The Internet and news articles are full of advice on the need to cut screen-time and go fully off-line for the sake of well-being. The ideas went to schools and now we have international debates about banning phones in the classrooms. I myself was a big advocate for removing phones from everyday life, or, at least, having a 45 minutes limit for using social media. However, recently I discovered that scientific research, the one that goes beyond mainstream media, does not support the claim that social-media or video games are alone to blame for problems with our self-esteem or concentration difficulties. The situation is much more complicated. In this series I will look at how our mind is changing in the age of modern technology. I will try to demonstrate why banning phones is not enough to help children to better concentrate and read. Finally, I will propose a few ideas for restoring our peace of mind in the modern world, examining whether books truly serve as an antidote to anxiety, and whether we need a more systematic approach to reclaim our ability for in-depth analysis, concentration, and contemplation.
The Myth of “Screen Time”
Professor Andrew Przybylski from Oxford Internet Institute detailed in his lecture that the myth that “screen time” is a real thing falls apart once we discard the notion of digital dualism. A dualistic perspective assumes there is a separate “digital world” versus an “analog world,” and that people are divided into “digital natives” and “digital immigrants.” In reality, the digital world is no longer just an option for entertainment —it is embedded in our economy and woven into the very fabric of our life. By ignoring this, we risk taking on excessive responsibility and ultimately feeling intense guilt because we cannot manage to go completely offline. The issues we attribute to social media and smartphones —related to well-being, sleep or anxiety—are not solely the result of these platforms; rather, they reflect the challenges of our time and simply abandoning our phones will not lead to the ultimate sense of quiet.
As Paul Valery said, the minds of many people today are no longer fed by anything but sudden changes and constantly renewed stimuli. The modern human is multitasking and tireless, with an animal-like level of attention—broad but superficial, unable to contemplate. Contemplation distinguishes humans from animals. It is not solely social media that has reduced our ability for deep reflection. Modern people are always on edge because they are bombarded with stimuli. The growing prevalence of these triggers mirrors the path of our civilization. Our focus is divided amidst a myriad of distractions, and it now requires considerable effort for contemporary men to preserve the qualities that make them human. Today, we need to rediscover the art of observation and cultivate our vision with serenity, mindfulness, and composure.
To be continued…
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