February 1, 2011

Are you addicted to your Smart Phone?

Well, let me rephrase that question, is your Phone always in the Palm of your hand? Do you have more pictures on Facebook with you and your phone, than you and your friends? Do you wake up in the middle of the night with one eye open and roll over and reach for your phone? Do you Panic when it’s not there? Have you ever turned around from a considerable distance away from home to retrieve the phone you absent minded-ly left behind? Doe you get nauseous when your battery dies? Does the thought of a missed email, bbm, text or call fill you with the beginning stages of type II Depression?

Then You my friend are addicted! But, Don’t fret, I am too. According to Wikipedia;

Historically, addiction has been defined as physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances (for example alcohol,tobacco, heroin and other drugs) which cross the blood-brain barrier once ingested, temporarily altering the chemical milieu of the brain.

Addiction can also be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity despite the negative consequences associated with it. Pleasure and enjoyment would have originally been sought, however over a period of time involvement with the substance or activity is needed to feel normal. Do you feel abnormal when you are without your phone?Do you feel lonely although you may be surrounded by friends and family? This is the problem.

I’m going so far as to suggest that Smart phones have single handily erased the intimacy of conversation. We text so much that we hate to speak on the actual phone. Many of us don’t even own home phones, because we couldn’t fathom the idea of being on a phone that doesn’t leave the house. I’ve seen folks dinning alone, at the Movies, out shopping, all with cell phones glued to their ears. Smart phones have replaced our friends! Some of us would even stop having sex to see who’s calling them :-/ Many of us would go so far as to start out new potential relationships with Text messages. Really?

No Bueno.

Text messages have no tone, and often lead to miscommunication that could have easily been deterred with normal verbal communication.

It’s True. Have you ever been appalled by a text or email, because you assumed the tone was one way when it really wasn’t? No Bueno.

Suggestions…

My Friends and I have an off The Radar Friday Happy Hour. This is where we come together on Friday’s for food and drinks, and turn our phones off! NO Twitter, Facebook, Emails etc… Just Each other, laughs and conversation. What I’ve found is that the wall comes down and people let go a little, everything said is off the record and who wouldn’t love to get the week of their chest?

I’d just suggest some time away from it all each week. A few hours of peace, maybe read a book, or just lounge around. Everything will be waiting for you when you return, so take some time to breathe. Your Sanity will thank you later.

In the Words of Kanye Wesy ‘Put Ya Blackberry Down, people are around you’

I Must hear your thoughts, leave a comment or two…

-Stay Fly!

Share This

---

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•