At Present
The Digital Age is the present time. Does anyone know what their real feelings are? Or is everyone just going with the trend of getting sad over corporate affairs or life itself? Do people know what they are feeling and not what is getting fed to them by the internet? Earlier before the digital era people did not use any phones and they were very connected to themselves. People had time to reflect and introspect over their actions, but now everything has altered their behaviour, attitude, habits, lifestyle, sleep cycle, etc. Now behavioural design is the only key that can alter this perception that from now onwards people cannot live without the internet or they are not able to understand their feelings and are not able to prioritise or overcome procrastination, etc. The need of the hour is to clean the market and let only ethical services or products to sustain that are honestly believed by the designers.
The Black Market
“The blurred image around your phone is called life”. Escaping from real life will not make anyone a good runner, but a coward who tries to hide when life is going on and teaches lessons. Addiction is harmful even if it is of gadgets. It is the responsibility of designers and developers to not play with people’s behaviour and habits while designing. A responsible design can only save society from going into the vicious cycle of technology. There are pros and cons to everything, but when the cons are more and affecting daily lives, it is alarming. Phone addiction is similar to the addiction to smoking or gambling. Why is the addiction to screens or smartphones so addictive? Phone manufacturers or app designers are motivated financially to design such applications or platforms that are more engaging.
People in developing countries like India are facing a lot of problems as when they get bored they use their phones and then after some time, their control is in the hands of the phone. Reducing screen time helps to improve the sleep cycle, depression, anxiety, fear, suicidal tendencies, etc. Due to over-usage of phones and platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, etc., youngsters start comparing their lives with others and get demotivated, depressed, or suicidal. Because the content in itself is so captivating that anybody gets attracted towards who is young and has not seen enough of life. Some applications also have settings to control your screen time and it sends notifications when. How much of the population knows about it? Only the younger one who is overruling the option to be considered. The reason is that controlling their emotions and expressions is not what they want. Whereas there is nothing concrete or real that is achieved after watching all those reels or videos. It’s only consuming the current time of an individual. Is it deviating a person from their routine tasks? Electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, iPads, etc. are designed to be addictive and hard to put down. Former Google design ethicist – Tristan Harris states that features like “Pull to Refresh” were inspired by slot machines and other casino games. So consciously, designers and engineers have joined hands to make something that makes a user crazy.
Chronic phone usage can result in GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) dysfunction and a loss of grey matter in the brain which are related to control-losing disorders. Phone usage can increase or decrease GABA production. It controls fear and anxiety and is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that produces a calming effect. On the other hand, a decrease in grey matter in the brain is responsible for enabling individuals to control movement, memory, and emotions. According to the researchers, the brain’s physical shape and size of excessive phone users resemble that of drug users. Technology is very resourceful and is one click away. Now imagine if is it free or the price is very expensive. It’s consuming our time, soul, personality, and even ourselves. It is a wake-up call for everyone as it is a trap that is generating money by making others blind.
Innocence Over Interest
Designers, engineers, developers, manufacturers, investors, businessmen, etc. have to understand that money should be a by-product of delivering any service. Making money at the expense of youngsters, children, elderly, etc. will never flourish. There are some good examples also where applications are designed to help people to develop habits by behaviour change. This needs consciousness and motivation from the user’s side to cater to the problem. For example, the Fabulous application helps people to develop new habits. It tells you to put sticky notes on your mirror, cabinet doors, etc. so that you remember what to do and what not. Then the application does not send notifications any longer as they are physically present in your surroundings. Another example could be the Quit Now application that helps people to quit smoking. It has goals that show how much money is saved, how much time is saved, how many cigarettes are avoided, and how healthy you are now.
People should tend to foresee the bigger picture. Nothing comes free and there is nothing that cannot be fought back. A strong will and determination to control emotions and make healthy habits are the key to a successful life.
