Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 42
Posts 21 - 30

How To Completely Unplug From Your Smartphone For An Entire Day

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Huffington Post
Date | 3.6.2015
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | addiction, research/study, technology-free
Summary | We are all a little addicted to our technological devices and are so used to spending all spare time we have on our smartphones. It is however greatly beneficial to our body and mind to unplug completely for a day. We may not be able to fathom what we could do will all that time without technological devices but the author provides a long list of possible activities: cooking a well-balanced breakfast, reading an actual print newspaper or book, exercising, cleaning up, taking up a craft, playing with one's pets, meeting friends, or going on a day trip to explore.
Image Description | Getty images of people doing the suggested activities and one of a person photographing a sunset on their smartphone (described by tags).
Image Tags | camera, female(s), hand(s), smartphone

Here’s A Clear Sign You Might Be Too Dependent On Your Phone

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Huffington Post
Date | 26.1.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, research/study, threat
Summary | American researchers have conducted studies confirming that "device dependability" is a real psychiatric illness that leads people to perceive phantom buzzes from their smartphones, i.e. to hear a notification when there is none. Most individuals affected show neurotic personality traits and/or feel anxious when separated from their smartphone. The condition is supposed to be included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychological Association and the researchers hope that this will raise awareness of the dangers of smartphone dependability or addiction.
Image Description | Getty image of five race and gender diverse young adults holding smartphones in front of an orange wall.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

Should You Spy on Your Kids?

Hyperlink

Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 9.11.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | childhood, privacy, research/study, threat
Summary | Many parents now monitor their children's online and social media activity, regulate their internet access (or even texting abilities) through the night and school hours using sophisticated technology, a few even observe the movements of their children or partners by tracking their devices. While tracking each other's devices in a relationship can be useful to avoid texting while driving, such technology can also be exploited and result in an emotionally abusive relationship. This is especially risky when the monitoring is not mutual like when parents 'stalk' their children, danah boys says. It is impossible for children to learn media competency when they are constantly under surveillance, they become less reluctant to share social media passwords with their peers and can otherwise remain naïve when it comes to online safety because they have been shielded from everything growing up.
Image Description | A series of minimalistic illustrations of a woman with a smartphone leaving a trail (dotted line).
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone

The five lessons I learned from breaking my smartphone

Hyperlink

Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 24.1.2017
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | brain, research/study, smartphone, technology-free
Summary | After dropping her smartphone in the sink, the author lives without one for six weeks and discovers that she sleeps better without a smartphone, enjoys being unavailable, few things need to be tended to urgently, that she spends less money, and her memory suffers from having a smartphone. Studies have also confirmed that it is detrimental to one's sleep pattern to sleep next to a smartphone because notifications release dopamin in the brain similarly to a nicotine or recreational drug addiction. She values the time she now has to just not be available for messages from work because we tend to respond to any and all messages as if they were urgent when really they are not. The author reports to spend less money because she can no longer do online shopping on the go without a smartphone. She has also realized how dependent on Google she has become. Neurological studies confirm that our brains are adapting to the constant accessibility of all information by remembering how to find it and googling again if necessary rather than remembering the little snippets of information.
Image Description | Getty image of a woman's hands holding a smartphone.
Image Tags | female(s), hand(s), smartphone

Facebook lurking makes you miserable, says study

Hyperlink

Newspaper | BBC News
Date | 22.12.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, Facebook, research/study, threat
Summary | Studies have shown that looking at other people's posts on Facebook can increase feelings of envy and be otherwise bad for one's mental health. Especially 'lurking' on Facebook, so not actually interacting with anyone on the platform but just looking at the content can be detrimental to one's emotional state and cause unrealistic standards which result in disappointment with one's own life.
Image Description | iStock image of a woman in a bar looking at her smartphone sadly/boredly.
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone

'Sexting' among kids a modern day courtship

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Times of India
Date | 11.12.2014
Language | English
Country | India
Topic Tags | research/study, sexting, youth
Summary | Teenagers all over the world seem to be sexting. Australian studies have shown that sexting does not appear to have an impact on sexual activity as the statistics have remained the same as twenty years ago when we did not have this technology. A mass of news reports exists on how teenagers were harmed by sexting but the majority of sexting teenagers fortunately do not experience these problems. Parents should teach their children to be respectful towards other (not share their texts) and not be too worried if their teenagers are sexting - it is a modern form of 'courtship'.
Image Description | Photograph of a student texting in a library.
Image Tags | male(s), school, smartphone

No, She’s Not Really Wearing That. The Sext You Just Got Is Probably a Lie.

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Slate
Date | 11.4.2014
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | research/study, sexting
Summary | A study about college students' sexting activity published in 'Computers in Human Behavior' shows that 45% of women lie while sexting, for instance when saying that they are wearing lingerie when really they are really doing something completely different, as opposed to only 24% of men. Because sexting can be completely ficticious, one can adopt a different sexual personality in sexting exchange that is nothing like one's actual sexual personality. The study also shows that a lot of disinterested sexting happens where people just go along with it even if they are not that into it because they are 'bored'.
Image Description | Getty photograph of a woman looking at her smartphone in public.
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone

Double Standards: Why sexting sucks

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Times Live
Date | 23.6.2014
Language | English
Country | South Africa
Topic Tags | gender, law, research/study, sexting, youth
Summary | A study by Julia Lippman and Scott Campbell where they interviewed teenagers about their attitudes towards sexting showed that a strong double standard exists between judging girls' versus boys' sexting activities. If girls sext, the are perceived as attention-seeking 'sluts' and if the do not engage in sexting, they are judged for being frigid. Boys are however pardoned for sexting because "boys will be boys". Minors sexting is further problematic because it is persecuted under child pornography laws.
Image Description | Photograph of a woman taking a selfie in lingerie.
Image Tags | female(s), selfie, smartphone

Les jeunes passent plus de temps sur le net

(Young people spend more time online)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | 20 minutes
Date | 9.11.2016
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | addiction, research/study, smartphone, social media, threat, youth
Summary | According to a study, young people spend an average of 2 hours and 30 minutes online during the week, and 3 hours and 40 minutes on the weekend. Also, young people cannot live without their smartphone. They don't usually use their phone to make phone calls or text; they rather use their phone for social media (e.g. Snapchat, Instagram). Even though young people spend a lot of time on their phone, they still meet with friends face-to-face. Smartphones do not replace physical relationships. Finally, families should have rules for new media use at home.
Image Description | Photograph of a group of teenagers (their faces are cut off from the picture); they are sitting next to each other using their phones.
Image Tags | smartphone

Los jóvenes se sienten incompletos sin internet y las redes sociales

(Young people feel incomplete without internet and social media)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | El Mundo
Date | 9.4.2014
Language | Spanish
Country | Spain
Topic Tags | addiction, research/study, smartphone, social media, threat, youth
Summary | A lot of young people wouldn't be able to live without new technologies (internet, social media, etc.). According to a study, they feel isolated and incomplete without them, and they wouldn't know how to socialize. Young people are aware of the advantages of internet and social media (e.g. possibility to have many relationships) as well as the risks of such new technologies (e.g. loss of privacy). They also know they can become dependent on their digital devices. However, they are not so worried; they think such disadvantages are normal and part of today's society. The survey also showed contradictory results; 74% of the respondents thought that social media facilitate new friendships, but about 72% of them thought that social media isolate people more.
Image Description | Video: interview of young people about their online practices, and two charts showing statistics about online practices.
Image Tags | chart, computer/laptop, female(s), male(s), smartphone

Page 3 of 5
Back | Next