I live in an urban environment where noise and threats are a constant input. But I have long avoided smartphone use because it was clear to me from simple observation that the insistent presence of signal input from non-local and ‘alienated’ time stimuli were severely disrupting people’s attentional focus, mood, nervous systems and personal relationships.
Smartphones divide us aware from stimuli that are ‘present space relevant’, inventing ‘a second world’ whose pace and signals are intrusive and disruptive to the nervous system, as well as affecting heart rate, blood pressure, mood, and well-being. Although many people have become ‘accustomed’ to this, it has significantly deleterious effects on their bodies and minds, and these effects self-amplify over time.
It is unwise to bind our minds and bodies to the signals from machines that interrupt and redirect our attention, as well as intruding directly on the somatic temporality of our bodies. The take-away here is that we want signals from natural sources… the sun and moon, living places and animals, and people who are actually standing near us. When these are exchanged for ‘urgent’ demands for attention from machines, our minds and bodies are apt to respond with stress, confusion, and other damaging effects.
I would also mention that the effects of disruption and mechanical intrusion can be profoundly magnified in HSPs (highly sensitive persons).
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