I’ve
recently noticed that sometimes I catch myself on idle
scrolling through some social media, instead of doing something productive. I
hate it especially when I really have some other more important things to do.
Adam Alter talks about this kind of feeling in his speech and shows what’s the
reason behind it.
Questions:
- Do you use
any apps that you feel bad about?
- Do you agree with Adam Alter
and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more
time on some activities than the others?
- What are your stopping cues? Do
you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the
time you spend on your smartphone?
Comments
Yes, I do. There are a lot of such apps and it’s mostly social media apps. On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine modern life without such apps just because you need to somehow communicate with others. To my mind, I overuse most of these apps. I think the main idea of any messanger is to help people to communicate with each other not to spend couple of hours sending funny memes and discussing it. That’s why I think that the problem is not in the apps but in people who use it.
2. Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more time on some activities than the others?
Yes, I partly agree but I would say that people love to procrastinate and there is no better way than spend a couple more hours scrolling newsfeed instead of doing something useful(no matter what).
3. What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
Few months ago I removed most social media apps for 2 months and tried living without them. It was challenging at the beginning but then I adapted to it. When 2 months passed I installed these apps again and started using them even more. Lately I understood that deleting all the apps at once wasn’t the best idea and now I’m trying to slowly reduce the amount of daily time I spend on social media apps.
I think the only one I feel bad about is the Facebook application. For me, it was supposed to be only for communication purposes (with friends, colleagues etc.), but at now I'm also spending some time to check news feed and this starts to be a little bit worrying for me because I'm losing my time in which I can be more productive.
Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more time on some activities than the others?
I agree with Adam Alter and I have noticed that this infinite amount of information presented to us by most of the social networking applications are here because those companies responsible for production and maintenance of this apps earn on our presence in them.
What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
My stopping cue is pretty simple - stop using a smartphone when you don't need it. When there are people around which are up to talking with you - don't take out your phone.
I don't use any apps to manage the time I'm spending on a smartphone, I use my brain.
I agree in part with Adam Alter. I often get caught up in the fact that I do not know how much time I was doing, and then I'm surprised that time has passed. However, I also think that it is a matter of self-control and strong will.
I often set an alarm on my phone to indicate that a time unit has passed and I have to deal with something else. In total, maybe I should start using more advanced applications to limit the time I use the smartphone.
When we have no limit of scrolling or have access to unlimited number of movie series we’re getting into it and lose the sense of time. I don’t have any apps which tells me to take a brake. I try to do it on my own. I know that I’m not addicted and have no problem with addiction this kind.
In my opinion, every human being has the ability to manage his own time. Communication apps have become part of our social relationship with the world around us.
We do not spend time reading part time in our communication apps, but we spend a lot of time telling what others say about the rest of them. It's part of the expression of existence for humans, which for some people Like the Instagram stars or YouTube Stars, revenue-generating income can even increase their revenue for some, even scaling time in these applets.
No, I don't. If there was any app making me feel bad why would I use it? But the truth is that I have only 3 apps on my smartphone. Messenger, FaceBook and Spotify. First and second helps me stay in touch with my friends. That is a pleasant thing for 99% of time.
Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more time on some activities than the others?
Of course. In short period of time, yes. But on the other hand look at this. If you are watching Vikings on Netflix, you probably tried 5 hours non stop watching. Okay, a lot of time. Next time you will make breaks between episodes. Less time? No, the same amount, because you have still watched the whole 3 seasons anyway, the difference is that you have splited that time among a week, not weekend.
What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
No I do not. I don't have the feeling that I need to change something and myself. If I do something it is because I feel good about that so why would I change that?
Not. I do not use any programs to control the time spent on the phone, because I believe that the phone is a necessity in everyday life. I even wrote an article stating that every person is a cyborg due to the fact that it increases its memory and multiplies the possibilities thanks to the gadget. After this article, I will reconsider my opinion.
I think social media apps are the one where I spend the most of my time when it comes to using apps in general. Especially Messenger cause it allows people to communicate with others easily and it is not hard to spend all day chating.
2. Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more time on some activities than the others?
I think that there is some true in Adam Alter words. Nowadays people have access to everything straightaway for example when it comes to tv series or movie. People used to wait all week for the episode or specific movie, now they can watch whole series at once.
3. What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
No, i dont use any applications for that. Trying to manage time by myself
As some people before me - I'm not huge fan of "social" apps like instagram or snapchat. Both of apps mentioned by me are really harming fore some people. Instagram made beauty standards, especially for women, impossible to reach. Snapchat is something even worse. In my family there is a guy who is 14 years old and when he is showing what girls in his age are sending to him - this make me really sad about our society :(
>Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind >spending more time on some activities than the others?
Maybe there is something in it. When I stopped updating my facebook and deleted Instagram, now when I'm meeting with someone I can really talk about my life, cause this person won't know where I'm working, where I was on my vacations etc.
>What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time >on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
I do not use any of it. I'm just trying to use old fashioned stron will ;)
I don't have any specific stopping cue. I just understand when enough is enough and it's time to get serious.
I fully agree with Adam Alter about stopping cues because I experienced it myself many times. Browsing web pages with “unlimited” scroll option is really hard to stop, one move of the finger and you have next content. In my opinion, human brain have tendency to switch to “mindless” mode when we do something for too long, like watching tv, browsing internet etc.
For me best stopping cue is my watch. I have very limited time and because of that I have to pay attention to things like what time is it. If I have more free time and I don’t want to waste it all, I often watch anime. Episodes are normally 20 minutes long so there is stopping cue every 20 minutes.
It's hard for me to relate to this topic, but I agree in a certain part.
I don't use these applications, but I think this is a cool thing. Such an application can help many people. Time management in iOS is a new application and as I have seen it works even nicely.
Yes, more or less I agree with his statements, but still it's all very individual. Someone loves to procrastinate in above mentioned apps and it does not interfere with his/her daily schedule and affairs. I think, a lot of people generally lazy and well aware of the fact that they spent too much time in social media apps. Overall, in my opinion , it's more of a human factor.
I don't have exactly "stopping cues". I use sometimes built-in "Screen time" - simple and useful, but mostly I understand when it's time to stop.
Personally, I have a few rules I stick with. Firstly, I never use the phone during the meeting with my friends. I really hate it, when someone always sits on their phone, because it means that he or she is not interested in meeting, as a result, not interested in us, his or her's friends. Another rule is exactly the same as Mr. Alter. When you eat alone, quick meal or take away food, sometimes it's okay use your phone, but especially, when you having dinner with your family, it's almost a crime to use a phone at the table. I do not need to use any apps to help myself manage my time spent on my smartphone, I can deal with it by myself really well.
I totally agree with his opinion - people are generally not very good at resisting temptations as Adam Alter mentioned so we often need some kind of external factor which force us to stop doing one thing and move on to another. But nowadays social apps and VOD services consist of infinite stream of content so there is no arbitrary signal indicating people that they should stop consuming this content at some point. Fortunately, my daily schedule is often so busy that I really have to focus on those planned activities and I don’t have time for any additional things. I don’t use any apps for measuring the time I spend on using my smartphone but I am considering to give it a try in the near future.
Having this small marvelous screen in our pockets give us instant access the source of bad mood or even depression. While I'm scrolling some facebook or 9gag, I'm feeling fine, entertained. But just I close one of those apps, I'm thing what changed ? Did I become better person ? Did it give me some useful knowledge ? So, yes I feel a bit pity about that.
And yes, I agree with Adam Alter that people just don't realize the amount of time wasted scrolling endless newsfeed.
When it comes to some stopping cues, yes I'm trying to use some of them. For instance, you can set a timer in instagram, so after ten or twenty minutes it will notify you that you exceed your time limit. Also once I've read an article about the similar topic. There was one tip about how to decrease the amount of time spent on you smartphone. I'm not sure about other phones but in an iPhone there is a possibility to change your screen it black and white mode, so you won't be distracted red notification sign. I find it quite useful, but often forget to turn it back after I wonted to enjoy some colors.
I agree with Adam Alter that the lack of stopping cues contributes to spending more time on screens. His example of infinite scrolling feed was a perfect representation of that.
I haven’t used Screen Time to restrict access to manage my time spent on the device because it doesn’t allow me to block individual apps, only the categories. I have some apps that technically fall into „social networking” category I don’t want them blocked just because I scrolled through Instagram for too long. Once Screen Time allows me to set restrictions on a per-app basis, I’ll start using it.
Yes, I do. One of the best time killing app in my life is YouTube. *kick in gong sound*
2. Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more time on some activities than the others?
I agree to half with Adam. Why? Because, the stopping cues need for people who have a weak discipline. Unfortunately, now it is the majority, I'm on the list too.
3.What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
Basically, it's a Google Calendar :) and coming deadlines. I don't use any apps to manage my time.
I try using apps like facebook only to comunicate with friends and read posts on selected groups. I very like Youtube but sometimes I watch stupid videos instead of doing things which I'm going to do.
2. Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more time on some activities than the others?
Yes, I fully agree in this point. It's good comparison traditional TV to platforms like Netflix, hbo go and so on.
3. What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
No, I rely on my self-control. I think it's worth to practice it
Yes, I agree with Adam Alter on this point, because without a limited time, apps can draw us in for hours.
I haven’t stopping cues. I don’t use apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time I spend on my smartphone. When I have to do something, I just do it. When I have free time, I use the apps and surf the Internet.
Yes, I do use a lot of social media apps, and I'm trying to stop doing it. Nowadays it's very common to use them, and I hope that it will change in a few years - people could do something with their productivity.
Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more time on some activities than the others?
Yes, I do agree - sometimes we are just losing the "feeling of time" and we can't stop.
What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
I don't want to use it, because it may frighten me. I know that sometimes I'm spending too much time on apps like that, but I'm trying to fight with it
I totally agree that lack of the stopping cues is a reason. I'm not sure if it's the only one, but for sure a major one. It's also interesting how software changes with time. The way we start to think of the technology is more mature and we start to realise we must develop new habits and solutions to counteract the effect its having on us as a people.
In my opinion the point of all this is to realise and act, so engaging in a new application that keeps you sane isn't the best choice. Being aware is the goal. I'm willingly leaving my phone somewhere and forgetting about it. Once you get the hang of it, it's not so hard.
I partially agree, but I think we should be responsible for our lives, and that's our duty to evaluate our lives and make changes accordingly. You can make more stopping cues by enrolling to some clubs, after work activities or starting your business, but to do this first thing is to see that you have a problem with it.
My calendar. I book slots for everything. I know what needs to be done and how I have to manage my time to archive my goals. Because of this, I have many stopping cues which are messages from my friends or co-workers or questions or calendar notifications.
No, I don't.
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Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more time on some activities than the others?
I don't agree with him, it depends on the personality at the end of the story.
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What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
In a simple way, I use any apps if I need to use it and the opposite.
Unfortunately yes, I do. Most of them is social apps like instagram, facebook etc. I think that our generation is too addicted to such kind of things, and spend much more time than we spend with our friend and family.
Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more time on some activities than the others?
I think apps are designed to be addictive, because more time you spend on facebook = more ads you watch = profit for facebook. So facebook promoting interesting topics, photos, friends of friends, just to make your feed infinite.
What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
Yes I use this iOS feature, and it's really good reminder about how much time I spend in my phone.
No, I don't use any apps that I feel bad about.
2) Do you agree with Adam Alter and think that lack of stopping cues is the reason behind spending more time on some activities than the others?
I don't think so. I think that this is behave on us and we must control this by our self because if we want to watch for example youtube wi will do this instead of doing something more efficient for us.
3) What are your stopping cues? Do you use some apps or functionalities like Screen Time on iOS to manage the time you spend on your smartphone?
My stopping cue is time. If I want to do something I give small time period for game or youtube (for example I set timer for 15 min) and then just start do my main activity and this is helps me to control myself. I don't use any program to manage time that I have spend on my smartphone.
I think that anyone who abuses their phone in their free time, intended for him and his family, should put it away for an hour a day and try to enjoy the real life. I will try this way myself, I hope it will improve my mood.
I do not control my time on my smartphone and I should definitely. I waste a lot on it and I know it's 90 percent of my free time. It would be nice to change it.
I have tried to stop watching youtube for a week, two weeks. But then just watched all the episodes that I missed. The thing that helped me a lot was a blocking program that blocks access to the service if you use it for example 1 hour a day.