Learning to look up again – controlling your smartphone addiction | Ross Sleight | TEDxLeamingtonSpa
Summary
TLDRThe speaker discusses the growing dependency on smartphones and how it affects our daily lives, introducing terms like 'phubbing' and 'technoference' to describe this behavior. Despite acknowledging smartphones as powerful tools, the speaker expresses concern over how they detract from real-world interactions. They highlight statistics on smartphone usage, urging the audience to be more mindful of their behavior. Five actionable insights are shared to help people reduce smartphone overuse, such as tracking usage, living in the present, asking others to put their phones away, not sleeping with phones, and turning off notifications.
Takeaways
- 📱 The term 'phubbing' refers to ignoring people around you while using your phone in public.
- 👾 'Technoference' describes how technology interrupts our daily lives.
- 📉 The rise of smartphones has introduced new terms like 'smombie' (smartphone zombie) to describe antisocial behavior.
- 📊 More than 39% of people in the UK believe they spend too much time on their phones, with the number rising to 55% among those aged 16-35.
- ⏳ The average smartphone user spends 2 hours and 25 minutes a day on their phone, with heavy users doubling this time.
- 🍽 A third of people use smartphones while eating with friends or family, and 50% use them while walking in the street.
- 💡 We need to become aware of our smartphone usage and actively choose to reduce unnecessary screen time.
- ⏰ Avoid sleeping with your smartphone nearby, as it can disrupt sleep and negatively impact mental and physical health.
- 🔕 Turning off notifications or putting the phone on airplane mode helps reduce distractions and increases focus.
- 🙌 Simple changes in behavior, such as asking others to put away their phones during conversations, can promote better real-world interactions.
Q & A
What is the term 'phubbing' and how is it explained in the script?
-'Phubbing' refers to the act of snubbing someone in favor of using a smartphone or other device. In the script, it is described as using a phone in public while ignoring the people around.
What is 'technoference' and how does it impact daily life?
-'Technoference' is the interference of technology, particularly smartphones, in daily life. It refers to the interruptions and intrusions caused by excessive phone use.
What is the significance of the 'bowed headed tribe' mentioned in the script?
-The 'bowed headed tribe' is a reference to people constantly looking down at their smartphones. In China, this term humorously describes individuals who are glued to their devices.
What does the term 'smombie' refer to?
-'Smombie' is a blend of 'smartphone' and 'zombie,' used to describe people who are so absorbed in their smartphones that they become unaware of their surroundings.
How has smartphone adoption grown since its launch, according to the script?
-The script notes that over 2.5 billion people currently use smartphones worldwide, and this number is expected to rise to 5 billion by 2020.
What concerns does the speaker express about smartphone usage?
-The speaker expresses concern about how smartphones are leading to less social interaction and more isolation. People are increasingly spending time in their 'virtual homes' instead of engaging with the real world.
What percentage of people in the UK believe they spend too much time on their smartphones?
-In the UK, 39% of people believe they spend too much time on their smartphones. This number rises to 55% for people aged 16 to 35.
What are some behaviors that reflect excessive smartphone use, as mentioned in the script?
-Examples include using smartphones while eating with friends and family, walking while looking down at the phone, and even crossing the road without looking up from the device.
What are some suggested strategies to reduce smartphone overuse?
-The speaker suggests several strategies: tracking smartphone usage with apps, living in the present by putting the phone away, asking others to do the same, not sleeping with the smartphone in the bedroom, and turning off notifications.
What impact does keeping a smartphone nearby have on cognitive ability, according to the script?
-Simply having a smartphone present, even if not being used, can reduce cognitive ability, making people less mentally sharp.
Outlines
📱 The Rise of 'Phubbing' and Technoference
The speaker introduces the concept of 'phubbing,' which refers to ignoring people around you by using a phone in public, and other related terms like 'technoference' (technology interference in daily life) and 'smartphone zombie.' These terms have emerged due to the rapid growth and widespread adoption of smartphones. With over 2.5 billion smartphone users globally, predicted to reach 5 billion by 2020, smartphones have become a virtual home where people spend much of their time. However, these new terms often have negative connotations, suggesting antisocial behavior and dehumanization. Despite being an advocate for technology, the speaker expresses concern about the excessive time people, including his friends, family, and colleagues, spend on their devices. He highlights the issue of time spent in virtual spaces at the cost of real-world interactions.
📵 Negative Effects and Changing Behavior
The speaker elaborates on the negative effects of excessive smartphone use, sharing statistics about people's behaviors. For instance, 11% of people cross the road while looking at their smartphones, and a third of users reach for their phones within five minutes of waking up. Shockingly, 10% even respond to their phones during intimate moments. While not blaming the smartphone itself, the speaker suggests that the problem lies in how people use them. This is a good thing because it implies the possibility of behavioral change. He discusses five insights gathered from experts to help reduce smartphone dependency. The first insight focuses on understanding usage patterns using apps like Moment or Quality Time, which track and reflect smartphone usage, revealing surprising time sinks like excessive gaming. Recognizing these patterns can lead to more mindful smartphone use, helping balance virtual and real-world interactions.
⏰ Mindful Usage and Setting Boundaries
The speaker continues with insights aimed at promoting healthier smartphone habits. The second insight encourages living in the present by consciously deciding to put smartphones away during social interactions. The mere presence of a smartphone can reduce cognitive abilities, so keeping it out of sight enhances focus and conversation quality. The third insight suggests that individuals can ask others to put their phones away during conversations, creating an environment that fosters meaningful engagement. The fourth insight focuses on not sleeping with the smartphone in the bedroom, as having it nearby can disrupt sleep patterns. One in three people wake up at night to check their phones, impacting mental and physical well-being. To avoid this, the speaker recommends setting a curfew for smartphone use, allowing time for screen-free decompression before sleep. The final insight tackles the compulsion to check notifications, a behavior driven by the fear of missing out (FOMO). Turning off notifications or setting periods without phone access can significantly reduce distractions and interruptions.
👀 Look Up and Reconnect
In the conclusion, the speaker emphasizes the importance of making conscious choices to disconnect from smartphones and re-engage with the world around us. By adopting the five strategies—monitoring usage, living in the present, encouraging others to do the same, setting boundaries around sleep, and controlling notifications—people can regain a sense of balance between their virtual and real lives. These changes can lead to a more centered, social, and enriched life, where the smartphone serves as a tool rather than a distraction. The speaker encourages the audience to make the choice to 'look up' and reconnect with their surroundings, thereby improving their overall well-being and relationships.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Phubbing
💡Technoference
💡Smombie
💡Virtual home
💡Heavy user
💡Cognitive ability
💡FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
💡Screen-free time
💡Notifications
💡Behavioral change
Highlights
Introduction of new terms like 'phubbing' (phone snubbing) and 'technoference' (interference of technology in daily lives) to describe modern smartphone behavior.
The rise of smartphones has led to the creation of virtual homes where people live, laugh, love, cry, and work through their devices.
Negative connotations of smartphone usage, with terms like 'mombie' (smartphone zombie) and 'phubbing' suggesting dehumanizing and antisocial behaviors.
Despite these negatives, the speaker acknowledges smartphones as empowering, enriched devices that have significantly impacted their work in digital media.
The speaker raises concerns about smartphone usage among friends, family, and colleagues, highlighting how people are increasingly glued to their screens.
Statistics reveal that 39% of people in the UK think they spend too much time on their smartphones, with the figure rising to 55% for those aged 16 to 35.
A large percentage of those who believe they spend too much time on their smartphones are actively trying to reduce their screen time.
The average person spends 2 hours 25 minutes on their smartphone daily, while heavy users spend up to 3 hours 45 minutes.
A third of people use their smartphones while eating with friends and family, 50% look at their phones while walking, and 11% cross the road with their phones in hand.
One in ten people admitted to using their smartphones during intimate moments, emphasizing the extent of smartphone distraction in real life.
The speaker argues that the problem lies in user behavior, not the devices, meaning we have the power to change our relationship with smartphones.
The first actionable insight: track smartphone usage with apps like 'Moment' or 'Quality Time' to understand how much time is spent on certain activities.
Second insight: live in the present by turning off smartphones when spending time with friends, family, or colleagues, as even the presence of a phone can reduce cognitive abilities.
Third insight: encourage others to put away their smartphones during conversations to minimize distractions and foster meaningful interactions.
Fourth insight: avoid keeping smartphones in the bedroom, as checking them at night disrupts sleep and affects mental and physical well-being.
Fifth insight: disable notifications to reduce distractions, inattention, and hyperactivity caused by the constant ping of new alerts.
Transcripts
[Applause]
[Music]
I'd like to introduce you to a new word
that explains what I we're just doing
then it's called phubbing that's phone
snubbing using my device in public and
ignoring the people around me or I could
have said that it was techno Ference the
interference of technology in our daily
lives and the interruptions and
intrusions that has or I could have said
that I was an honorary member of details
ow which in China means the bowed headed
tribe or maybe as I walked onto the
stage shuffling away my eyes glued to my
device you might have called me ass mom
bee that's a smart phone zombie now all
these new words have come into our
language in the last 10 years and that's
directly correlated to the launch and
the phenomenal growth and adoption of
the smartphone today there's over two
and a half billion people in the world
with a smartphone and that's predicted
to rise to five billion by 2020 and what
we've done is we've effectively created
two and a half billion new homes because
we live and we laugh and we love and we
cry and we work in the reflected glare
of this five inch screen it is our
virtual home but all these words notes
mombi and phubbing I mean they're not
very positive about our virtual homes in
fact they're rather negative at best
they're talking about them being
antisocial at worst they're saying
realistically you dehumanized your
zombie now I'm not the person to stand
up here today and damn the smartphone
I'm in fact one of its biggest advocates
I think it's an amazing empowering
enriched
device for the last 20 years of my life
I've worked in digital media and the
last 10 years I've worked with
smartphones creating products and
services for them I've always tried to
use technology to make people's lives
better to improve them to make them
simpler to make them easier but I'm
worried I'm worried because when I look
around at POW people are using their
smartphones and that's not just people
on the train or strangers in the street
that's my colleagues and my friends and
my family and my teenagers we seem to be
spending an increasing amount of time
looking down glued and obsessed with
this virtual home let's see how you feel
hands up if you think that you spend too
much time with your smartphone wow look
around lemming ttan no keep him up keep
mark him up that's amazing so that's way
way higher than the national average on
average in the UK 39% of people say that
they spend way too much time with their
smartphone and that rises to 55% of
people who are 16 to 35 so the younger
you are the more likely you are to think
that you are spending too much time with
your smartphone and if you are one of
those people you're actually trying to
change that because 74% of people who
think they spend too much time on their
smartphone are trying to reduce that
time and time is a really finite
commodity we cannot make any more of it
it might surprise you that on average
you spend 2 hours 25 minutes a day on
your smartphone and if you're considered
to be a heavy user you will double that
to 3 hours 45 minutes and the time the
time that we spend in our virtual homes
is at the expense of interaction in our
real homes
in the real world give me some examples
a third of us a third of us use our
smartphones with our friends and our
family whilst eating 50% of us wander
along the streets looking down at our
smartphone 11% of us say that we
actually crossed the road with our
smartphone looking down at it a third of
us will wake up and within five minutes
reach for our smartphone and in one
study amazingly one in 10 of us said
that we responded to our smartphone
whilst having sex it's amazing isn't it
at best it is alienating at worse this
is antisocial behavior now I don't want
to blame the device it's not the
smartphone's problem the problem comes
down to our behavior with the smartphone
and that is a good thing because we can
choose to change our behavior we can
choose to act differently we can choose
to stop looking down and start looking
up so in preparation for this I did a
lot of reading I talked to a lot of
experts psychologists anthropologists
scientists to try and find out what are
the things that we can do to start to
actively change our behavior with our
virtual homes and five insights came out
can across the board a consensus opinion
and I want to share those with you today
in order to be able to assess how we
might begin to start looking up again
so the first insight is about usage if
you know how you use your smartphone and
what you use your smartphone for you can
begin to understand whether that you're
using it for the right types of things
there are apps that you can download
such as moment or quality time from the
app stores
and they will actually track your
smartphone usage and replay that back to
you let me tell you it is a sobering
wake-up call and I decided to go on a
significant smartphone diet when I use
one of these apps and the reason was was
I found that I was spending five hours a
week playing candy crush what I thought
was just a couple of minutes here on the
commute or a couple of minutes and I was
bored it's half a working day spent
playing a game so if you can understand
the amount of time that you spend then
you can begin to assess whether that
time is valuable to be spent in our
virtual homes versus our real homes the
second area is about living in the
present and making a conscious decision
that when we're with people with our
friends with our colleagues to live in
the present and ask don't know we put
our smartphones away we turn them off we
put them into our pocket or into our bag
and that's really important because the
very presence of a smartphone actually
can reduce our cognitive mental ability
it just sitting there on a table never
mind us actually interacting with it it
can make us dumber so with your
smartphone put away when it turned off
you have the ability to be able to pay
people attention you have the ability to
be able to talk to them you can live in
the present with that person that's
really important for the third insight
is that you can ask other people to do
exactly the same when you meet someone
they've got their smartphone out just
say look fantastic I can't wait to have
this conversation but do you mind
putting your smartphone away because I
don't want there to be a distractions
when I'm talking to you and your
behavior can become infectious and you
can help change how other people feel
about their smartphones the fourth
insight that came up was one which is
around not sleeping with your smartphone
now I'm not talking about the one in ten
of you who might respond to smartphone
during sex although I really do think
please do stop that and
what I mean is that when our virtual
home is by our bedside it's the first
thing we look at in the morning and it's
the last thing that we look at night and
shockingly one in three of us wake up
during the night and check our
smartphone if it's there in our bedroom
so that is going to deprive us of sleep
and depriving us of sleep know is it
affects our mental and our physical
well-being
so take the smartphone out of the
bedroom buy an alarm clock if you need a
wake-up call even better give yourself a
curfew with your smartphone and stop
using it a certain amount of hours
before bedtime
give yourself some screen free time some
decompression time some time in the real
world and the fifth insight is about
this Pavlov's dog type of reaction that
we have when we see a notification ping
onto our phony fantastic notifications
scientifically have been shown to
increase our inattention and our
hyperactivity in fact it's all to do
with FOMO our fear of missing out we
must have things right now know
something right now when in fact it's
probably just a a like' or retweet or
something quite insignificant coming up
as a notification so the best thing you
can do here is to turn your
notifications off yeah put your phone on
airplane mode I now say I'm not going to
check my smartphone for an hour I'm
gonna leave over there I'm not gonna
look at it and in doing so I will feel
better because of it because I'm not
constantly being distracted and
interrupted in my life so it's these
five things which help us to learn to
look up again and if you can change your
behavior to do these things I can
promise you that you will be more
centered more social and more enriched
and more harmonious with your virtual
world your virtual home and your real
home
so if you think that you spend too much
time on your smartphone here's the guide
to be able to change it you can make a
positive choice to not look down and you
can choose to look up today thank you
very much
you
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