Our life is very much influenced by smartphones with the huge functionality, use and accessibility of smartphones which are just few clicks away. Smartphones are now so frightening that even recently Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and civil societies are advising to stay away from them to avoid addiction to smartphones.
With the unprecedented access to various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google and Instagram for information globally, we are giving a buffet lunch for hackers and stalkers by making ourselves vulnerable to hackers at anytime and anywhere as they wanted.
The most important things that can make you smarter than smartphones are: (a) don’t let smartphones interrupt you; (b) don’t let smartphones distract you; (c) don’t let smartphones invade your privacy; (d) don’t let smartphones ruin your sleep, and (d) don’t let smartphones spoil your morning. The smartphone is an amazing human invention, but you must ensure it serves us rather than let it rule our lives.
Latest Internet Smartphone Usage Statistics:
India has a population of 1.40 billion people, of which 79% (1.10 billion) use mobile phones, 45% (624 million) use the internet, and 32% (448 million) use social media, with an average internet session lasting 6 hours and 26 minutes. Out of 1.10 billion internet users in India, 96.7% watch online videos, 82% watch live streaming, 52% listen to FM radio stations, and 50% listen to podcasts. It’s important to note that 86% of the consumption happens on smartphones.
Manage Your Smartphone Better:
* Check how you Smartphone applications access your data – https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/
* Fact-checking an image (Reverse image check) – https://images.google.com
* Un-shorten short web links – https://www.unshorten.it
* Check if the website is doing phishing activity – https://isitphishing.org/
* Allowing subscribers to telecom confirm their registered numbers and remove numbers that were registered without their knowledge. https://tafcop.dgtelecom.gov.in
* Allowing subscribers to identify the sender of bulk SMS. https://smsheader.trai.gov.in/
* Platform for determining whether the video was genuine or a deepfake. https://platform.sensity.ai/deepfake-detection
Few Signs, That Tell You That You Might Need to Digital Break:
* Often feeling anxious or stressed out if you cannot find your smartphone
* Often feel compelled to check your smartphone every few minutes
* Often feel depressed, anxious, or restless after spending time on social media
* Often preoccupied posting, comments, re-sharing, liking, and expecting others to also do the same for your posts
* Often you find yourself staying up late or getting up early to play/stay on social media on your smartphone
* You experience trouble concentrating, without having to check your smartphone
* You check your smartphone for every notification that comes to you.
Tips To Take A Digital Break:
* Disable Notification on your Smartphone, It keeps you informed of what you are supposed to be informed, It makes you do what you don’t want to do, and It makes you feel what you don’t want to feel.
* Make your bedroom a smartphone-free zone.
* Charge your electronic devices outside the bedroom.
* Access social media from your computer instead of your Smartphone and it’s recommended you set a Social Media schedule.
* Keep only important tools on your home screen.
* Keep your phone away during meals with friends and families, it’s the only time for you to connect, converse and collaborate with your family members.
* Create a device-free meeting zones in your workplace. i.e., No phones, and tablets, and engage in social conversations with one another during meetings.
* Use Grey Scale mode on your Smartphone, it avoids you to use Smartphone longer times
* Have more green time (Playing physical games) than screen time (Playing online games)
* Track your usage using the “Screen Time” App on iOS Smartphones.
* Track your usage using the “Digital Wellbeing” App on Android Smartphones.
* Make Use of Productivity Apps, that are available on App-store and Play-store.
Stay tuned to the Cyber Gyan Column contributed by Anil Rachamalla from the End Now Foundation. https://www.endnowfoundation.org
-Anil Rachamalla
