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Blog Post #2: Connection Distress

Kassia Doukhnai
Blog Post #2
Connection Distress
Feeling overly connected to technology is different for everyone that experiences it. Some feel the need to post every minute of their lives on social media, while others only use a phone to call or text. I, personally, feel connected to my phone in a variety of ways. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about what TV shows are airing that night or who I have to text to make sure my day goes smoothly. And don’t even get me started on my favorite comedians! I feel a gravitational force pulling me towards Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon’s YouTube channels on a daily basis.
While these habits are not necessarily life-threatening, they are not healthy either. According to Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults - a prospective cohort study, by Sara Thomee, Annika Harenstam, and Mats Hagberg, “Mental health problems have been increasing among young people in Sweden and around the world.” While studying reports of cell-phone use, they found that “self-reported symptoms associated with using mobile phones most commonly include headaches, earache, and warmth sensations...and sometimes also perceived concentration difficulties and fatigue.” I have to concur that after prolonged use of a cell phone, my vision weakens and I do sometimes feel pain in my temples.
“Central factors appearing to explain high quantitative use were personal dependency, and demands for achievement and availability originating from domains of work, study, the social network, and the individual's own aspirations.” Due to the expectation to always be “available or reachable”, the authors claim that this “could be argued to be a stressor irrespective of actual frequency of use”. In certain scenarios, such as in relation to work or school, I can feel impatience or stress when waiting for an email or text. Therefore, there is some truth to the statement that simply having a phone and being connected to others via that phone could cause some degree of stress.
In this day and age, cell phones and growing technology are unavoidable. Though, there are ways to find a balance between technology and real human connection. It is important to understand when one is overusing a device so that it can still be appreciated.

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