Stepping back from the screen scene

SO EVERY now and again, I feel a twitch in my eye and have to remind myself to start cutting down on my screen time.

In my case it’s rather difficult seeing as I spend my entire day glaring at my laptop screen just to get through my pile of work. On the plus side, however, is the fact that I cannot touch-type, so at least part of the time that I am slogging away at my desk, I am looking down at my keyboard.

And by the way, because I constantly have to look at the keyboard, I recently disabled the ‘autocorrect’ feature on my smartphone. I think it’s one of the best choices I have made in a long, long time.

You see, when I am not using structured spelling and grammar for work, I like to throw in the occasional slang terms, just to keep things light. However, with autocorrect being unforgiving, my friends would receive cryptic messages from me, from time to time.

Intending to say something silly like: “I nogal wanted to sommer buy some coffee because I darem lus for it, jinne” they would receive the message: “I Nogales wanted to simmer buy some coffee because I Daren Lu’s for it, Kinney!”

So if you want to improve your communication skills, here’s a tip: disable your device’s autocorrect feature!

Or, even better, just put the phone down and have a conversation!

For example, recently, my cousin dropped in for a visit. We sat outside on the stoep for a few hours just speaking, discussing issues, making lame jokes … you know, just chewing the fat; no phones, no TV, no distractions. And it was refreshing!

How refreshing? Well consider the alternative: I learned recently that worldwide, people spend an average of six hours and 40 minutes per day on screens. That’s the worldwide average.

However, in the United States, average screen time per day ranges around seven hours. Then, around 41% of American teenagers have a screen time of more than eight hours per day.

But if you think that’s bad, I also learned that South Africans spend on average nine hours 24 minutes on their screens each day. That’s two hours 44 minutes more than the global average!

Coming from a world that – for a while at least – existed before smart devices, and computer or television screens, I am finding that screen time is becoming more and more frustrating.

I admire the people – and it’s usually the older folk – who simply refused to download and use messenger apps, preferring a visit or a phone call. I cannot do that, unfortunately due to the nature of my job.

But I have eased off from participating in too many groups on my device. And just to retain my sanity, I have had to mute, block or ask contacts to ease off sending too many messages.

If you spend eight hours a day working on-screen, checking too many messages can be overwhelming. It also curtails one’s productivity.

Of course, I am sure many people would have loved to pop in to visit friends and family more often these days, and actually have face-to-face conversations over a fragrant beverage.

I remember when we could walk in off the street and straight into our friends’ bedrooms, where they’d be reading a comic book, listening to music, or immersed in some other unplugged activity.

But these days, the high walls, locked gates and repellent security systems will see people standing outside someone’s home, texting the occupants from the sidewalk.

Tragically, because we gaze and scroll, and scroll and gaze these days as our chief activity as a species, gone are the days when people would gaze at the stars, take in a sunset or lie on the lawn outside imagining shapes in the clouds … all that has been obliterated by a cold, unfeeling, virtual world. And we are reflecting that coldness towards others.

But, and I have to add this, sometimes a cellphone can come in handy.

I heard the story of an old man from Kimberley who was visiting some friends in Gauteng, which meant that he would be traversing the bustling freeways. He had been driving for over 40 years, so he wasn’t too intimidated at the prospect. However, at one point during his trip, his wife called his cellphone.

“Clifford,” she said, trying to remain calm, “I just heard on the news that there’s a car going the wrong way on the M1. Please be careful!”

“They’re wrong, Clifford replied. “It’s not just one car … It’s hundreds of them!”