Life in the digital world can be rewarding. It’s convenient to order groceries for pickup, share photographs or music, and keep in touch with family and friends, no matter the distance. However, it can also be draining. The feeling of being constantly “on” and productive has driven people to reconsider their balance in the saturated digital world.
More than 70% of American adults are concerned about how technology affects their mental health and personal relationships. This worry is reinforced through media that point to people’s unhealthy habits with social media and phones.
What to do? There is a fuzzy line between healthy and unhealthy digital consumption. Some folks feel the need to fully disconnect from the digital world to understand this boundary. The idea of digital detoxing is gaining popularity. This practice involves intentionally unplugging from digital technologies in the pursuit of balance and digital well-being. Nearly half of Americans report that they are making a conscious effort to regularly step away from their screens.
But is this attempt enough? It’s no surprise that 62% of Americans confess to feeling addicted to their devices and the internet. Despite people’s best efforts to unplug and strike a balance, research indicates that digital detoxes often fall short.
Digital well-being is subjective. We research technology and consumer behavior. Our recent research studied the digital detox journey, where people take a much-needed break from digital consumption, aiming to uncover what supports or sabotages those seeking digital well-being. Our findings highlighted four key strategies to improve the outcome of this journey toward achieving a healthier digital balance: replacement practices, social bonds, mindfulness and digital well-being as a journey.
1. Finding replacement practices
We found that feelings of withdrawal during a digital detox are quite common. For many, reaching for their phones and scrolling has become such a ritual that they often don’t realize they are doing it. Many turn to their devices when bored or stressed, much like an adult pacifier. As a result, finding an alternative to distract your mind and occupy your hands can be crucial during a digital detox.
These replacement practices often involve hobbies or activities that result in play. As adults, people sometimes forget what it feels like to have fun. By separating fun from your task list and engaging in play for its own sake, you can significantly reduce stress levels and boost your digital well-being.
2. Shoring up social bonds
Humans are inherently social creatures. Indeed, tools such as email, text messages and social media offer ways to enhance social connections. This innate desire for connection, however, combined with people’s reliance on technology, can lead to feelings of FOMO – fear of missing out – and anxiety during a digital detox.
The average adult now spends 70% less time with friends than they did two decades ago. Digital devices offer connection, but pieces of the experience are missing, such as the joy of in-person contact and trust in others that can be difficult to get online. So while we’re a more connected society, relationships suffer and people are more lonely than ever.
Therefore, during a digital detox it is vital to fill your cup with community, whether through existing friendships or by creating new ones. We recommend engaging in a digital detox alongside others, because FOMO may rear its ugly head if your friend pulls out their phone during a night out.
3. Emphasizing mindfulness
In today’s fast-paced environment, finding a moment to pause can feel nearly impossible. Many experience solitude deprivation, meaning people often don’t have moments to be alone with their own thoughts. Yet, the ability to just be can allow time for reflection, helping you consider what makes you happy and healthy. Finding moments where you can step away – to be still and silent – can provide a much-needed recharge.
With adults spending about 90% of their time indoors, breaking the routine and heading outside can offer a more holistic perspective on both personal and global well-being. In our study, yoga and meditation were common ways that detoxers found moments to become more aware of their own thoughts, which helped foster more intentional behaviors.
4. Viewing digital well-being as an ongoing journey
Ultimately, digital well-being is a journey. It is not a checklist that, once completed, means you are fulfilled.
Unfortunately, a single detox isn’t enough to cure digital imbalance. Instead, a successful detox often leaves people feeling introspective and curious. Our research participants shared that relapses are common, especially if they don’t set and monitor ongoing goals. Importantly, your needs change and evolve over time. In other words, what works now might not be what you need in the future.
Willpower just isn’t enough. We recommend identifying specific goals for yourself related to your own digital well-being. These aren’t productivity goals but goals to be unproductive. The aim is to unplug in more fulfilling ways. Whether planning a weekly game night with friends or taking a 10-minute walk without your phone, making time to unplug is worth it in the long run.
Researchers still have more to learn to help support digital wellness. We should remember, though, that individual differences play a crucial role in this equation, meaning that the journey to achieving digital harmony is uniquely personal. Thus, as people navigate their tech-saturated lives, it’s clear that finding the right balance is a complex, highly individualized process.
The digital detox journey can be challenging, but many people discover it to be rewarding in the end. People are not machines, however, so recognizing your limits and finding ways to reconnect with yourself and others during a detox can significantly enhance your sense of humanity and digital well-being.
Kelley Cours Anderson is Assistant Professor of Marketing, College of Charleston and Karen Anne Wallach is Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Alabama in Huntsville.
The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
- External Link
- https://theconversation.com/how-to-overcome-your-device-dependency-and-manage-a-successful-digital-detox-240613
6 Comments
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falseflagsteve
Too many people are addicted to devices these days you see. I was on the train the other day and I was the only person not looking at my phone. Can you believe it?
Well it ain’t healthy to be so reliant on them especially for the children.
Garthgoyle
In South Korea, most kids (I'm talking about 70% or more) would get their first smartphone by age 6. You see first graders in elementary school walking home, glued on their phones with not a care about anything happening around them. Their addiction is already impossible to control at such age.
virusrex
Very interesting article with nice advice that could be useful even for people with mild dependency that only need to keep a bigger distance.
I think that Mindfulness is specially useful here, because as a previous article on this site it helps not only the person that practices it, but it can become even a "present" for others since it makes the practitioner a much more pleasant person to be with.
Zaphod
Smartphone detoxing is a great idea, however the environment increasingly forces everyone to be tethered to these gadgets non-stop. I am still holding out with only a raku-raku dumbphone but whereever I go, whatever I do, I am being nudged to enter some QR code and install a new app into a smartphone, to smartphonize whatever I am doing. I am hating it and am wondering how long I can hold out.
ThonTaddeo
Zaphod, I'm in the same boat. I first got a smartphone in 2010 and loved having the internet in my pocket. That was before society started forcing people to use smartphones for everything, even things that have nothing to do with telecommunications. No, I do not want to use this device to ride trains, receive my salary, pay for goods at stores, or anything else (possibly installing some worthless app and uploading personal identification to some dodgy third party every time). And it's becoming increasingly difficult just to walk the streets with seemingly half the population looking down at their phones the entire time and not at the people around them.
falseflagsteve
Garthgoyle
Aged 6! 6 unbelievable. Well, no wonder them kiddies get hooked, it’s a worldwide scandal, make no mistake.