Your screen time in a week is an average of 11 hrs, 35 minutes per day. You sigh as you get your notification. Not only are you unashamed of your screen time, but you could defend yourself.
You weren’t mindlessly scrolling: you were either working, looking for a job, watching Netflix, or updating yourself with what was happening worldwide.
Like you, many people haven’t had a moment of pause from technology unless they are asleep. Studies show that excessive screen time and digital multitasking contribute to heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout. The fact that the internet is “always on” has somehow normalized the feeling of stress, anxiety, and burnout because you are always using the internet as a way of resting and overcoming burnout.
No matter how you think about it, you wonder if quality rest is feasible because you are not where you want to be yet. Being busy all the time equates to having something going on for you. You cannot rest when you haven’t reached a certain level of your life, so you think.
You don’t want to feel lazy even when you are. You don’t want to feel unproductive even when your brain doesn’t agree with you. So you binge-watch a series, or TikTok until you feel like it again because instead of sleeping or taking time off the screen, you believe that not doing anything is worse than not knowing what to do.
The success and evolution of social media is evident in the statistics. In 2005, research showed only 0.3 million social media users. Fast forward 19 years, and in 2024, there are over 5 billion social media users. It’s no wonder we feel compelled to participate; the fear of being left behind is powerful.
