Let's discuss how glowing screens affect our lives

[vivalarevolución]

When I speak of glowing screens, I mean devices like computers, TVs, phones, tablets, etc., and the things that we do on these screens.  These are essential parts of all our lives these days, and they certainly have effects on other parts of our lives, such as our relationships, work, and ability to focus and concentrate.  I'm wondering if others here ever consider how much these technologies affect our lives, for better or worse.

I don't own a TV and stopped playing video games years ago, but that doesn't spare me from the distractions of my computer and phone at work and home, and whatever other shiny objects come my way.  Sometimes it's difficult to pull myself away from it when I have all this entertainment at my fingertips.  The "everything right here right now" type of availability is somewhat detrimental to actually experiencing life outside of home, with other people.

Of course, there are countless other effects from the technology we use today, both positive and negative.  I'm wondering if/how others reflect on how these devices affect us.

[SpAmRaY]

I stare at a computer screen for at least 9-11hrs a day at work then a few more hours a night at home, not counting untold hours looking at my phone. I can say I don't watch much TV though.

I only see the kids a few hours a day so I try and stay off the computer when I'm home and they are awake and keep my phone use to a minimum.

Smartphones have been both a blessing and a curse really, it makes some things extremely easy and at the same time it can be hard to just put them down for a while.

[Altis]

I've been saying for years that the way that software and websites have tended to be dark text on bright white backgrounds is probably not good for our eyes.

I don't know why this is. Staring into a white, backlit screen and trying to make out thin dark shapes (letters) in it is far more stressful on your eyes and mind than having a dark backdrop.

I hear about people using f.lux and such to reduce the color temperature to a yellowish off-white, but why not just make it a black background?

I see it all the time in dark areas or at night, peoples face completely lit up from their screens. Apple doesn't even have a dark theme...

I think we'll see a generation of people with eye and/or sleep problems, as well as finger/hand/wrist and posture issues.

I can't be the only one who thinks dark webpages / software themes should be an option... am I?

[tp4tissue]

I've been saying for years that the way that software and websites have tended to be dark text on bright white backgrounds is probably not good for our eyes.

I don't know why this is. Staring into a white, backlit screen and trying to make out thin dark shapes (letters) in it is far more stressful on your eyes and mind than having a dark backdrop.

I hear about people using f.lux and such to reduce the color temperature to a yellowish off-white, but why not just make it a black background?

I see it all the time in dark areas or at night, peoples face completely lit up from their screens. Apple doesn't even have a dark theme...

I think we'll see a generation of people with eye and/or sleep problems, as well as finger/hand/wrist and posture issues.

I can't be the only one who thinks dark webpages / software themes should be an option... am I?

NONONONONO....

f.lux is stupid... 

Just do it all in windowz like Tp4

View this image full screen,  and compare it to your current screen with the bright white..


Feeel the comfort of grey on black...

[Findecanor]

Years ago, even before the iPhone, I saved a texting woman from being run-over by a train -- she was too absorbed in her phone to notice that she was walking past the bars right out onto the tracks of a railroad crossing.
I promised myself then that I would never become like that. I both pity and despise people who walk with their noses in their phones. They have become so annoying - standing in the way on public transport, blocking aisles in stores, etc.

I prefer to watch series and movies on the large TV in my living room - because it is quiet and comfy.
Yes, movies too, mostly because of the people who can't behave at movie theatres - cell phone screens is just a part of that. Theatres are great when/if you can go with the right people though.
Computer screen is not comfy enough for series. I also have a rule against eating in front of the computer, that I don't have for the TV.

I think that the low colour temperature of screens at night problem could be compensated by lighting your home with bulbs with high colour temperature. I can only find "warm white" flourescend/LED bulbs in stores these days.

[xtrafrood]

I want OLED technology to mature so I can read my romance action hero novels on my phone while I have my morning sit.

[tp4tissue]

I want OLED technology to mature so I can read my romance action hero novels on my phone while I have my morning sit.

what?  why do you want to hold up a fone..

I just read my books on the 60" TV from the couch.

[GenKaan]

Its strange. I dont look at my phone when Im with people, because Id rather put all my focus on what they are doing/saying rather than some bull**** I dont really care about, or could care about later when Im not with them. My fiance has a clear addiction and spends so much time with her phone its kinda scary

Spoke with her about it and explain to her that when she pulls out her phone or looks at her tablet when Im speaking with her, that is a major insult to me. Because to me that signals that what ever is on the device is more interesting than what I have to say. She didnt see it that way and her only reason was the fact that everyone of her friends does that to her. Its normal and Im the odd one, the one who does not want to compete for peoples attention with a ****ing phone. Slowly she has come to agree with me (thank you lord), but still isnt offended enough to say anything to her friends. When I do people act shocked, like they never even considered the fact that they are taking attention away from being social.

Ive said for a long time that social media and stuff like 9gag/instagram makes you a passive observer. Nothing wrong with that but when that becomes your main hobby, the thing you spend MOST of your free time doing its a serious issue. Im sure that is going to become the next smoking, the thing that damages the next generation. The end result would be lack of concentration or focus, because its so easy and take so little effort to entertain yourself. At least to a point were you arent bored out of your mind. All you get is a instant fix, one click, see one image, get an emotion, hold it for 0.01sec, release it, and never look back or remember it again. Then you get the next image instantly and you repeat for hours and hours. I believe this numbs your brain and being a passive observer for too long will make doing anything but being passive a task that demands too much effort. To a point that making a comment on someones post is the same social interaction and any long term goals gets too far away, making any task that demands too much focused concentration unattainable in the end. The end of learning anything hard or time consuming

Was at a party with one of my friends who I caught scrolling 9gag, so I took his phone out of his hand (its super easy, people who scroll dont really hold on to their phone and have NO ****ING CLUE what is going on around them) and said he would get it back when I left. He felt ashamed and didnt really complain, but he couldnt stop thinking about his phone. Was like having a ****ing puppy stalking you because you smelled like bacon... AND HE IS A GROWN ****ING MAN!

/end rant

[xtrafrood]

I want OLED technology to mature so I can read my romance action hero novels on my phone while I have my morning sit.

what?  why do you want to hold up a fone..

I just read my books on the 60" TV from the couch.

that font size tho

[tp4tissue]

Its strange. I dont look at my phone when Im with people, because Id rather put all my focus on what they are doing/saying rather than some bull**** I dont really care about, or could care about later when Im not with them. My fiance has a clear addiction and spends so much time with her phone its kinda scary

Spoke with her about it and explain to her that when she pulls out her phone or looks at her tablet when Im speaking with her, that is a major insult to me. Because to me that signals that what ever is on the device is more interesting than what I have to say. She didnt see it that way and her only reason was the fact that everyone of her friends does that to her. Its normal and Im the odd one, the one who does not want to compete for peoples attention with a ****ing phone. Slowly she has come to agree with me (thank you lord), but still isnt offended enough to say anything to her friends. When I do people act shocked, like they never even considered the fact that they are taking attention away from being social.

Ive said for a long time that social media and stuff like 9gag/instagram makes you a passive observer. Nothing wrong with that but when that becomes your main hobby, the thing you spend MOST of your free time doing its a serious issue. Im sure that is going to become the next smoking, the thing that damages the next generation. The end result would be lack of concentration or focus, because its so easy and take so little effort to entertain yourself. At least to a point were you arent bored out of your mind. All you get is a instant fix, one click, see one image, get an emotion, hold it for 0.01sec, release it, and never look back or remember it again. Then you get the next image instantly and you repeat for hours and hours. I believe this numbs your brain and being a passive observer for too long will make doing anything but being passive a task that demands too much effort. To a point that making a comment on someones post is the same social interaction and any long term goals gets too far away, making any task that demands too much focused concentration unattainable in the end. The end of learning anything hard or time consuming

Was at a party with one of my friends who I caught scrolling 9gag, so I took his phone out of his hand (its super easy, people who scroll dont really hold on to their phone and have NO ****ING CLUE what is going on around them) and said he would get it back when I left. He felt ashamed and didnt really complain, but he couldnt stop thinking about his phone. Was like having a ****ing puppy stalking you because you smelled like bacon... AND HE IS A GROWN ****ING MAN!

/end rant

I find rants of this type to be self-serving and unfair to the younger generation.


Let me first say, I never look at the fone unless I have to.. I just don't enjoy the squinting, it gives me wrinkles..


However,  one must realize,  BEFORE we had fones,  people had always had a drink in their hands..  WHY ?


Because AFK interactions are fundamentally not that interesting. While you are out with people, the majority of the time, you're actually just -bored- despite being -in the company of others-...



There's a reason why the younger generation pull out their fones,  it's their way of taking a sip from the glass of booze..


The modern human handles a tremendous amount of data..   Real life doesn't offer up content fast enough.. Things don't happen "information-ally" as quickly..

AFK parties -without alcohol / strippers -   are just boring..



Is this due to the fact that we're now completely adjusted to Async information.. YES,  but make no mistake ... THIS IS PROGRESS.


AFK is a waste of time, the majority of the time..     I'm glad afk is waning, just as I'm glad the living room is dead..




AT the end of the day,  Humans are now processing more data than Ever on an individual basis.. 




If you feel personally offended,  ask yourself, are you as interesting as Reddit.    There's no one to blame..  That is just the state of our technology.



If your argument is,  hey, we both made the commitment, and taken to the expense to be here together,  we should respect the effort and investment made to do this.. YES.. that's fine..

But--- have you considered,  the mistake is NOT when that kid pulls out his fone,  the mistake was, the two of you should've never gone out and instead just stayed home to text each other...

[27]

I spend way too much time sequestered away with screens, but I operate almost completely on my phone and laptop. Work, school, communication, my scheduling, and income.  It's very difficult to transition away from technology, when I use it constantly and consider it vital to my daily operation. 

Every once in a while I take a long walk through the nearby park and just clear my mind though, and I can definitely recognize why people want to reduce screentime.

[Leslieann]

Its strange. I dont look at my phone when Im with people, because Id rather put all my focus on what they are doing/saying rather than some bull**** I dont really care about, or could care about later when Im not with them. My fiance has a clear addiction and spends so much time with her phone its kinda scary
{cut}

To a degree, I agree with you, some people certainly are addicted, however, I think your blame may be a bit misplaced as is your concern.

I'm not saying you should have to compete with a phone, but people have been saying this same exact thing for generations. Alcohol, cigarettes, silent films, talkies, Tv, rock and roll, drugs, MTV, Emo.... People were claiming MTV was making attention spans shorter, ignoring that tv in general had been chopping up shows into shorter and shorter segments for decades in return for more commercials.  Every generation has something that the previous generation dislikes and thinks is either the devil or the end of civilization.

[vivalarevolución]

I spend way too much time sequestered away with screens, but I operate almost completely on my phone and laptop. Work, school, communication, my scheduling, and income.  It's very difficult to transition away from technology, when I use it constantly and consider it vital to my daily operation. 

Every once in a while I take a long walk through the nearby park and just clear my mind though, and I can definitely recognize why people want to reduce screentime.

Yea, a good walk seems to give me the perspective that I never have when staring at my screen.  Every time I go for a hike in the woods, I realize that I spend way too much time in front of the computer and I can attain clearer perspectives by stepping away every now and then.

[Altis]

NONONONONO....

f.lux is stupid... 

Just do it all in windowz like Tp4

View this image full screen,  and compare it to your current screen with the bright white..


Feeel the comfort of grey on black...

(Attachment Link)

That's quite nice.

I do something similar in Chrome with an extension called "ChangeColors". For some reason, it's been removed from the Google store, though.

I know what you mean, though. When I invert the colors on my phone I can instantly feel my eyes physically relax.

I just don't understand why pretty well nobody seems to be concerned about this.

[27]

I spend way too much time sequestered away with screens, but I operate almost completely on my phone and laptop. Work, school, communication, my scheduling, and income.  It's very difficult to transition away from technology, when I use it constantly and consider it vital to my daily operation. 

Every once in a while I take a long walk through the nearby park and just clear my mind though, and I can definitely recognize why people want to reduce screentime.

Yea, a good walk seems to give me the perspective that I never have when staring at my screen.  Every time I go for a hike in the woods, I realize that I spend way too much time in front of the computer and I can attain clearer perspectives by stepping away every now and then.

I'm probably due for another outing soon, but the weather has been mediocre.

[tp4tissue]

I spend way too much time sequestered away with screens, but I operate almost completely on my phone and laptop. Work, school, communication, my scheduling, and income.  It's very difficult to transition away from technology, when I use it constantly and consider it vital to my daily operation. 

Every once in a while I take a long walk through the nearby park and just clear my mind though, and I can definitely recognize why people want to reduce screentime.

Yea, a good walk seems to give me the perspective that I never have when staring at my screen.  Every time I go for a hike in the woods, I realize that I spend way too much time in front of the computer and I can attain clearer perspectives by stepping away every now and then.

I'm probably due for another outing soon, but the weather has been mediocre.

nooooo.. stay inside..  m0re Internetz

[27]

I spend way too much time sequestered away with screens, but I operate almost completely on my phone and laptop. Work, school, communication, my scheduling, and income.  It's very difficult to transition away from technology, when I use it constantly and consider it vital to my daily operation. 

Every once in a while I take a long walk through the nearby park and just clear my mind though, and I can definitely recognize why people want to reduce screentime.

Yea, a good walk seems to give me the perspective that I never have when staring at my screen.  Every time I go for a hike in the woods, I realize that I spend way too much time in front of the computer and I can attain clearer perspectives by stepping away every now and then.

I'm probably due for another outing soon, but the weather has been mediocre.

nooooo.. stay inside..  m0re Internetz

You're bad for my health tp.  The internetz will always be here.

[jd29]

When I started noticing eye floaters (someone as young as me shouldn't have them), I started using things at minimum brightness. On my phone the colors are usually inverted, so when I read the page is black, and on Windows I have the high contrast theme enabled (so that Explorer and UI elements are black). Your browser should have a simple CSS addon that turns web page backgrounds black and text white. I used to keep things on max, but now I can't even use a screen on medium brightness because it kills my eyes.

Anyone reading this, start turning the brightness on your devices down, a bit at a time. Try and acclimate to it. If you feel your screen is too dim, just hold out, you'll adjust. Regularly staring into bright LEDs is not good for your eyes.

[xtrafrood]

When I started noticing eye floaters (someone as young as me shouldn't have them), I started using things at minimum brightness. On my phone the colors are usually inverted, so when I read the page is black, and on Windows I have the high contrast theme enabled (so that Explorer and UI elements are black). Your browser should have a simple CSS addon that turns web page backgrounds black and text white. I used to keep things on max, but now I can't even use a screen on medium brightness because it kills my eyes.

Anyone reading this, start turning the brightness on your devices down, a bit at a time. Try and acclimate to it. If you feel your screen is too dim, just hold out, you'll adjust. Regularly staring into bright LEDs is not good for your eyes.

I have problems sleeping at night if I don't set my monitor to the lowest possible brightness setting.

[GenKaan]

Its strange. I dont look at my phone when Im with people, because Id rather put all my focus on what they are doing/saying rather than some bull**** I dont really care about, or could care about later when Im not with them. My fiance has a clear addiction and spends so much time with her phone its kinda scary
{cut}

To a degree, I agree with you, some people certainly are addicted, however, I think your blame may be a bit misplaced as is your concern.

I'm not saying you should have to compete with a phone, but people have been saying this same exact thing for generations. Alcohol, cigarettes, silent films, talkies, Tv, rock and roll, drugs, MTV, Emo.... People were claiming MTV was making attention spans shorter, ignoring that tv in general had been chopping up shows into shorter and shorter segments for decades in return for more commercials.  Every generation has something that the previous generation dislikes and thinks is either the devil or the end of civilization.

I highly doubt there ever was a situation in the past were at a party someone just sat down and put a pair of headphones on in the middle of a conversation. Since it was like 10 years since I watched TV or anything really with commercials in them I dont really have an opinion. But if your main hobby is starting passively into a screen that will become an issue, it will make you a boring person

Again I dont have a problem with what people do at home when they are alone. Thats their business. But if I had a conversation with you and you turned the TV on, I would be highly offended. To argue that TV limited concentration and attention span is a hard sell, arguing that when a conversation with someone you know isnt enough to keep your phone in your pocket to feels like common sense

Its a big different between being home alone and being IRL with people you know. Not saying technology is good or bad, just saying that some(most) people lack the respect to use them correctly

[Leslieann]

But if I had a conversation with you and you turned the TV on, I would be highly offended. To argue that TV limited concentration and attention span is a hard sell, arguing that when a conversation with someone you know isnt enough to keep your phone in your pocket to feels like common sense

Its a big different between being home alone and being IRL with people you know. Not saying technology is good or bad, just saying that some(most) people lack the respect to use them correctly

TV ruining concentration was a big deal for a while, now they blame phones for it. However, I think you hit on something, is it addiction to the device, or a simple lack of respect, or maybe even a cultural shift. The latter is harder to spot while it's happening.

[jacobolus]

Not just screens, but white LEDs in general are terrible to look at at nighttime. They wreck your night vision (which takes like 20–30 minutes to recover) and disrupt sleep rhythms.

My street installed new LED streetlamps with a CCT of ~4000K and probably 3x brighter than necessary, and they’re ****ing awful. The street feels like a prison yard or industrial warehouse.

(I recommend against using white LEDs or CFLs in home light fixtures you plan to use at night. Stick to incandescent bulbs or very yellow/orange LEDs.)

[jacobolus]

When I started noticing eye floaters (someone as young as me shouldn't have them),

Almost everyone has some eye floaters, even people in their teens/twenties, but they’re usually not a big deal. If you go outside on a sunny day, lie on your back and look around at the sky, most people should be able to see at least one or two.

It’s just they get a lot more numerous and distracting for some number of people in their 50s or beyond.

[GenKaan]

But if I had a conversation with you and you turned the TV on, I would be highly offended. To argue that TV limited concentration and attention span is a hard sell, arguing that when a conversation with someone you know isnt enough to keep your phone in your pocket to feels like common sense

Its a big different between being home alone and being IRL with people you know. Not saying technology is good or bad, just saying that some(most) people lack the respect to use them correctly

TV ruining concentration was a big deal for a while, now they blame phones for it. However, I think you hit on something, is it addiction to the device, or a simple lack of respect, or maybe even a cultural shift. The latter is harder to spot while it's happening.

Really? Guess Im not old enough to have experienced that. All I know is when I got my NES my attention span went from about an hour of focused concentration to "someone has to stop me from playing until I die from starvation"

Could it be that Im already turning old?