Narcissus and the Cell Phone
“How was school today, Alex?” Alex’s mother glanced at her son as she pulled groceries out of the plastic bags currently covering the kitchen counter. He’d helped carry them in and was now leaning against the wall with his cell phone in hand, thoroughly absorbed. LeeAnn sighed, pulled open the fridge to throw in some pre-mixed salads, and moved on to the next bunch of groceries.
Her own phone vibrated from the depths of her purse where she’d flung it by the front door and she hurried to scoop it up. It was a text from one of the other members of a board she’d just joined. LeeAnn had barely started tapping out her reply when a notification popped up that she had eight new emails. I’ll just read two. Just two and then I’ll finish putting these groceries away.
Twenty minutes later, the grocery bags still covered the counter. An ice cream carton had started to go soft. From the living room Alex laughed at something on the screen that only he could see.
Does that scene sound familiar to you? It might. Most of us are grappling with the addictive nature of technology that’s still new by historical measures. Like the story of Narcissus from Greek mythology, these tools suck us in and lead to less awareness of or interest in others. Research is currently being conducted on what is referred to as “smartphone dependence” and one study reports that 60% of 2,097 American smartphone users cannot go one hour without checking their smartphones, a condition now called nomophobia (Hussain, et al., 2017).
When you look at the effect cell phones can have on us, especially for developing young adults, the truth is staggering. Cell phone usage has been linked to a decrease in development of social skills, higher stress, more sleep disturbances, and depression (How smartphone addiction is affecting teens’ brains, 2019). It is especially likely to trigger what’s referred to as the “fear of missing out” or FOMO for short since social media allows a sort of constant peek behind the curtain at what everyone else is doing all the time.
A study conducted at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea proved that cell phones have the ability to create chemical imbalance in the brain. By using a form of technology called magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), they examined cell phone usage’s impact on biochemicals in teens’ brains, specifically one chemical called gamma aminobutyric acid. They saw up close how that chemical gets manipulated by cell phone use which leads to slower brain function and less ability to focus (How smartphone addiction is affecting teens’ brains, 2019).
Boundaries to control cell phone usage can and should include having a place to put your cell phone when it is not in use instead of keeping it on your body at all times, blocking out times where you don’t use your cell phone at all (like while eating, in class, or while driving), severely limit or remove notifications, and ask an adult to help enforce these boundaries until they become habit.
Like Narcissus, we’re constantly being tempted to fall in love with our own reflection. Unlike Narcissus, we can create boundaries that allow us to use the tool without falling prey to its traps.
References:
Hussain, Z., Griffiths, M. D., & Sheffield, D. (2017). An investigation into problematic smartphone use: The role of narcissism, anxiety, and personality factors. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 6(3), 378-386. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5700726/.
How smartphone addiction is affecting teens’ brains. (2019). ParentCo. Retrieved from https://www.parent.com/blogs/conversations/smartphone-addiction-affecting-teens-brains-not-good.
Challenges/Points:
In Greek mythology, Narcissus was tricked into falling in love with his own reflection in a pool of water to the point that he was unable to leave and died there.
Smartphones (and especially social media) are designed to draw our attention and keep it there.
It’s up to each of us to set the boundaries we need on technology in order to reap its benefits without letting it hurt us.
Questions:
Have you set any boundaries for yourself when it comes to using technology? This includes video gaming.
How much time a day do you think you spend on technology?
What effect do you think technology has on your relationships currently?
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