Digital detoxification: A pressing need for restoring balance in tech-driven life

Pages: 761-764
Subhendu Bhattacharya and Sona Raghuvanshi (Amity Global Business School, Mumbai, Maharashtra)

Modern life has been not unequivocally technology driven. Technological presence is in every sphere of life, be it in the classroom of management studies, learning a new recipe for exotic meal, searching location while caught in traffic, or product launch discussion in the board room meeting. Usage of technical gadgets has been rampant in the digitally connected world. People across all age group are using electronic gadgets and technical devices round the clock. Living in virtual world has become a new fascination. People find it as an easy escape route to be oblivious about daily grind. On the screen-time is rising across the world because the image or graphic on screen is more alluring than mundane objects of the world. Since the time person gets up with alarm clock on mobile, he gets busy entire day in sending texts, reading mails, downloading songs, capturing images and watching movies to stay entertained and finding real meaning in smart phone or tablet based activity. This habit is resonating across all geographies. Rather than meeting in person and having a conversation over a cup of coffee sitting across the table, people are connecting through social networking sites or messenger type application on mobile. Due to digital dominance in our daily lives, people are ignoring simple joy of regular activities. Tech-reliance is growing as it is amazingly useful for education, entertainment and exploration of ideas and information. At the same time, tech addiction can be detrimental if the viewers get obsessed with alluring sequences on screen all through the day. Indiscriminate use of TV, laptop, smart phone, tablet causes headache, eye irritation to major psychological disorders. Radiation from electronic gadgets might cause cancer also. So, digital detoxification is highly necessary for mental and physical well being of tech obsessed people. Old habits such as gardening, painting, and making visit to library can be useful to divert mind from electronic devices. If tech dependence is chronic, expert advice can be adhered to restore balance in human life.