Smarten up!
Time better spent than on a smartphone?
Article: Paige Kreutwieser – Staff Writer
[dropcaps round=”no”]H[/dropcaps]ow many hours do you spend on your phone a day? If you say under eight hours, then you are apparently not “the average Canadian.”
According to a recent poll of 2,058 Canadians, respondents spent an average of 7.9 hours a day on their smart phones.
But what significance does this really have? Who cares that the average Canadian spends roughly eight hours a day glued to their screens?
Well, here are a couple reasons:
Do you not remember your mother ever telling you your eyes would burn out if you stared at the TV for too long? Ok, your eyes may not have burned out yet, but never say never.
Need another reason why this time allotment is a bad idea? Well, have you ever heard of carpal tunnel?
On a more serious note: when people complain that children of today aren’t creative and need to have more imagination how about we start setting a better example? Before you blame the innocent, know that you may actually be the pot calling the kettle black.
This statistic should also send huge warning signs to employers. When someone is spending roughly the equivalent of an average workday on their phones, you may want to review your work protocols.
What worries me the most is the danger factor. People walking down the hallways with their heads down are a huge safety hazard and, sadly, from time to time I am one of them. What I cannot tolerate is people not focusing behind the wheel.
If this survey by Harris-Decima is correct in saying 42 per cent of the respondents admitted to keeping their phone within reach for 90 to 100 percent of the day, that means only half of smart phone users are watching the road.
I didn’t always care this way, but one look at the United Kingdom PSA Texting While Driving ad would probably change your mind as well.
I’m not asking everyone to get rid of his or her phone, but I am asking for you to take a second and realize how much you use it.
Our world functions on instant communication, and it is hard to not have your devices with you – but your relationships will thank you.
If we learned to communicate with voice instead of text, if we learned to focus on where we are walking and not on our screens, if we spent less time on our smart phones and more time in person with people than this world might be a more creative place.
A final thought to let you think about: when was the last time you cleaned your phone’s screen? Let that one sink in.
[button style=”e.g. solid, border” size=”e.g. small, medium, big” link=”” target=””]Image: Julia Dima[/button]