Screen Break

I’ve been missing my Medium posts for the #100daysofwriting because I’ve been spending a lot of time at the computer.

With my new project, I spend more time looking at Google Calendar and reviewing documents online. I’m also attending more meetings, but those meetings are centered on web conferences — no escaping the screen then either.

It’s interesting that when I research screen time, concerns about children’s exposure rule the search results. Apparently, guidelines issued in 1999 recommended a maximum of two hours per day for children. I understand why such guidelines get issued, as a way of giving people simple rules to follow. But it’s not so much about following the rules as making smart choices. Choosing proper content, giving guidelines on when tech is appropriate and not, and knowing who your kids are interacting with. But, in this modern world of iPads, it sounds like they are revisiting the rules to represent reality. It’s going to be especially interesting to see how this generation of kids relates to each other through this technology.

Of the 18 hours that adults are probably awake, 11 are spent in front of a screen, according to Nielson. The article from GeekWire (quoting Statista) actually makes a joke that it might not be so bad because we are multi-tasking anyway:

“Considering that most people are awake 16 to 18 hours a day, 11 hours of electronic media usage seems like a lot, but, to be fair, much of that probably happens while doing other things at the same time,” states Statista, which reported on the Nielsen findings. “It’s a good thing people were given the ability to multitask; otherwise we wouldn’t get a whole lot done these days.”

While I see the logic, that multi-tasking is now including multiple screens now, called the second screen viewing. We’re watching TV or Netflix and working on a computer or playing on our phones. There’s so many screen and media options that we’re glued to these pixels no matter what we’re doing.

I wonder what the next evolution is of this. Those desktop metaphors on our computers used to relate to real objects and real workplaces. Entertainment has always had a love for technology (thanks radio and TV), but the next generation? Maybe it’s just bigger screens? GAH!

Call my old-fashioned, but when I get home from work after looking at a screen for hours, I’m just ready to do something different. I think that’s why I like knitting and pets (dogs and cats please!); it’s hard to pay any attention to them when you’re focused on a screen. It’s a clear break from switching between tabs and desktops. I wonder sometimes if that’s why I veered towards service design and teamwork, because it gives you a chance to get away from the screen with regular frequency. It’s not just whiteboards at the beginning, but even the end includes the physical world.

I’m still dedicated to this writing task; I’ve always drafted better on a screen and edited better on paper. It just might be a little crazy on here as I get back into the swing.