We have already integrated the extensive use of technology into our daily lives. The mobile phone, computer or tablet are part of our routine and are tools that allow us to be more productive and efficient. Everything happens on the screen, especially the phone screen, where we have everything from our driver’s license to our bank account.
However, technology also has a playful role. The less informed listen to music or watch movies and series through a mobile device and use some of the most popular social networks. In fact, according to Statista, 62.3% of the world’s population is already part of and WhatsApp is the most popular In Spain, along with Facebook and Instagram.
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In short, these platforms have become essential tools for communication, entertainment, and information, and we love using them. But why do we love them so much? What makes us stay so long? One argument is that they offer two important rewards: satisfaction and personal relationships.
“We are created to communicate and constantly receive recognition from others, and in these social networks it is inexhaustible,” explains Andrés Chamarro, psychologist and professor in the Department of Basic, Evolutionary and Educational Psychology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Andrés Chamarro is a professor in the Department of Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology at UAB.
Furthermore, “anything that gives us satisfaction can be addictive, because due to a basic principle of learning, whatever is satisfying tends to be repeated and whatever entails punishment, we tend to avoid.”
Addiction or dependence?
For all these reasons, addiction to social networks often appears in conversations, a concept that experts do not view positively and prefer to replace with dependency. “We can speak colloquially, but knowing that we are not talking about strict addiction. You have to be careful,” Chamarro points out.
“Technically, social media addiction doesn’t exist yet, it’s not an accepted term,” he says. “To talk about dependency as if we were talking about addiction, you have to meet a series of diagnostic criteria for a very long period of time, and that implies a degree of descent into hell that people don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Is a healthy relationship with your cell phone possible?
With the holidays coming up, many people are trying to cut back on technology and put their cell phones out of their lives, even if only for a short while. These days, we ask ourselves what we can do to have a healthier relationship with this device.
But for Chamarro, “a healthy relationship with the cell phone is an oxymoron.” “We have to realize that it enters our lives and steals moments from us,” he adds. However, realizing this can be a first step to reducing use and reclaiming the spaces and activities that we save during the year with technology, such as meeting up with acquaintances, taking a trip, or reading in the shade.
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“If technology has infiltrated your life so much that you can’t live without it, it’s clearly not good or healthy,” the psychologist explains. “This level of awareness is a good starting point for setting limits on your cell phone.”
However, during the holidays, we will do it, even unconsciously, according to Chamarro. “There is more free time, and that is the time we will take away from technology. Even if you travel and send pictures to friends, you will use your cell phone less than you do during the week.
this condition Originally posted by RAC1.
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