Disconnect Anxiety
”27 percent of the population suffers increased levels of anxiety when separated from their cell phones or the Internet, and that a further 41 percent suffer occasional anxiety due to communications blackout.”
Here is a questionairre to help you find out if you might suffer from this malady:
Strongly or somewhat agree with the statement “My cell phone goes everywhere I go?”
Use your wireless device “frequently” at home instead of your home phone?
Strongly or somewhat agree with the statement “When I leave home without my cell phone, I feel cut off”?
Spend four hours or more using the Internet—work or personal—per day on average?
Used IM (instant messenger) in the last week?
Have a Facebook profile that you visit at least once a day?
Strongly agree with the statement “The world is not as safe as it used to be”?
Used a laptop in your living room or bedroom in the last week?
Text-messaged on a regular cell or sent email using a BlackBerry, Treo or similar in the evenings or the weekend in the last week?
A positive answer to the first eight is worth one point, and the last question is worth two points. An overall score of seven or more suggests “you are a candidate to feel elevated levels of anxiety if disconnected even for a short period of time.”
Via peterwknox and diniscans, originally from Ars Technica
Dammit, I’m guilty of the lot. Every single one, except for the “world is not as safe” bit. I’m firmly of the opinion that in years past the world was just as unsafe, but in the modern day we have coverage of every single event that happens anywhere in the world.
The public has shown that it buys newspapers and watches TV more when there’s some kind of drama or horrific event, so these are the kind of stories that get pushed more than any other on the publishing side of things. This then feeds the increasing belief that “the world is not as safe”, which in turn drives the demand for supporting material. It’s a vicious circle.
On the subject of the post, I don’t feel myself as having anxiety when I’m disconnected. It’s just that I prefer to be connected as much as possible. I genuinely enjoy having all of the world’s information at my fingertips, 24/7.
But when I’m on holiday, I go old school. I don’t take a laptop, don’t take the work Blackberry, and only switch my own mobile on to make a call or send a message that just can’t wait. I fully unplug from the world, even to the extent of not buying a newspaper.
Holidays are me-time, and I make full use of them. My plans for the end of April involve sitting on a beach with a bag full of books, oblivious to everything that’s happening around me. Heaven.
Reblogged from: peterwknox
Originally posted on: Oh Hai!
