Smartphone Loss Causing Anxiety? Time to Unplug

by Holly Shoemaker

Are we too attached to our smartphones? A survey conducted earlier this year seems to indicate we are, and many people have compulsive or overly emotional feeling when it comes to these devices.

Overview of Findings

Lookout engaged Harris Interactive to conduct a survey from May 8, 2012 to May 10, 2012. The survey polled 2,097 adults ages 18 and older. The results found that users have strong reactions to the thought of losing their smartphones.

• Seventy-three percent of respondents felt panicked when they misplaced their smartphone.
• Fourteen percent of respondents felt desperate.
• Seven percent felt sick.
• Six percent felt relieved.

In addition to feeling emotional responses regarding loss, smartphones sometimes contribute to bad manners.

• Sixty percent of respondents said they cannot go an hour without checking their phones. This habit is more prevalent among men ages 18-34. While I rely on mine, I do not feel the need to constantly look at it. I also feel relived at times when I purposely leave it in another room.
• Fifty-four percent of respondents said they check their phones while trying to sleep or in the middle of the night.
• Thirty percent of respondents admitting to checking their phones while having a meal with others.

Concluding Thoughts

Technology comes with a price. I know I find myself browsing my smartphone at nigh when I cannot sleep. However, I try to get productive use from that time. If I feel I cannot turn the phone off, I put it on airplane mode. I figure it is better than booting up my laptop. For those who find they spend too much time on their smartphones, or they just need some help to better manage and keep an offline schedule, an app like iUnplug may curb some of those habits, and anxious feelings.

iUnplug: The Application Designed to Help You Re-Engage with Life

by Holly Shoemaker

While this may sound counterintuitive, we sometimes need technology to realize we spend too much time plugged in. When we tune out our own needs to spend more time online, we increase our chances of developing unhealthy online habits. Now, there really is an application, iUnplug, that allows us to use the technology we need, but at healthy times, so we achieve a better life balance.

What is iUnplug?

iUnplug is affordable software that allows users to track and monitor the amount of time spent on websites and popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. You have the ability to monitor yourself, children and other users.

Not Ordinary Parental Control Software

• Unlike other parental control software, you decide when and how you block access to certain content and sites. For example, if you set aside time for family dinners, you block access during those times. You use iUnplug as an added measure to ensure you keep your online usage at healthy levels, while keeping family commitments.

• The product has a Facebook app that allows parents to monitor activities via customized keywords used in Facebook status updates. If your child uses one of the identified keywords, you receive an email.

Additional Uses

Besides using iUnplug to promote the importance of family time and to keep your children safe, iUnplug has many other uses. Those include:

• Businesses – Companies may use iUnplug to limit access to sites during specific work hours to ensure staff members remain focused. This is a good solution for companies who do not want to completely block Internet access.
• Classrooms – iUnplug allows teachers to block distracting sites while allowing access to educational ones during appropriate times.
• Individuals – If you need help to curb some of your online habits, iUnplug allows you to restrict your own usage. This helps us see it is OK to walk away from our computers or put our smartphones down.

Concluding Thoughts

Many of us know we spend too much time online. We also know Internet addiction exists and anything in excess may become destructive. Despite knowing these factors, changing our habits is not an easy task. iUnplug takes a unique approach and helps people achieve the balance they need. The product does not dismiss the importance of technology or social media sites. iUnplug helps people use sites appropriately and provides a way to ensure we keep our offline commitments. To learn more about iUnplug, please visit: https://www.iunplug.com/index.html.