Digital detox and internet addiction disorderDigital

Sep 04, 2015

By Doris Selvarajah
The average employee checks 40 websites a day, switching activities 37 times an hour, changing tasks every two minutes. However, only 2% of people can actually multi-task with productivity. The Digital Age that held promises of growth and evolution is now society’s own demise. A solution has been devised to reboot the human system to be more productive not only as employees but also as members of the human race. The solution is known as a Digital Detox and it has the means of transforming the way we look at and use digital technology.

Known as a period of alienating anything digital such as the Smartphone, an I-pad, tablets, laptops and television, it is a time to question one’s dependence on IT and to develop more mindful tech habits. Any digital device that connects one to the outside world whether through news feeds or emails are shut off or put away in a secure place where it won’t be a distraction. It is a means of overcoming our overwhelming dependence on IT by removing the temptation of it. The number of Detox days can range from as few as three days to a week or even a month depending on the individual.

The reason a Digital Detox has become necessary is because of the threat of Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), a disorder that results in neglect in health, relationships and work in order to take part in the virtual world. This disorder is not only a mental disorder, its effects are physical as well and some symptoms faced by addicts are dry eyes or strained vision, back aches and neck aches, severe headaches, sleep disturbances, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (pain and numbness in hands and wrists) and pronounced weight gain or weight loss. This disorder is commonly found among digital natives and is set to spread to the next generation. Pathological use of the internet has direct co-relation to negative life consequences such as job loss, marriage breakdown, financial debt, and academic failure especially for digital addicts, a Korean study into the disorder determined.

Some of the warning signs of IAD are:
-- Losing track of time while online.
-- Problems of time management when it comes to completing work.
-- Lack of a Social Life outside of Social Networking.
-- Defensive and Elusive about time spent online.
-- Feeling emotional gratification from the Internet.

This reason this disorder has become front and centre of mental disorders is mainly due to accessibility and so, through Digital Detox we are able to tackle Internet Addiction Disorder head on and improve mental health, physical health and productivity. There are some things to keep in mind while taking part in a Digital Detox to make the entire process easier.

We should remember that:
-- It is a process.
-- When first beginning the detox, one may suffer from phantom-phone syndrome where you feel that your phone is buzzing or ringing when it isn’t.
--Withdrawal is only temporary.
-- Disconnecting can help you reconnect.
-- It brings you closer to family and friends.
-- It helps you find your focus.
-- Unplugging could reignite your passion.
-- The experience will be restorative.
-- Your mind and body will thank you for allowing it to reboot.

Some of the benefits of a Digital Detox include improving relationships and mental health, increasing sleep quality, lowering stress and anxiety and increasing productivity.

Digital Age

Is a period in human history characterized by the shift from traditional industry that the Industrial Revolution brought through industrialization, to an economy based on information computerization.

Also known as Information Age, Computer age and New Media Age.

Digital NATIVE

A person born or brought up during the age of digital technology and therefore familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age.

Those who understand digital language of computers, video games and the Internet.


Digital addict

A person whose interaction with technology is verging on excessive, threatening to absorb their attention above all else and consequently having a negative impact on the well-being of the user.

An increasingly common dependence on devices in the digital age.

The phrase is used to highlight the possible danger in being over exposed to technology in an age where the scope for using digital technologies in everyday life is ever-increasing and the danger of becoming dependent upon them is a distinct possibility.