One more TED 2017 takeaway: control screen time
Multiple sessions of this past TED focused on various aspects of our addiction to our screens, the smartphones, tablets, and PCs/Macs that dominate so much of our time. A lot of the data suggested bad, often seriously bad, effects from our need to constantly check in with our phones and other devices. The data is compelling, but even more compelling to me is that I definitely feel those urges and too often yield to them.
So, over the next year or so I hope to take more direct control of the time I spend staring at screens. Rather than check email at every opportunity, for example, I intend to relegate that task to scheduled times. I'm thinking of asking everyone at dinner parties to leave their phones in their pockets/purses/whatevers. And so on.
I'll let you know how it goes.
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4 comments:
I've come across quite a bit on how bad screens are for you whilst investigating how to rectify my insomnia.
I now stop using electronic screens, be it phone or PC 2 hours before bed.
I have also stopped watching TV during that period. I've returned to reading paper.
As part of the de-stress I read factual books and believe it has broadened my knowledge as well as being distressing.
I have enjoyed returning to the interests of my youth and have deepened my knowledge of Egyptology and Geology.
Cool results, Mark. I am definitely aiming to improve in this area.
Mark, did any of the TED sessions on screen time include data about how LED light (including all the screens) damages the human retina? It seems there's more and more studies on this lately.
I've started wearing amber "computer" glasses a lot of the time - even for night driving unless it's extremely dark, since many cars have LED headlights.
I'm very concerned for the younger generations' eyes. I've only been a heavy computer user in the past 17 years since my career change; they could potentially be damaging their eyes from the time they're toddlers. Kind of scary to think about.
(I feel like I'm heading toward an old-lady-hood where I'll be the one saying, "Eat your fiber! Wear your computer glasses! And get off my lawn!" ... actually, I suggested to my employer that they let me do a series of posts on the company blog called "Get Off My Lawn eLearning," but that idea fizzled for some reason. ;-)
Thanks so much for all your TED posts!
Thanks for the kind words. I don't recall the sessions focusing on that area, but it's one I will have to look into.
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