Technology addiction
By Staff Writer, écoute moi
Technology addiction is a broad term that refers to the uncontrollable urge to use technological devices such as computers, smartphones, and gaming systems. Technology addiction appears to be more prevalent among teenagers, but is found amongst the broader population as well. According to the International Journal of Neuropsychiatric Medicine, as many as one in eight Americans suffers from some type of technology addiction.
Technology addiction
Technology addiction is a recently identified addiction that has not yet been medically classified but has been linked to the widespread and rapid evolvement and use of technological devices. What actually causes technology addiction is not all that well understood. Researchers claim it may be a combination of inherent genetic traits and elements in the environment. These three factors have been identified as possible underlying causes of technology addiction:
- State of an individual’s mental health
- Personality traits
- Environmental factors
In other words, technology abusers are likely to have underlying health issues such as anxiety, insomnia, and depression. They also appear to have tendencies towards impulsiveness. They are also individuals who tend to keep to themselves and shy away from social contact with others, so they tend to find the online and technological environment more welcoming to connect with others in a way where social contact is limited. These individuals are also more prone to technology addiction because they tend to use technology on an on going basis to fulfill their social needs. Individuals who experience high levels of stress in their daily environments, for example at work or school, are more prone to utilize technological devices to relieve stress and distract them from their current situations.
Technology addiction
In addition to the causes of technology addiction, there are also risk factors that have been identified that can make an individual more prone to developing technology addiction.
Technology addiction
Although both males and females are at risk of developing technology addictions, men are more prone to online gambling, pornography, and gaming addictions, whereas women are more vulnerable to online shopping, social media, and texting addictions.
Pre-existing specified mental health issues. Over the past decade, smartphone use has become widespread amongst today’s children and young people (CYP) which parallels increases in poor mental health in this group. Simultaneously, media concern abounds about the existence of ‘smartphone addiction’ or problematic smartphone use. There has been much recent research concerning the prevalence of problematic smartphone use is in children and young people who use smartphones, and how this syndrome relates to mental health outcomes, but this has not been synthesized and critically evaluated. Over the past decade there has been an increase in use of smartphones among children and young people (CYP) which has occurred at the same time as a rise in common mental disorders in the same age group, including reported depressive symptoms, poor sleep and suicide ideation with grave implications for life-long mental health and the healthcare economy .
Technology addiction
Smartphones became widely available in 2011, since then usage has increased. Smartphone ownership in children aged 11 and older is ubiquitous, and the prevalence of mental health problems peaks during the teenager years . There is a public health uncertainty regarding a possible association between smartphone use and mental health in CYP, and in the UK, policy making has been hindered by a paucity of evidence. Explicitly the debate in the literature has concerned the relationship between amount of screen time, or amount of smartphone use, in CYP and clinically defined, mental health outcomes, with some studies reporting no association and others exhibiting a clear association . One challenge is the date when the studies were carried out, often before the advent of widespread smartphone use, meaning the term screen-time may include televisions or personal computers, although it has a more common interpretation as a smartphone today . Other limitations include that longer use is assumed as harmful, and this may not necessarily be accurate.
Technology may make our professional lives easier, but studies have been conducted that suggest it doesn’t make us healthier. Take this 2015 study of college students, published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. It shows the link between smartphone addiction and negative physiological and psychological symptoms including increased blood pressure and anxiety.
Technology addiction
A 2016 study from Hult International Business School showed that a lack of sleep costs organisations $2,280 a year for every sleep-deprived employee. Without enough rest, the ability of staff to communicate effectively and problem solve is lowered – costing businesses money.
Technology addiction
To combat the detrimental effects technology brings to the workplace, organisations are adopting the ‘Digital Detox’, an initiative that looks to reduce the level of exposure employees have to technology both in and out of the office. For office-based workers, a computer is a necessary part of the job, but it means employees can clock up 30-hours screen time a week just at work.
In 2012, the University of Gothenburg’s research into smartphone and computer usage found that excessive use is linked to stress, sleep disorders and depressive symptoms. If users undertake excessive use of both smartphones and computers, the risk of these symptoms is heightened. Affecting everything from attention spans to creativity, use of technology affects our ability to get a good night’s sleep. This in turn affects a business’s bottom line. Sleep is the real issue that underpins the negative aspects of technology use. Affecting everything from attention spans to creativity, use of technology affects our ability to get a good night’s sleep. This in turn affects a business’s bottom line.
Given all the distractions the internet provides us, it’s all too easy for staff to stay seated at lunchtime and use their computer for entertainment. To encourage people to get a break from the computer screen, you could organise recreational lunchtime events, particularly around exercise.
Technology addiction
Put on a yoga class or find a local gym that could offer discounted rates to your staff – anything that gets people engaged and active. Exercise has been demonstrated to improve our ability to shift and focus attention. An active mind will help staff return from lunch ready to refocus on the afternoon’s tasks.
Technology addiction
Communication tools and applications make it easy to chat to colleagues no matter your or their location – but as a result, face-to-face interaction has become a bit of a lost art. Meetings are a great opportunity to ditch digital communications and rediscover vocal interchanges.
Adopt a meeting or two each week that specifically sets out a no-tech policy.
Inadequate communication between employees reportedly costs large businesses $62.4m a year. Communicating over digital channels like email doesn’t allow for facial gestures and tone of voice, making misinterpretation common. Encourage personal, face-to-face communication to minimise these effects and grow your team’s interpersonal skills.
Technology addiction
Out of the office
Encourage a ‘leave in the office’ policy
Technology addiction
Given the impact technology has on our stress levels and sleep patterns, organisations should look to minimise the level at which employees take their work home with them. Some office cultures expect this of their employees despite evidence suggesting it’s likely to have a negative impact on productivity in the long-term.
You might not want to go as far as France, who have enshrined in law the right to avoid checking work email out of hours, but encourage staff not to engage in too much work activity in their own time. The blue light emitted from our smartphones and computers suppresses melatonin, the hormone that controls our sleep cycles. Given the effect poor sleep patterns have on productivity, the more you allow your employees to switch off at home the more they will be able to focus when in the office.
Technology addiction
Improve employee sleep to improve employee focus
A good night’s sleep is the key to having an engaged, focused and happy workforce. Too much exposure to technology makes it more difficult for us to achieve this – either through negative psychological symptoms like increased anxiety or stress or by suppressing the hormones we need for better sleep.
But organisations can help. Adopt a Digital Detox policy and help reduce the things that cost your employees valuable sleep. The result could see your company’s productivity increase.