Disconnection In The Digital Age: How Do We Plug Back In?

Technology hasn’t quite delivered as promised.

On the surface, technology sounds like a way to promote innovation, connection, information sharing, and entertainment, enabling us to stay connected and informed instantaneously.

And yet, in the field of mental health, we’re seeing significantly adverse effects:

• Annual increases in the rate of smartphone addiction, social media addiction, and video game addiction, rising with adolescents and adults aged 18-35
• A substitute for human connection – the less connections you have in real life, the more time spent online
• Associations with lower self-esteem, higher stress levels, and difficulty sleeping

Unfortunately, algorithms and other forms of tech are constantly being optimized to captivate our attention, making it increasingly difficult for us to maintain a healthy balance in our day to day lives.

What’s Going On?

Human beings have learned to survive by forming strong, reliant social groups that provides diversity of support and skill. We may not be able to wrestle a bear, but we can all build a village together to keep one outside!

The importance of community and its impact on each person is referenced all throughout the bible: Romans 12:4-5; Acts 2:44-47, Hebrews 3:13; Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 10:24; Proverbs 27:17; Psalm 133:1; just to name a few. In fact, there are significantly more than this!

Community is so important to our survival that our nervous systems perceive danger when we don’t have close, meaningful connections in our lives, triggering the release of stress hormones and keeping us in a constant state of fight or flight.

Unfortunately, technology use does not fulfill our need for community and instead can even become a tool to self-soothe feelings of loneliness, which promotes a vicious cycle. It can soothe painful feelings that stem from current or past instances of:

• Relational Grief (Break-ups, Losses, etc.)
• Social Anxiety
• Bullying
• Abuse
• Neglect
• Unstable Family Dynamics
• Lack of Socialization
• Unclear Purpose or Life Direction

This list is by no means exhaustive and just highlights a few potential pain points that may increase the desire to interact with technology.

What Do We Do About It?

As access to technology continues to increase, and a generation afflicted by the pandemic ages into adulthood, we must be realistic about our approach to technology use. It has become so intertwined with daily life and most jobs that total abstinence rarely makes practical sense.

Start by taking this three-tiered approach:

1.  Study your interactions with technology:

• In what ways do you engage with technology?
• How can you limit it to just utility (work, information, etc)?
• What do the non-utility interactions do for you?
• Do they help you recharge after a long day, or do you end up feeling more drained?

Examples of Healthy vs Problematic usage

Healthy Usage: Looking up information, occasional check in/video sharing with friends (who doesn’t love a good cat video?), scheduled work usage, limited/scheduled video game use.

Problematic Usage: Doomscrolling (extended 30m-1hr+ video scrolling), excessive video game use, usage in avoidance of other responsibilities or social events, utilizing AI exclusively to discuss life challenges, technology use right before bed and immediately upon waking

2. Pay attention to your environment, and plan alternative coping strategies:

When you have a desire to use some form of technology, how accessible is it to you? How can you alter your environment in order to make it less accessible (deleting apps, storing away video game consoles, putting phone away at bed time). What things can you do instead, like go on a walk or talk to a friend or family member?

3. Address what technology use is trying to compensate for, and take action:

Take inventory of what excessive technology use may be taking the place of. Some examples of this may be:

• Uncertain purpose, identity, or direction in life
• Distance from God & spiritual fulfillment
• Absence of loving and supportive community
• Challenges in relationships

After identifying the source, carve out time throughout your week to address the unfulfilled need in your life. Eventually, you should notice a decrease in your desire to utilize technology.

This issue is deeply personal to me. Prior to entering the mental health field, I had to overcome my own struggles with technology addiction. I am now incredibly passionate about helping others redefine technology use in their own lives. If it feels like too much to handle on your own, our team at New Beginnings can help you get back on track – Not just by helping reshape your use of technology, but by addressing what’s missing underneath.