Read Dark Side of Digital Connectivity: How Being Always Online Affects Our Lives
With reminders, the pinging, the vying messages always on, being “always on” is tedium, not joy. Not screen time—it’s what we’re losing when we’re never actually turning off. From relationship breakdown to relationships breaking down, the new norm of being able to be contacted round-the-clock is draining our life from us.
Blurred Boundaries Between Work & Personal Life
Technology obscures the line between “home life” and “office hours.” It’s employed today to call and send an email or text message rather than for business, emails, and social entertainment. The boss, the buddies, and our own personal internal nagging feeling that there would be something wrong kept us in a state of electronic callability more or less twenty-four/seven.
Mental and Emotional Fatigue
The brain needs rest. But if you’re always ready to reply, the mind never pauses. The result? Disturbed sleep, the creeping stress of catching up, difficulty concentrating, rising anxiety, and eventual burnout.
Regaining Balance
Set boundaries on the internet: Turn off work notifications outside of work and define “phone-free” zones.
Talk about boundaries: Set boundaries with others and establish the same in others.
Rest: Take blocks of screen-time-free.
Conclusion: The information age has given us more access and possibilities—but the delusion that we need to be available twenty-four-seven. To get peace of mind back, we need to rebalance: let technology work for us, not control us. Tuned in and boundaries set firmly in place, we can take back presence, build more livid relationships, and stay sane.
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