Those days where you can walk outside and encounter 0 people who are looking at their phones are long gone.
In some settings it is shocking how many phone users are on their smartphones. Not that they are talking to someone on the phone, they just keep looking at that screen.
Sometimes you really wonder what it is that they are engaging with.
What is it that’s fascinating them so much?
You can even catch yourself sometimes being so engaged in content while having no idea what’s happening around you.
There could be an earthquake and you wouldn’t even notice immediately.
It’s sadly a common sight. Everyone is looking at their screens. It’s a social norm now.
This reminds me of smoking back in the 1950s. What you see in the series Mad Men for example.
Smoking was a social norm back them. A habit that your environment easily adopted.
I can imagine there was some form of peer pressure. To belong to the tribe, you should be smoking.
That still exists of course, especially among teens and tweens.
Nevertheless, I do believe that many people experienced some deep hidden thoughts saying: all this smoking surely can’t be good.
And yes, now in the year 2020 we are clearly aware of the dangers and has smoking evidently reduced significantly in comparison to 70 years ago.
It is my belief that we are now in the 1950s when it comes to screen use.
While with smoking we have long been aware of the dangers, I do think that screen addiction will take a completely different direction.
Screens and technology will only develop further. We have seen nothing yet when you imagine what’s to come….
So while we all become more aware of the detrimental effects, especially with all the upcoming research that will be conducted, it will get much more challenging to detach from screens and tech.
Technology will be everywhere. Wearable technology, AI, AR, VR….
So unlike smoking, we won’t be able to escape technology. It will be pervasive and all around us.
Plus the negative effects won’t stop where negative smoking effects end.
Excessive tech use will greatly impact our mental health, and the question really is whether we all be able to preserve our mind, spirit and soul.
Smoking addiction has never made us question that.