Scroll of the Mobile Phone | People

Scroll of the Mobile Phone | People | Mike Writing

Have we, human animals, developed some weird dependency on entertainment? Do you notice it too? Does it feel like we’re terrified of sitting quietly with our thoughts or engaging each other directly in conversation? Is it something in the air? Why the constant need to be stimulated?

I’m calling the condition Stimulata Persistere. I made it up from the latin root words for stimulate and persist, because I don’t know if a term exists already. It’s tough to call it an epidemic without all the data. But let me hit you with the numbers I do have, so you can make your own presumptive conclusions.

Worldwide Numbers

In 2015, statista.com (Statista®: The Statistics Portal) predicted that mobile phone users would reach 5 billion globally by 2019.¹ That was probably a jaw-dropping number to figure back then. Here’s some more drop for your jaw: the worldwide number did hit the 5 billion mark IN JUNE OF 2017.² Holy AMOLED, Batman! (As of October 2018, the worldwide subscribers are at 5.11 billion.³) There’s only 7.5 billion people on earth.⁴ Safe to say mobile phones are life now.

In Sources, I’ve linked to an infographic fromGSMA Intelligence who tracks the number of mobile device subscribers in real time if you want to dive deeper into those numbers or just to watch a counter spin.

U.S. Numbers (Time Spent and Ages)

For you ‘Merican wreaders, here are highlights from the best mobile phone user stats this guy could find thanks to the Pew Research Center. Pay close attention to the ages. There should be no surprises there.

I loved reading every single statistic from the Pew Survey that was conducted in January 2018, but I only cared about ages and smartphone-to-non-smartphone users. Sorry, I should be more professional and say “For the purposes of this essay, I’ve decided to focus on very specific metrics. Data not relevant to the topic has not been included.”

USA Mobile Phone Stats by Age via Pew Research Center

eMarketer says in 2018, U.S. adults will spend 3 hours and 35 minutes on average.⁵ Yes, keep in mind that’s the average. People like me who will keep their phone screen unlocked sitting in a fancy holder on their desk at work can easily get 5 hours a day. Easily!

Now that you’re softened up with some numbers, I’ll tell you why I wanted to write this post.

Why I Wrote This

I watched a couple in their 50s walk into a restaurant. The husband led his wife, who was on a phone call. Very informal tone, seemed like a call with a family member. After the waitress’ introduction and passing of the menus, the wife said “…I just wanted to call to see how y’all doing.”

First, you’re right if you’re thinking that her call was her business. And it remained her business. But watching and listening to her provoked questions that had been bubbling for a while. I went back to reading my book of the month, but it was too late. I started asking questions and making notes – curiosity’s curse and all.

At one point the wife shouted, “For $300 right now, would you give up drinking for 3 years?!”, she continued “Could you do it?” I glanced over and the screen of a smartphone glowed in her right hand. “I could do it”, said the husband taking a bite of something. He was unfazed. I started wondering why do so many of us feel a need to be constantly stimulated?

Self-Diagnosis

I haven’t worked in months having had 45 days of Leave preceding my 1 Sep 2018 retirement date. And I’ve noticed it’s nothing for me to jump between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Clash of Clans for 5-45 minutes. Even in the middle of something I’m working on. It’s nothing. I suspect that I create excuses for not being productive with that time – even if subconsciously.

I don’t judge others, but I have to wonder what causes someone to scroll through a social media feed when there’s someone else sitting right there in front of them. Maybe the other person is boring. Maybe it’s to spite the boring person. Maybe it’s to feel important. Maybe it’s just to feel busy, stimulated, or entertained.

Five Why’s in Practice

Why do I so readily choose distraction over productivity or just enjoying a little silence? It’s really tough to answer. It’s a real problem for me. I decided to apply 5 Why’s to the question.

It’s a counseling tactic I learned somewhere in the military – maybe in Instructor School. As a systematic approach to problem-solving, the idea is that the questions allow you to burrow to the core of a problem or close enough to the source to apply an effective fix.

Why do I spend more time consuming content than I do producing content question graphic — Why do I spend more time consuming content than I do producing content?

The obvious answer to why I spend so much time consuming content is it’s an easier use of time: the apps are pretty, laughing is fun, plus because of the algorithms, I could totally miss something splendiferous if I’m not logged on. But that’s not an answer that a fix action can be applied to. It’s not specific enough yet. Catching on to how the why thing works?

OK, let’s see if I get to the tootsie roll center of this thing. First, you’ll notice I restate the question to be a little more specific. The less vague the question, the better. (I imagined this would go faster than it did if I was completely honest about my answers. Being completely honest was the challenge. I don’t like this game. It’s brutal.)

I began with stating the problem then flipping it into a “why” question:

Problem: I spend more time consuming content than I spend producing content.

#1: Why do I spend more time consuming content than I do producing content?

I like being entertained.

#2: Why is it more entertaining?

I don’t have to use my brain very much.

#3: Why don’t you want to use your brain very much?

Doing brain things is hard.

#4: Why is doing brain things hard?

I think in too many directions to focus well on any one activity.

#5: Why is focusing well on any one activity important [to you]?

I do my best work when I have an uninterrupted path to the end goal.

That was about 20 minutes of playing my own psychologist. If I was to continue, I would dive into a fear of failure rabbit hole where I don’t want to be awesome because the pressure of maintaining awesome is scary blah blah blah high expectations blah blah blah.

In my case, the Five Why’s helped me realize that feeding myself high doses of content sabotages doing my best work.

Group with Smartphones photo via pexels.com — Group with Smartphones via pexels.com

Dipping a Toe in Time Blocking

I’m experimenting with a solution. Similar to intermittent fasting, I won’t open a social media app — with exceptions to replying to DM or dropping links to published content — until 2 hours after I awake. I’ve heard enough entrepreneurs talk about time-blocking to know it’s a smart play. To be honest, it’s probably an absolute need for me.

Cutting out a little social media time in the morning seems like a pain-free start, it’s like cutting out dairy for a lactose intolerant person (exactly me right now BTW). I’m choosing mornings because my brain runs like a brand new lawn mower. I’m not immune to distractions in the AM hours. It’s just that this is an optimal time for me to get brain things done. Who knows eventually I may like it and cut more time away from scrolling.

Stimulata Persistere

Do you know someone who’s suffering from Stimulata Persistere? Is it you?

If you feel like you’re spending too much screen time scrolling, try time blocking. Share in the comments or tweet about how you tear away from your screen – even if it’s cast iron willpower. I’m especially interested in the smartphone feature or app that lets you set app time limits. New iPhones have it (which probably means Android phones had it 3-5 years ago). My newest iPhone is a 6S I bought in Sept 2018, so I don’t speak new iPhone language – that’s who I am.

I am intrigued by other perspectives. It makes my food taste better. So I ask again:

Have we developed an unhealthy need to be constantly entertained?
Do you think too much handheld screen time is a problem?
Where do YOU draw your line? How much scrolling time is too much?
And how much are you willing to invest right now in an app that will allow you to breathe underwater?