify the fruit, but we do know about Apple and Samsung and all the other serpentine tempters.
I also saw that there is a growing trend toward dumb phones, capable of being used as a phone (imagine that!) and for texting, but nothing else. For some this would be hell but perhaps it would be heavenly if we all stepped back from the little boxes that rule our lives, at least once in a while. To my mind any threat to mental health is a threat to spiritual well-being.
2 comments:
I always find it interesting in various settings such as public transportation to see how many people are looking at their phones. It seems we're all addicted to some degree to our devices - myself included.
As a teen in the 70's and early 80's, my focus was - other than girls - mustering up enough guys to get some street hockey in. Homework was much further down the list of priorities.
I'm so glad there was no such thing as cell phones and internet. Life was simple....and the music back then was the best! Don't even get me started on today's "music"(now I'm starting to sound like my parents).
When we were cooling our heels in Vancouver airport two days ago there were people all around us on their phones the entire time, including those who carried on lengthy and loud conversations. Good observations although you are sounding a bit geezery, Roger. Then again, I lean that way myself at times. Thanks.
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