Imagine losing the most important and convenient source of technology you have..your phone. It is one of the only technological tools you constantly have with you and the moment its gone is the moment you realize how much you use it.
Last week I broke my phone and got my replacement a week later. I noticed that I was constantly reaching for my phone to look information up, to play music, to text or call someone, or even to take a picture. It was like my universal tool for everything. This is an example of information overload, having all this information at a push of a button, but even though it is an overload of information for most, I think some know how to deal with it.
There is a lot that a phone can do for you and if you lack ways to handle it then you can be overloaded with all the information it can provide you with. For example, all of the apps and widgets available to you are not all necessary for your phone. The ones that will be used are the only ones that should be downloaded. Otherwise you have extra information that you can overload on.
Understanding how to use and limit the information available is important for staying away from information overload. All of the information that is in front of you does not have to be used. Only what interest you, everything else is a waste.
It sounds like during your week without a phone you learned that not all of these "apps and widgets" are necessary. I've been trying something similar recently. I removed the Facebook app from my cell phone and haven't missed it (and its distractions) one bit!
ReplyDeleteExactly! Ever since I got my new phone I have downloaded maybe half of the apps and widgets that I used to have and haven't felt the urge to download the other half of them.
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