Modern Hyperconnectivity: 4 Ways to Disconnect and Take Back Your Life
Overwhelmed by constant text messages? Us too. Hear about those who are getting their power back, and how you too can disconnect.
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If you had one day with no smartphones and no screens, do you know how you would fill up your time?
A report from Backlinko revealed that in the United States, the average screen time per day is seven hours and three minutes, with nearly half (41%) of American teens (13 to 18) reporting more than eight hours per day.
I consider myself one of millions of teens who spend excessive amounts of time in front of a screen. From school to work, day to night, computers and phones make up the air we breathe. For many, the need to be available 24/7 at the buzz of a phone can be extremely draining.
One TikToker, Eloise Davies (@eloiseldavies), asked, “Is there a mental condition for people that find it really overwhelming to answer messages?” She elaborates, “I’m thinking, ‘I’m gonna message them back,’ but they’re gonna message me back, and when does it end?”
In a video response, New York Times Bestselling author Jason K. Pargin expressed that “the way you’re being asked to live right now is objectively insane.” He said, “The entire time this species has existed, no one was ever asked to be on call 24 hours a day to everyone who knew them.”
@jasonkpargin #stitch with @eloise💚 ♬ original sound – Jason Pargin, author
Similar to Eloise, many people have conflicting emotions around the duality of being connected. Each notification represents a person we care about, which makes it hard to unplug. r/NoSurf is one of the largest communities on Reddit. This forum holds people trying to stop wasting time on the Internet. The harms of excessive screen time are too well-documented to just be ignored.
If you’re one of the many people trying to spend less time online, here are a few tips to get started:
Identify what you can replace your screen time for
Goal-setting can be a great way to get started on taking your life back. Maybe there’s a book you’ve been wanting to read or a language you’ve been meaning to learn. If you use screen time as a way to relax after working all day, find another activity that is equally as relaxing. Focus on a few reliable activities you can do whenever you feel like reaching for your phone.
Try a dopamine detox
Modern games and social media apps are constantly fighting to hotwire your brain and hijack your attention with never-ending stimuli. If you find yourself compelled towards a behavior you don’t enjoy and that is not productive to what you should rather be doing, you may want to look into doing a dopamine detox. A dopamine detox, lasting anywhere between a few hours to 90 days, requires restricting addictive activities so you can break out of the cycles that are harming you.
Stay active throughout the day
According to an NPR article, “Sitting too much has been linked with numerous health concerns including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and early death.” To offset our new sedentary lives sitting and lying down, we need to incorporate movement at regular intervals daily. The gold standard? One 2023 study said five minutes of walking every half hour.
Remember to be patient and kind to yourself
Small wins day to day are much better than making a dramatic change overnight. To dial in on your self-improvement and work towards getting your life back, slow and steady wins the race. It will be boring. At times, it will feel very lonely, but the result is getting back your freedom and autonomy, an invaluable reward.
Knives Nguyen (they/he/she), is a journalist from the Bay Area who covers entertainment, culture and student life. You can connect with them on LinkedIn: @knivesnguyen.
Edited by Nykeya Woods