Tyranny of the Screen: When Digital Devices Rob Us of a Fulfilling Life

July 2022. I opened my Instagram app and began typing. It had been exactly 365 days since my last post on any social media platform. A year prior, my mental health and focus were in such poor condition that I discontinued using all of my social media accounts.

But that wasn’t enough, so to take things a step further, I also unplugged my TV and put it away in a closet. Then I moved a bookshelf to fill in the space where my TV once sat. What led me to take these measures was the growing frustration of feeling like I was living my life through screens; through artificial realities that produce short-lived gratification without the lived experiences to back it up. Essentially I felt like I was being robbed of my very existence, and marching toward a slow death in which I will eventually look back on my life and regret not being more present and attuned to the real, physical environment that shapes my lived experience.

This break from television and social media turned out to be the beginning of one of the most productive times in my life. Over the next year I would accomplish so much that I felt like I practically became a new person who has learned how to navigate life with more clarity and intention, as well as being an all-around more well-rounded person.

In recent months, however I’ve noticed myself slipping backwards into habits of heavy phone use, television watching, and experiencing way too much of my life through a screen.

Perhaps you can relate.

Tyranny of the Screen

I was inspired to write this article while waiting for the northbound Union Pacific train out of Chicago during my morning commute. The morning was beautiful with blue skies, a slight crispness in the air, and not a cloud in sight. The ambient noise of the city could be heard in the background, and it was clear that on this morning, the city was full of life. Yet, as I stood there at the train station and looked around, I noticed about 90% of the people there with their heads down, glued to their phones, paying no attention to this marvelous thing that we call life, which is happening all around them.

Then I turned that criticism inward and questioned my own habits as of late. I, just like the people at the train station, have also been glued to my phone; knowingly missing out on much of what life has to offer.

Since I previously experienced a digital detox, I understand how rich life can be when we take more time away from staring into the colorful displays that we perceive as reality but are nothing more than a complex array of pixels, lights, and electrical circuits. And the reality is that on the other side of every screen is a tech company, a media company, an advertiser, or an influencer who stands to benefit by robbing us of our attention. While I get plenty of instant gratification from my phone, television, and the sort, in the bigger picture I notice that I experience a general deterioration in my overall well-being as my screen time goes up.

Each day, the average American spends roughly 6 hrs staring at their work computer screens, another 3 hrs looking at their phones, and an additional 2 hrs watching TV. These may be very rough numbers and I’m sure it varies from person to person by a lot, but the fact that we are measuring screen time in hours rather than minutes means that most of us are spending a significant portion of our lives looking at artificially generated visuals, but receiving the same stimulation as if it were happening in real life right before our eyes.

Whether it’s video conferences at work, social media posts of our friends living their best lives, or binge watching that latest show on Netflix that we just can’t resist, in a way, we’re living in a simulation because more and more of our experiences are derived from digital inputs rather than real-life lived experiences.

Effects of the Screen-Dependent Life

This new reality that we live in is not without consequences. As I talked about in my “Savage Manifesto,” the modern technology-driven lifestyles that we currently live have created misalignments with our evolved biology and psychology (also known as evolutionary mismatches), and these misalignments have become the prevailing source of ailments in modern times.

Unfortunately the artificial stimuli of digital screens has real world effects including but not limited to:

Cognitive decline – An overload of sensory outputs from screens drains us of the energy needed to maintain optimal function of the frontal cortex which is a region in the brain that contributes to higher order brain functioning like impulse regulation and critical-thinking.

Mood disorders – It is well-documented that social media, in particular, not only is the source of endemic levels of anxiety and depression, but also is a likely cause of distorted senses of reality that makes us adopt more anti-social behaviors. While politicians in the US debate gun control or more access to therapy, I don’t hear much about the need to alter our modern environment of endless digital consumption and the blurring of real and artificial realities which leads many of us down a spiral of causing harm to ourselves or to others.

Lower Quality Sleep – The blue light emitted by digital screens mimics sunlight, confusing our internal clocks and suppressing the production of melatonin in the evening hours. Disruptions in melatonin production impacts our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.

Near Sightedness – Cases of myopia are accelerating at an alarming rate, and much of this decline in vision is attributed to our propensity to spend hours staring at screens. By spending so much time looking at something that is close to our eyes, we create an imbalance in our eye muscles and over time we permanently distort the shape our eyes to favor focusing only on objects that are closer to us. While eye doctors provide us with lenses and surgeries to correct our vision, how often do they tell us to simply spend less time staring at computers, phones, or TVs, and spend more time outdoors to prevent the deterioration of our vision in the first place?

In addition to the psychological and biological impacts, screen time also changes our behaviors and causes us to alter our lifestyles.

Obesity – As screen time goes up, physical activity decreases. In most cases, it is generally more difficult to engage in physical activity while also glued to a screen. Despite hours of screen time spent each day, a sizeable portion of the US population claims to have no time for exercise or cooking healthier home cooked meals. Could it be that cutting down time spent staring at screens opens up more opportunities to be more active, and prepare higher quality meals?

Loneliness – Between binge watching TV series, engaging with people on social media, and texting, we develop relationships with caricatures of people based on digital engagement rather than coming to know the true essence of a person through two-way real time communication. These virtual engagements displace real-world interactions which not only leads to lower social IQ, but also further disconnects us from other people despite a higher frequency of interaction. The new culture of engaging the masses and friends alike primarily through our screens reduces the quality of our interactions, and in many cases creates a feeling of loneliness despite never actually being alone.

Idleness – Whether it’s watching Hollywood films of heroes taking risks to save the world, or seeing people on social media travel the world, seeing these things play out in virtual reality through our screens provides similar gratification as actually living the scenario out in real life. When we consume this type of digital content, we receive boosts of dopamine which encourages us to continue staring at our screens for more gratification, leading us to eventually slip into an existence in which we seek out less gratification from real-world accomplishments. We effectively become less motivated to get up and do stuff.

These are just a few of the many effects of our growing consumption of screen time.

Embrace the Downtime

At what point do we draw the line? How much of our existence should we devote to the virtual reality of digital media consumption, and how much should we devote to actual lived real-world experiences? These are questions you’ll have to answer on your own.

What I can say is that in almost any conceivable scenario, we benefit greatly from stepping away from filling our empty time by staring at screens, and instead embracing the downtime for what it is.

I understand. The world has changed, and screen-based technology does provide us with plenty of benefits. Most notably, screens save us from the dreaded perils of boredom. Going back to my experience at the train station, most people there were likely filling the time with entertainment.

But what if boredom is a good thing? Boredom is a form of discomfort that, in the right amounts, benefits us greatly. It gives us the time and mental space to explore thoughts, ideas, and solutions to life challenges. It provides us with the backdrop of introspection, as well as a space for meditation. It facilitates creativity in a way that could not happen with a mind that is always engaged with a phone, or television, or computer screen.

Sometimes we should consider stepping away from our screens and taking some time to observe the world around us as well as our place in it.

What are people doing? If you live in a big city, then what are the rats doing? What smells do you notice? How does the air feel? How does the sun feel? Can you hear the birds or other animals? Or is there an ambient sound of cars and traffic? How are you feeling in the moment, energized, tired, depressed, excited?

Create Space for more Fruitful Pursuits

Many of you may have heard of “minimalism” which is basically a concept centered around decluttering your life; getting rid of things that you don’t need to make space for the things that are more important. Though, minimalism extends far beyond physical objects. Another form of minimalism known as “digital minimalism”, coined by Cal Newport, focuses on eliminating digital distractions that take away from the more important aspects of life.

Reducing screen time is a form of digital minimalism. By reducing screen time, we create more space for healthier additions into our lives. More “space” comes in many forms; through more time, more mental capacity, more emotional capacity, more sleep, more creativity, more high-quality relationships, more ambition to accomplish things that will bring us true and lasting gratification.

In my personal experience, the year-long period of less need to be on my phone due to my social media hiatus, along with having no television, I accomplished more than I probably would have in 5 years under normal circumstances.

A few of my notable accomplishments during this period:

• Expanded my real estate portfolio, quadrupling revenue

• Started a YouTube channel which quickly became monetized

• Traveled more and spent more quality time with friends and family

• Began learning a new language

• I leveled up my calisthenics skills

• Homed in on my diet and fitness

Most importantly, during this time I had a lot of time and space to think about how to I can live a more fulfilling life, create value and positive impact on others, and become mentally and physically stronger.

In other words I had more control over my life when I was not held captive by the LED displays in my home and in my pocket.

After realizing how far I have slipped back into this sort of digital captivity, I am trying to get back to the fruitful life that I experienced when I no longer had the impulse to pick up my phone and check my social media. There are plenty of steps I can take, but I’m beginning with the following:

• Only using ONE social media platform (Instagram) along with its built-in silent mode features.

• Keeping the app off of my phone, and downloading it one day a week to make posts.

• Designating my bedroom as a “technology-free zone”

• Keeping my phone in a different room than whichever room I am currently in

• Calling friends or meeting in person rather than endlessly texting

• Blocking off specific times throughout the day to check email, messages, and watch TV

• Make an effort to be fully present and observe the sights, smells, feels, and sounds of my environment when I have idle time (i.e. waiting on my morning train)

This is obviously not an exhaustive list of measures that I can take, but it’s a start. And sometimes, to build good habits, and create lasting impact, we have to focus on the small and insignificant victories that are achievable in day-to-day life.