How did we get here?
In an information age that has (i) morphed from two cans connected by a string to wireless networks connecting every corner of the globe, (ii) expanded from three TV channels to hundreds of cable channels/streaming services, and (iii) social media networks ruled by provocative influencers and enticing algorithms, our minds are unavoidably lured by and consumed with the endless amount of information coming our way.
We seem unable to resist the temptation to check our screens at every idle moment. Has the cellular phone rendered daydreaming extinct? Rather than residing with our thoughts or absorbing the available panoramic view, virtually every person in a doctor’s waiting room, airport gate area, or standing in the grocery store check-out line focuses their attention on an index card-sized screen.
This information assault causes a monumental distraction that simply cannot be resolved by yesteryear’s admonition to “stop and smell the roses;” we must be far more intentional.
For me, the lesson took root in 2021 during the Cyclothon, an 845-mile road-cycling relay race around Iceland. When it was my turn to ride, I steeled my face and pedaled furiously as if my life depended on it. My Icelandic cycling counterpart, Hordur, quickly noticed my head-down intensity and beseeched me “to keep my head up or I would miss the best part of the race.”
The remarkable scenery and relationships developed over the 49-hour ordeal proved Hordur entirely correct. I then considered where else I might apply this lesson.
Bringing it Home
After releasing my obsession with the data from my bike computer (fitness tracker), I turned to the object I gaze upon the most in time and frequency. Like you, it is not my significant other’s radiant face. Redirecting Hordur’s admonition, I reduced my daily phone screen time by one hour.
The reduction alone is as beneficial as what has replaced it. My psyche is free from emotional investment in Facebook’s conspiracy theories, clickbait stories, memes, or TikTok’s line dance and talking cat reels. Do you believe access to such content makes us more meaningfully informed or joyful than our ancestors who did not have it?
While there is some virtuous content on social media, the preponderance of the useless drowns out the useful – the haystack obscures the needle. Where else would you recommend investing so much time for so little return?
The over-50 crowd cannot look too far down its collective nose upon the current generation as we were equally mesmerized by the device our grandparents called the “idiot box.” They lamented, “The TV will lead to the destruction of family time” (as the transistor radio did to theirs). Nor am I above reproach as I am under the spell of my laptop, which accompanies me like Linus’ blanket.
Where Do We Go?
The purpose of this message is not to complain about our errant ways but to encourage better ones. Employing technical measures such as Do Not Disturb settings and turning off notifications are effective. Establishing phone-free times or zones (do not carry the phone into the bathroom like your father’s newspaper) are also helpful.
Of course, nature abhors a vacuum, and you will spend the newly recovered time elsewhere. While reduction methods are essential, we accomplish more by increasing a positive practice we have or desire. Let the good drown out the bad.
I suggest you invest it in reading, listening to podcasts, faith practices, etc. You will experience the same overall improvement in disposition I have. You might also find more moments filled with precious human interaction. Perhaps you will not be part of a restaurant table with every diner forgoing fellowship for screen time.
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What do you need to see or do more of to reduce looking at what you need less of?