ICM Blog Post 1 | Staying focused is hard as it is, smartphones make it even harder

In this day and age, one of the constants in life for many people throughout the world is their cell phone. For some, it is a safety net. Something to use to keep an eye on their children, or to communicate with friends.

However for some people, it can be a much bigger part of their life.

According to chapter one of Johann Hari's book "Stolen Focus," the average American's screentime on a smartphone is three hours and fifteen minutes. On top of this, Hari adds "we touch our phones 2,617 times every twenty-four hours."

These statistics tell readers that maybe even while doing it unknowingly or subconsciously, the average person will still be checking their phone way more often than they probably should throughout the day. This could take away from the overall life experience of a person as well. It makes sense if someone is on a train commute and using their phone a lot to pass time, but in other instances, our smartphones have programmed us to become dependent on what they can do for us.

Other interesting points that Hari made came in chapter two of his book. In it, he explains what it felt like to be without the use of his phone, email and other electronic devices.

Hari stated he instinctively "patted my pocket to make sure my phone was there."

He also explained that being without his phone "was like I had lost part of my own body."

These strong feelings towards a smartphone has shown how far out of touch some people are with reality and even nature. Setting your phone down with the intention of enjoying and living in the moment can often be much more fulfilling than dealing with various stressors that things like shopping, social media, etc. can cause smartphone users.