In recent years, fewer Americans feel that the internet has been a good thing for society. While the web provides us greater access to information and more ways to connect to one another, the reality is that social media tends to make us feel more alone.
Online streaming, news, and social media sites are designed to capture our attention and consume our free time. They leave us feeling lonely, pressed for time, and stressed.
But is technology good or bad?
Technology for Stress Management
We all experience stress from time to time but high stress levels over a long period can have serious consequences. It can cause headaches, fatigue, pain, and insomnia. Stress can make you more susceptible to illness, too.
Chronic stress can change your brain chemistry, making you more vigilant and reactive while decreasing your focus and memory.
Managing stress is essential to our well-being. Fortunately, there are a lot of things you can do to reduce stress. Some of them are becoming more accessible through online platforms and digital media. Yoga, meditation, and music have been proven to reduce stress and show other benefits as well.
Let’s discuss them one by one.
Yoga
Nearly everyone in the U.S. has heard of yoga and 1 in 3 Americans have tried it for themselves. With its growth in popularity in recent years, more and more people are practicing yoga at home rather than in a studio.
Home practices are supported by a plethora of YouTube videos and subscription streaming services that offer classes from the comfort of your living room.
Yoga has been proven to:
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Improve mood
- Increase self-esteem
- Strengthen memory
See Also: Yoga Helps You Love Yourself
Meditation
Just like yoga, meditation is becoming increasingly popular. 40% of American adults meditate at least once a week. It is often taught in schools as a way to improve self-regulation. However, there are also apps that offer guided meditation audio and they have been download more than 21 million times.
Meditation has been proven to:
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Lessen pain perception
- Strengthen memory
- Improve self-awareness
As practices that focus on relaxed and controlled breathing, meditation and yoga have also been proven to help reduce asthma symptoms with regular practice.
See Also: Benefits Of Meditation: How You Can Change Your Life In 10 Minutes
Music
Digital music services have grown to half of all global music revenues and host 112 million subscribers. While listening to music can definitely impact your mood, choosing the right music can help you to relax or even improve your focus while working on a difficult task.
Relaxing music can:
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Lessen pain perception
- Increase self-esteem
- Improve mood
Online Learning Technology
Lifelong learning has been shown to diminish feelings of anxiety and depression and to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms. With the growth of online platforms, learning is more accessible than ever. From YouTube tutorials to massive open online courses (MOOCs), anyone can connect to new learning opportunities without the prohibitive costs of traditional university coursework.
Advances in virtual reality will make online learning even more life-like. With VR headsets, infinity treadmills, and avatars that map and recreate facial expressions, virtual reality can create a 360-degree, 3-dimensional experience that is fully immersive. Rather than paying to travel the world and meet spiritual masters and great teachers, those hungry for knowledge can make a single purchase and gain access to countless classes and experiences.
The Attention Economy
With all this technology to help us lead healthier, happier lives, why are people still feeling stressed and anxious? How come we’re still asking the same question: Is technology good or bad?
These platforms compete for our attention because attention is the most valuable commodity on the internet. With our time divided between social media, streaming services, gaming, just browsing the web, we have little time left for health and self-improvement.
The attention economy motivates social media companies and online platforms to capture our attention. Every aspect of these platforms is designed to do just that: endless scrolling, getting “likes”, the sound of a notification. These features keep us coming back for more.
Gamification, putting game-like features into other activities, can help you focus your attention and combat the attention economy. Whether it’s climbing the leaderboards, participating in a challenge or trying to get a new high-score, gamification makes learning more fun. It promotes a growth-mindset and keeps you coming back to try again, practicing the same skills until you improve.
As a final answer, it’s really up to us. The way we use technology and how we allow it to control us will determine whether it’s good or bad for us.
Check out this infographic to learn more about the Attention Economy and what you can do about it.
Please include attribution to HighVibe.network with this graphic.
