CHENNAI: Battery low, no signal, phone missing – these situations in today’s era of smartphone-addiction are instant triggers of anxiety and panic attacks. This addiction, for some, is so severe that some cities even have de-addiction centres and camps to cure this new age disease.
But even as features like work emails, maps, app-based cab services and shopping have made switching off difficult, some people are trying to take a digital sabbatical to improve their memory power and get more time to read, besides improving their quality of life.
For some youngsters like Yashodara, a working professional, the change happened partly by chance, and mostly by choice. “I had been using an iPhone for five years, and had decided once it stops working, I will not use a smartphone. So when it did stop, I got an old Nokia phone, one my grandmother had. It does not have internet, I just use it to call people and occasionally send texts,” she says. Prior to this, Whatsapp, Facebook and games were a part of her from the time she woke up, while using the bathroom, right until falling asleep.
“Now suddenly, it is like a whole new world has opened up. I find time to read, my memory has improved. Earlier, I would use maps even when going to the same place multiple times. Now, I write down directions and navigate. It was hard, but I am not intimidated anymore,” she says.
And the other perks: she just needs to charge it once in four days, and needn’t worry even if it gets drenched when she is on a trek.
The social pressure and obligation to respond to messages was the tipping point for some. “It has been around eight months since I gave up my smartphone, and life is much better now,” says Deepak, another professional. “I was tired of giving likes and responding to messages that people expect. Now, I just call people and answer calls. I also deactivated my account on Twitter, and I occasionally use Facebook Messenger from my laptop for free messaging,” he says.
There are many advantages like getting to talk to people more, easily fitting it into your pocket, and not worrying even if you lose your phone.
While some are giving up their phone entirely, some try techniques like temporarily or permanently removing apps, and trying to moderate their usage, which is often harder than cutting off entirely. As ironic as it is, there are apps to overcome smartphone addiction, by tracking the hours of usage and giving warning signs.
An answer to a similar question on Quora forum revealed: “I thought of downgrading my phone but decided I could gain more control by ensuring I use my phone in a healthy way. I started off with an app called RealizeD. I started using my phone less after I realised (and was shocked) that I was using my phone for four hours a day,” said the post.
Some people are also exploring partial techniques like avoiding cellphones during trips, deleting social media apps, or keeping the internet switched off.
Disconnect Yourself
BreakFree (Android)
Addiction scores are divided into three zones. A red zone is a no-no and the app advises fewer unlocks to keep your score low
OffTime (Android, iOS)
A digital detox app to enable distraction-free work, where you can customise your access to apps, create profiles that block calls and messages and limit your phone usage
Flipd (Android)
This app is one for the weak hearted- once you lock your phone for a set period, there is no going back, not even restarting the phone. You can make emergency calls and receive calls, and set auto generated SMS responses