Here is an experiment to investigate dependence on your “digital dummy”. A digital dummy is any computer, smartphone or other digital device on which you suckle data like a baby. What you need to do is:
- Delete all your so-called “social networks” on LinkedIn, Facebook etc. Being sat in front of a computer is distinctly unsociable.
- Delete your twitter account.
- Don’t bother reading your email (90% of email is useless noise).
- Blast your blog into oblivion.
- Ignore your feed reader, or “mark all items as read” because if Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) actually exists and you are a sufferer [1], the currently best known cure is to go cold turkey.
After completing all these steps, wait for at least one week and observe results. Hasn’t it gone quiet? Is your life any better? Repeat as necessary until sanity returns…
References
- Flisher, C. (2010). Getting plugged in: An overview of Internet addiction Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 46 (10), 557-559 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2010.01879.x
O'Really? 