Читать книгу Overcoming Internet Addiction For Dummies - David N. Greenfield - Страница 28

Anything in excess can produce negative health issues, and the Internet and screen technologies are no exception. Health issues relating to screen use have been well established and may involve reduced and poor sleep, increased stress and elevated cortisol, repetitive motion injury, and neck and back problems. There have been reports of thumb, finger, and upper-back problems from excessive screen use, as well as eye strain and difficulties focusing. Some reports of more serious medical issues include elevated blood pressure, blood clots, weight gain from sedentary behavior, and heart rate issues from dehydration; in extreme cases, people have died.

Health is in large part determined by balance in your life; screens and all the content you endlessly consume online may interfere with that balance. But balance is key. It can be hard to maintain because it involves conscious choices, but it is necessary for healthy living. After treating hundreds of patients with Internet and video game use issues and having used the technology myself for the last 30 years, I have come to believe that it is anything but benign. It eats up your attention and can rob you of the most important resource in your life — your time — without your even knowing it.

People constantly embrace new technology: faster smartphones (companies are now rolling out 5G), faster processors, bigger and better screens, more apps, and more devices connected to the cloud and running their daily lives. This in some ways represents progress, but in many ways, it is a setback. All this technology requires more and more time and attention to manage, maintain, and learn how to use. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to troubleshoot a problem with some digital device, install a new app, or just change my password for the millionth time. All of this takes time. All of this takes energy. All of this takes attention from other, perhaps more meaningful and satisfying parts of your life. All of this attention to our tech adds up.

Sure, all this convenience is wonderful, but is it really making life happier and satisfying? I’m not so sure. Has all your screen and Internet use really added quality to your life? Just because you can hook everything in your life up to the Internet does not literally mean it will improve the quality of your life; you always must ask yourself the question “Will the cost (time) really be worth the ultimate benefit?”

Chapter 14 has details on finding balance in screen use. Chapter 16 warns you of how the Internet is only going to become more addictive.