When Advantage Digital turns to Digital Distraction!

John Chambers of Cisco had predicted that at least 40% of businesses could shut shop in the next 10 years if they don’t figure out how to transform their entire company to accommodate new and emerging technologies.

We are living in a digital world where everything is available on a thumb scroll. Digital media has penetrated our lives across demographic and psychographic segments. Small retail stores and the unorganized sector are embracing technologies that include the acceptance of digital payments through wallets or placing orders through mobile.

It’s clear that all of us believe that the ‘digital space’ is where the heart of the world lies. It’s now apparent that more than just transformation in technology, technology is transforming all of us. Many of us have succumbed to this pervading prominence of the digital distraction while distancing from the real space that lies right within our naked eyes.?

Adding to the complexity is the uncontrollable desire to open phones, tablets, and screens without knowing when to stop the thumb or ensure focused media in their visibility. Surely, entertainment videos and availability at the press of a button are killing a lot of productive time, which is now being passed on to the generation of school-going children with smartphones. Today, a lot of kids prefer do not to play outdoor sports and use their free time to learn hands-on skills.

The Digital distraction is creating more uncertainty in Gen Z, as to where they aim to be headed. These kids are destined to be the future workforce, which makes it more crucial as now is the time that colleges and personal spaces need to create a digital detox.?

Let’s learn how can this be implemented and what solutions can lead to this “Digital Detox”.

• Firstly, to act on the steps towards a digital cleanse, it is important to understand why this transformation is required. Technological advancements are the new way to live, but it is this transformation that needs to be used responsibly without causing any harm that might come our way with the impact that technology has on our health and environment.
• Self-reflecting on habitual patterns can be a start towards this productive journey. Digital distractions start off by taking a break which is triggered by overwhelming emotions, workload, anxiety, and stress. It is this “break”, that leads to another and becomes a stress-relieving pattern. Before we know it, we are too deep into the digital break which becomes habitual in nature. Focusing on learning new skills, like gardening, painting, picking up a musical instrument, or even writing, to cope with stress is a small step to winning over this digital chaos.

The anxiety effect of checking smartphones every 15 minutes, as per a study conducted in the California State University, is causing more and more addiction towards the digital space. This is where time management and technology detox are needed right at the roots of psychological behavioral patterns. Setting goals and rewarding oneself is known to have a positive effect on individuals with this addiction.

Nathaniel Kleitman's research, which discovered that human brains work in 90-minute rest-activity cycles not only while we are asleep but also when we're awake, has sparked another strategy. This is true by taking a recharging break every hour and a half, especially if you're multitasking with technology, which causes the brain to become overly busy. Even a 10-minute walk, exercise, and meditation can help to relax and refresh.

Another trend is the use of automation tools that helps to identify and curate information truly required by you. In the case of newsreaders, apps like Flipboard sets aside topics, articles, discussions preferred by you as a reader which gives you the substance that you truly want to consume as news; thus, saving time and gaining from specific information coming your way.

The culture of being constantly connected and aware of the world around us is making a lot of us lose the deeper connection with time, loved ones as well as personal or professional productivity. This stems from the fear of missing out or the fear of being the last one to receive information. A deliberate effort is required to curb this obsession of being on top of the digital world, which is slowly but surely killing our focus and urge to learn something new and maybe even losing to begin a new generation of robotic two-legged high thinkers.

The author Kapil Mehta is CFO and COO at Allied Digital Services.