There is not yet a piece of clarified evidence to the overutilization of digital devices. It is believed that people are always connected because they are phobic of missing things that might be occurring or happening online. They fear losing a connection with what those online are doing, and they feel uncomfortable when they are offline. People also stay connected because they fear nomophobia: they fear staying without their phones, the detachment from connectivity. The main complication associated with digital device use for other reasons apart from learning is that people think of it as discourtesy. It is said to be more necessary than teamwork skills, being professional and responsible. It is not advisable to check emails, texts, or even web siting when a class or a meeting is ongoing. More unsatisfactory performance is another complication of digital device use for another reason (Mavridi, 2018). When the mind is agitated, one may not learn new things or make new findings that might be helpful to them.
Students whose minds were agitated and active on social media platforms may have a low score during a quiz, unlike those keen to listen to the presentation. Students who do not use their phones during a lecture end up having detailed information, and their notes have more facts than the students whose minds were both in class and engaged in their phones. Focusing is a hidden essential to success that most people disregard. Concentration helps one perform their task excellently or in a better way than those who lose focus. One might be talented in doing a particular thing, but with the agitation of the mind or losing the center of interest, may perform poorly. Digital agitations or distractions may surely be handled or managed if; performing several jobs at the same time that is multitasking is avoided (Mavridi, 2018). When one starts over a different task from the one they were performing before, they may end up ruining the ongoing task.
Multitasking may reduce the rate of production drastically since one may be trying to accomplish different things at the same time. Multitasking shifts one’s attention and center of interest simply because moving from one task to another causes difficulties in eradicating agitations. Agitations of the mind may be the cause of an uncontrollable suppression of undesired thoughts, which may bring about unproductivity. Thus, the saying ‘one cannot serve two masters at a time’ is a necessity that will help one who is performing a task to be focused. Practicing self-activation techniques is another method of handling mental agitations or distractions. This may be done by learning to stand strong and focused on whatever one is doing at a particular time (Mavridi, 2018)—controlling one’s mind to saying a NO and standing by it whenever a distractor is roaming within their minds.
One may switch off their phones since when it is away from them, they may be distracted. They may also opt to put their phones on flight mode since they will avoid checking messages, surfing the internet, and many other media distractions. They may also switch off the notification button on their laptops to avoid any distractive information that might appear and alter their attentive minds. Deciding on being off from media for at least a whole day may also help one to be more productive with the events of that particular day. Some apps may also be installed in one’s gadget, which may educate one on the importance of focus and how one may remain focused on an activity (Mavridi, 2018). Generally, we all need to understand that a human being’s brain is not at any point comparable to a hard disk; thus, it may not be in a position to multitask.
Reference
Mavridi, S. (2018) Managing digital distractions in class and beyond [Recorded lecture]. LIPCF133_2021_503: Study Skills 3. De Montfort University.